I'd like a free program that is a POWERFUL and FAST shredder

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conceptualclarity

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I have a huge amount of unwanted material on my system, which I am seeking to trim greatly prior to backing it up. Most of it is not subject to uninstall procedures or cleaning by CCleaner. I'm dealing with some unwanted/redundant files and folders in the hundreds of MBs range. I'm using Advanced System Care, Glary Utilities, and Ashampoo WinOptimizer from the context menu, but it's going pretty slowly. I'd like a free program that is powerful enough to handle the really big files and is fast.

Computer
Dell Computer Dimension 2400 (desktop) 2003
Operating System
Windows XP Home Edition (original and pre-installed) 32-bit SP3
reinstalled 02-20-2014
CPU
Intel Pentium 4
Northwood 0.13um Technology
RAM
2.00GB DDR @ 166MHz (2.5-3-3-7)
Motherboard
Dell Computer Corp. 0G1548 (Microprocessor)
Graphics
Default Monitor (1280x1024@60Hz)
Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller (Dell)
Storage
80 GB Seagate ST380011A (ATA) 28 °C
3.94 GBGB Lexar USB Flash Drive USB Device (USB)
500.11 GB HGST USB Device (external hard drive)
Optical Drives
SAMSUNG CD-R/RW SW-252S
Audio
Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio Device
Anti-Virus
Roboscan
 
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Shredding files depending on the settings may take from a few seconds to a couple of hours.

> CCleaner (Secure Wipe settings) - https://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner/ccleaner-settings/changing-ccleaner-settings
> Privazer - http://privazer.com/
> Eraser - http://eraser.heidi.ie/

SDelete (Sysinternals) - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/bb897443.aspx
Use with caution. Make sure you completely understand how to use. Do not delete shortcut files.
Google: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sdelete
 
I've now added eraser and Privazer to my context menu. I already had CCleaner, but it doesn't offer a shredding option in the context menu.

Interesting : Privazer told me my C drive was SSD. I wish! :O)
 
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