How does the "recycle bin" on a computer recycle things?

Question

If it doesnt recycle anything then whys it called the recycle bin :)

Answer 1

it doesn't recycle it just keeps deleted files in a place where u call it recycle bin. it actually donesn't delete all or recycle anythings..  

Answer 2

you can bring all your stuff in the recycle bin and take it out again until you empty the bin than it's gone.

Answer 3

It dosen't recycle things,it just keep deleted things which can be later

restored,you can also empty recycle bin by deleting deleted items from

recycle bin.Good Luck

Answer 4

Whether you recycle your old computer, sell it, give it away or take it to the dump, you may also be giving away personal information, even if you think you erased everything on your hard drive and emptied the recycle bin.

Two MIT graduate students bought 158 used disk drives on the secondary market and found many "had not been properly sanitized." They found personal information, even when the previous owner had attempted to erase the data and empty the recycle bin, or even reformat the entire drive.

The pair, Simson Garfinkel and Abhi Shelat, found medical records, love letters, pornography and thousands of credit card numbers.

The researchers aren't the first to discover a treasure trove of personal information on used machines. In 2002, a journalist purchased a used computer at a thrift store that had once belonged to the U.S. Veterans Administration. The drive contained medical information including the names of patients with AIDS and mental health problems.

While some people make no effort to delete sensitive data, others are lulled into a false sense of security by using standard file deletion methods. Most are temporary at best.

The most common way to delete files in Windows and Macintosh is to drag the file into the Mac "trash can" or the Windows "recycle bin." While that removes it from the desktop it does not remove it from the computer. In fact, you can restore the file by simply opening the trash or recycle bin and dragging it back to the desktop.

Both Mac and Windows allow you to go one step further by emptying the recycle bin which appears to delete the file completely. The Mac, for example, asks you if you are sure "you want to remove the item in the trash permanently." Windows asks if you're "sure you want to delete all of the items in the recycle bin."

But neither method is permanent. Erasing a file doesn't actually delete the data; it just removes the file name from the directory. The data is still there, even though you can't see it in the recycle bin.

Deleting a file the standard way by emptying the recycle bin is a bit like crumpling up a piece of paper and throwing it in the trash can rather than running it through a shredder.

The MS-DOS delete command doesn't have an obvious "undo" feature but it too can easily be reversed. This can be good news if you've accidentally deleted something. But it's bad news if you want it permanently gone.

Numerous software products are available that allow you to "undelete" such files. "Recover My Files" is one of many that will allow you to recover deleted files on Windows. You can even try it out for free.

At first glance, formatting a hard disk sure seems like a pretty good way to obliterate your data, but it's not. The Windows Format command will warn you that "Formatting will erase ALL data on this disk," but, again, that's not entirely true.

While it will make the disk appear to be empty, that data itself will not be erased. The same is true with the fdisk command which creates and deletes hard drive partitions.

In addition to the files that you know about, your hard disk may contain personal information in "temporary" files such as a browser or print spooler cache. These files are created automatically but they are not necessarily deleted automatically.

Another source of "hidden" personal information includes e-mail programs which sometimes archive your incoming and outgoing messages.

SecureClean from WhiteCanyon Software is an example of a software tool that can help permanently eliminate these traces of data.

Of course, anything sent via the Internet might also be stored on a server, a remote backup system or someone else's computer. During the Iran Contra scandal, it was revealed Oliver North thought he had destroyed thousands of e-mail messages only to find out they had been archived from the e-mail system's backup tapes.

Software Can Scrub Drive Clean

Fortunately, there are many programs - such as WipeDrive from WhiteCanyon Software - that can protect your privacy by "sanitizing" your hard drive.

The most common method involves overwriting a file or an entire disk by replacing the old data with new "null" data such as zeros. With the exception of top secret documents, the U.S. Department of Defense's clearing and sanitizing standard recommends that defense contractors "overwrite all addressable locations with a character, its complement, then a random character and verify."

Unless you're engaged in international espionage, sanitizing a drive by overwriting the data is probably adequate protection but it is theoretically possible for someone with the resources of the National Security Agency to recover the data using very sophisticated methods and equipment.

Still, Garfinkel and Shelat refer to these extraordinary methods as exotic and conclude that "simply overwriting user data with one or two passes of random data is probably sufficient."

With these tools you can dispose of your PC and keep your secrets. Remember, you have the right to remain silent. And so does your discarded hard drive.  

Answer 5

It recycles the space occupied by files you no longer need.

You put an unwanted file in the recycle bin.

You empty the recycle bin.

The space occupied by that unwanted file is now free space.

Answer 6

"recycle bin" does recycle deleted things if you wish them back. Click on recycle bin icon and then on select the deleted item and then click on restore to get the deleted item back on PC where it was originally.

Answer 7

It doesn't. it should be called the dustbin.

Answer 8

it moves the file to a hidden folder on the drive with tags saying where it came from.

If you decide you still need the file you can get restore it back to where it came from

Its not really a recycle bin but a trash bin, but apple may have objected is Microsoft called it that

Answer 9

It recycles space on your system when you empty it. Otherwise, it is used to store what you no longer think you need until you restore these items or delete them when you are sure you no longer want them.

Answer 10

That's a very good question.... and I can't think of an answer. I don't think some people actually understand what your asking which makes me laugh!!

Answer 11

Huh?Recycle Bin is used to delete unwanted program and that all..

Answer 12

it dosnt =P

the pourpose of it is to stop you from accedently deleting files, so you can recover them easily.

now when you ACUTALLY delete a file.... it dosnt ACTUALLY get deleted it just becomes extrmely hard to find, it also gets marked as "to be overwrriten" because you cant really ever get a deleted elctrical signal it can however be changed.

so thats what it does.

to ensure that a file acutally gets fully deleted the best thing to do is to overwrite it 7 times. you can download spybot which comes with a handy tool called file shredder. which overwrites files as many times as u want.

also if u wanna recover lost files theres another tool by pitrom that recovers stuff on your hard disk.

OHHH and its called a recycling bin because the people at microsoft, couldnt find a better name for it =P

hope ive been help.

Answer 13

t just erases the 1 and 0 sequences. Like one file can be 001110101010101 then it just make it 010101010101010101 or 0000000000 or 1111111111 which is code for empty space which can be filled up again or something like that i actually dont know what im talking about :)

Answer 14

In the old days you could either keep a file, or delete it.  If you hit delete you had no chance to change your mind (unless you had some relatively advanced software.)

The recycle bin is a holding area.  You can hit delete and things go in there, they don't get permanently deleted until you make that decision.  I've never liked "recycling bin" as a name for it but I must admit I'm not sure what else it should be called.

Answer 15

When You Delete any item by mistake and you want to get back it then u just go to Recycle Bin ,right click on that item which u want to recycle and click Restore Button

That file u deleted its not Proper delete from your computer its store in Same drive in which u delete that file

Folder Option>>Show all Files and Folders

And Unchecked the box That hide System Files and folders

Then U can see the Recycle bin in drive and u can watch that item which u deleted

That's All

Ur Friend

Answer 16

dont try to understand windows to hard it s point less

what do u have to click on start to shutdown your computer????that s another life mystery....

Answer 17

i suppose recycle means re-use and thats basically what it is...

when you delete a file it goes into the recycle bin and if you want, you can restore the file and re-use it.

hense recycling (:

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