Apologies - this question must have been asked often, but I just can't find an answer.
Are there any tools to remove all my personal information from a PortableApps USB key?
I work offshore, in areas of typically very poor internet connection. I'd like to give people a copy of my USB key - several find it very useful. I've experimented, and it appears that if I delete the entire Data subfolder, this seems to delete my personal information and resets each app to a prisitine, newly installed state. I'm not sure if this covers the whole story though...
Many thanks
Mike
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Thats the only way to securely remove data, simply pressing DELETE doesn't do anything, as data can be recovered with data recovery tools.
One of the available PortableApps tools you can use to carry out this task is BleachBit https://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/bleachbit_portable, you can shred files, folders, and or free space.
http://www.bleachbit.org/features
Apologies, I wasn't clear.
The interim step I didn't mention is: I won't be handing them my key. I have backups of my key. What I want to do is remove all personal data from one of those backups, then copy that newly cleaned backup to a new key. The plan is not have any *trace* of my personal data on the new key.
And you know what? I'm perfectly comfortable for all my personal data to be removed from my backups. It's only the latest version of each app I'm really backing up.
What I'm hoping is that some app or routine has been developed that recurses over all PortableApp subdirectories and deletes all first level folders called Data. As well as doing whatever is required to clear that data.
I'm a developer, I could develop this myself. I'm unclear if deleting the Data apps is sufficient, or if data is hidden elsewhere as well.
The personal logo on the start menu is not one I have an issue with - happy for that remain. But also happy for it to be cleared if any existing solution does this.
Cheers
MIke
As I've upgraded to a higher gb usb key, I've made a fresh clean install of all the portable apps I use on it. I've got a couple of random spare 4 and 8 gb that I have to just give them away for them to keep if they are interested. 2gb would be fine for space as well, the cost pennies,or free from other folks giving aways stuff, I believe.
Might be the easiest way.
Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.
Came up with a simple solution that didn't involve coding.
I use BeyondCompare to copy from the original key to a new key. Filters - Name Filters - Exclude Folders "PortableApps\*\Data" - Everything is copied from my key, except my data.