BCWipePD

BCWipe for Windows

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Translations

New features in version 3

BCWipe software enables you to confidently erase files that can never be recovered by an intruder. BCWipe embeds itself in Windows and can be activated from the Explorer FILE Menu OR from the context (right click) menu OR from a command-line prompt. BCWipe v.3 is a powerful set of utilities which complies with options to invoke either the US Department of Defence (DoD) standard or the Peter Gutmann wiping scheme. You can also create and use your own customized wiping scheme to wipe sensitive information from storage devices installed on your computer.

BCWipe features

BCWipe software provides the following main commands and options:
- Delete with wiping. Using this command available in the context menus of the 'My computer' window, you can delete and wipe a file or a folder, or a group of files and folders.
- Wipe free disk space. Using this command available in the context menus of the 'My computer' window, you can completely remove all traces of previously deleted files.
- Wipe Swap File. The Swap File is a Windows system file that is used for virtual memory support. If you are working on a file or document (even one that has been encrypted by a powerful engine), Windows can copy all or part of it in an open unencrypted form to the Swap file on your hard disk. Encryption keys, passwords, and other sensitive information can also be 'swapped' to your hard drive. Even if you use all the security features in the latest versions of Windows, simply investigating the Swap file in DOS mode with readily available tools may allow for significant data retrieval. BCWipe offers the option to wipe unused portions of the Swap File.
- Wipe Empty Directory Entries. The file system records the names and attributes of files to a special area (so called 'directory entries' for FAT and MFT for NTFS). When a file is deleted the corresponding directory entry is modified by the file system, which makes it invisible to windows and you. But most of the information still exists and the name and attributes can be restored using any recovery utility. BCWipe shreds directory entries and MFT so that the information can never be recovered.
- Wipe File Slacks. A file slack is the disk space from the end of a file up to end of the last cluster used by that file. You can turn file slacks wiping on or off before running BCWipe commands. (Read more explanations on file slacks at the Tips & Tricks section.)
The following additional utilities are available:
- Wipe an entire hard drive. This function removes all information from hard drives. This enables you to sell or dispose of your computer/hard disks, or re-assign it to another user, safe in the knowledge that your previously stored information has gone for ever. The BCWipe system includes the command-line BCWipePD v.1 (BCWipe Physical Drive) utility which can be used for all physical sectors on a disk. Since September, 2005 BCWipe users can download BCWipePD v.2.01 as a separate product. BCWipePD v.2.01 is more powerful, it is significantly much more faster and easier in use than BCWipePD v.1.
- BCWipe Task Manager. Offers the user the utmost flexibility in choosing what to wipe, when to wipe it, and how to wipe it. Removes lists of recently used files from the File Menus of specific programs. Wipes your Internet Cache, Cookies, History, etc. Wipes the entire Swap File.
- Swap File Encrypting utility. BCWipe allows you to encrypt the Swap file providing you with additional data security.
- Hexadecimal File Viewer. Using the Viewer you can examine contents of files after wiping. This utility is useful for investigating the quality of the wiping process, for example when you use a custom wiping scheme.

New features in version 3

BCWipe v.3 allows you to wipe data using predefined DoD 5200.28-STD and Peter Gutmann wiping schemes and now includes the Wiping Scheme Editor utility to view and edit the number of wiping passes as well as binary patterns used in every pass. Now you can customize the entire wiping process on your computer.
Swap File Encrypting Utility added.
BCWipe v.3 includes a "Task Manager" enabling the user to schedule some wiping tasks automatically. For example, wipe free space on all your hard drives at midnight every Friday and use US DoD 5200.28-STD wiping standard for the process.
Automatic wiping of Recently Used Files List. You can configure BCWipe Task Manager to remove all references to recently used files or only those in applications that you specify. For example, you can configure BCWipe to clear the list of recently opened MS Word documents. If another user opens Word the list of recently used files that normally appears in the File Menu will be empty. This is a useful feature in workgroups where sensitive accounting or personal information may be accessed.
Wipe Special System Folders at Start Up. Windows creates Special System Folders for storing temporary Internet files, cookies and so on. Such folders can't be deleted or wiped in the usual way, because the operating system keeps them locked. You can configure BCWipe Task Manager to automatically wipe selected folders when they are not locked, i.e. when Windows starts up.
Hibernation File wiping. The Hibernation File supports the transition of the computer to the hibernation state. At that time the system copies all the data stored in RAM, including opened sensitive documents, to the Hibernation File. To avoid a possible security leak you can configure BCWipe to wipe the Hibernation File regularly.
BCWipe v.3 recognizes and properly shreds alternate data streams in files, created on NTFS disks in Windows NT/2000/XP operating systems.
The wiping process can be configured to perform additional actions, for example creating a log file, shut the computer down or log off the current user.
Improved wiping performance in BCWipe v.3. It now works at least 10% faster than previous versions.
Ability to Skip files and directories which do not require treatment during 'Wipe file slacks' process.

Translations

BCWipe supports a special technology allowing an easy translating the software to any language. At the moment BCWipe is translated to the following languages:

Language	Software Interface Translator	Help File Translator
Arabic	Ali Khojah	—
Chinese Simplified	邵子扬 (Shao ziyang)	—
Dutch	Busselot Norbert	—
English	Jetico, Inc.	Jetico, Inc.
Italian	Marco Andreoli	—
Russian	Julia Pichueva	Jetico, Inc
Turkish	Kadir Demirel	—

If you wish to make BCWipe speak your native language and more useful for your compatriots, please contact our Technical Support: support@jetico.com

Tips & tricks

About file slacks. When you save a file, the individual bytes of information are stored on the disk in clusters. When you delete a file, only the reference to the file name is deleted from the file system. It's important to note that the individual bytes of the original file information are not removed from the disk. They stay there, a silent witness to your activity, - FOREVER, - or until they're overwritten. It is possible but not always definite that the bytes of a subsequently saved file might overwrite the bytes of the original file. But the operating system decides where it stores information and you can't predict what will happen.

