Free Space Bleaching - HP ProBook 6445b - Notebook PC User Manual

Free space bleaching

Deleting an asset in Windows does not completely remove the contents of the asset from your hard
drive. Windows only deletes the reference to the asset. The content of the asset still remains on the
hard drive until another asset overwrites that same area on the hard drive with new information.
Free space bleaching allows you to securely write random data over deleted assets, preventing users
from viewing the original contents of the deleted asset.
NOTE: Free space bleaching is for those assets that you delete using the Windows Recycle Bin or
when you manually delete an asset. Free space bleaching provides no additional security to shredded
assets.
You can set an automatic free space bleaching schedule or you can manually activate free space
bleaching using the HP ProtectTools icon in the notification area, at the far right of the taskbar. For
more information, refer to Setting a free space bleaching schedule on page 64 or Manually activating
free space bleaching on page 69.
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