Furthermore if the file No2 is not quite as large as file No1 (or for a host of other reasons) the process of saving file No2 may not overwrite ALL of file No1. This means that there may be some bytes of file No1 left at the end of a cluster. This is called a slack and it is possible to retrieve information form Slacks which may compromise your business success or domestic happiness.

Wiping file slacks is time consuming. But many files are stored on disk for a long time (such as those in the Windows folders). Once slacks have been wiped in files like this, it's not necessary to do it again and BCWipe v.3 can be configured accordingly. 'Use Skipped List' feature allows you to disregard selected folders.
If wiping the swap file takes a long time, you can deselect the function and enable CryptoSwap for transparent encryption of the swap file.
To wipe deleted e-mails, compact the e-mail data base and then run the 'Wipe Free Space' command.
If your Recycle Bin is protected by Norton, you should use BCWipe Task Manager to completely wipe the Bin at start-up.

Changelog

16-September-2008 | v.3.11.7: Minor bugs fixed
22-July-2008 | v.3.11.6: Critical bugs on Windows 98/ME fixed. Turkish translation is available.
01-July-2008 | v.3.11.5: Release for Windows Vista users. Occasional fail in System Restore disabling fixed. Error in wiping files stored on a mapped network drive fixed.
08-April-2008 | v.3.11.4: Error in uninstallation procedure on 64-bit versions of Windows fixed.
05-February-2008 | v.3.11.3: Minor enhancement in 'Wipe free space' task of BCWipe Task Manager. Minor bug fixed.
19-December-2007 | v.3.11.1: The software is translated to Chinese language.
07-November-2007 | v.3.11: The software is translated to Arabic and Russian languages.
24-April-2007 | v.3.10.5: BCWipe now is able to shred cache, history and cookies of Firefox v.2.Occasional crash of BCWipe TaskManager in Windows 98/ME and minor bugs in user interface fixed.
15-March-2007 | v.3.10.4: BCWipe TaskManager is enhanced for Windows Vista to request elevated users' rights when needed.
02-March-2007 | v.3.10.3: Wiping file slacks procedure for Windows Vista enhanced. BCWipe now works correctly with Windows Vista virtual store, it is able to work in system folders and asks for elevation user's rights when it is needed.
22-February-2007 | v.3.10.1: Ability to wipe MS Office 2007 MRU lists and wiping Windows Vista Recycle Bin added.
15-February-2007 | v.3.10: Since v.3.10 BCWipe supports Windows Vista operating system.
05-October-2006 | v.3.08: The software now supports wiping free space for mount points. MFT slacks wiping functionality added.
28-September-2005 | v.3.07.3: An error in verification procedure fixed.
22-September-2005 | v.3.07.2: New version of BCWipePD utility for wiping whole hard drives released as a separate self-extracting installation program. Our BCWipe users can download and install the software using licenses for BCWipe. Read more information about BCWipePD v.2.01 here.
01-July-2005 | v.3.07.1: BCWipe now supports Windows XP 64-bit Edition. NTFS MFT wiping improved. Functionality to wipe Internet cache of Opera browser added.
20-May-2005 | v.3.07: BCWipePD utility for wiping a whole hard drives on a physical level is enhanced. Now BCWipePD defines number of sectors hidden by Device Configuration Overlay (DCO) functionality. Enhanced BCWipePD allows reading/wiping the DCO hidden sectors as well as setting/resetting number of sectors hidden by the DCO feature.
25-January-2005 | v.3.06.2: Procedure of wiping MS Word Recently Used List is enhanced. Error in deleting wiped and renamed file is fixed.
18-November-2004 | v.3.06.1: I. BCWipe version 3.06.01. Swap File Encrypting utility enables the user to turn on/off initialization of the swap file by random data at Windows start up time. Corresponding section in BCWipe help documentation describes the functionality in detail. Also Swap File Encrypting utility is improved to avoid occasional conflicts with Symantec SymEvent.sys driver used in various Symantec software, for example, in Norton Antivirus.

II. Option 'Verify the last pass' implemented. Checking the option you make BCWipe verify that the wiping data written to the disk during the last wiping pass has really appeared on the disk. Note that an overall wiping performance becomes lower when the option is set.
23-September-2004 | v.3.06: BCWipe Task Manager can now wipe the 'Recently Used Files' list (or a single file from the list) in Microsoft Word and also Netscape temporary files (cache, history, cookies and typed URLs list). The 'Wipe Special Folders' task now can wipe the Windows Temp Folder.
11-August-2004 | v.3.05.16: BCWipePD now supports 48-bit addressing for large IDE drives. BCWipe Task Manager can wipe temporary Internet files, cookies and history data created by Mozilla browser.
15-October-2003 | v.3.05.7: Ability to wipe file names in Unicode charset added.
05-May-2003 | v.3.05.2: BCWipe now runs outside the Windows shell, Control Elements in native XP style added.
21-March-2003 | v.3.05.1: Enhancements to the procedure for wiping MFT records on NTFS disks, and for support of Restore Points in Windows XP.
15-January-2003 | v.3.05: BCWipePD version 2.00 released. It issues low-level commands for ATA drives to wipe Host Protected Area (HPA).
17-December-2002 | v.3.04: Commercial version 3.04 of BCWipe released. New procedure to wipe Hibernation File added.
15-August-2002 | v.3.00 beta: New 3.00 beta version of BCWipe announced.