Glossary
This glossary explains the terms that O&O SafeErase and this help use.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cluster | The smallest unit in which a file system allocates space on a drive. |
| Cluster tip | Unused space at the end of the last cluster of a file. It can contain remnants of older files. Erase cluster tips (DeepErase) overwrites it. |
| DeepErase | The subtask of free-space cleanup that overwrites cluster tips. |
| Erase method | The procedure used to overwrite data: the pattern written and the number of passes. See Erase methods and SSDs. |
| Erasure record | A signed file (.oose) that accompanies a report and makes changes to it detectable. See Reports and erasure records. |
| Fortress Mode | O&O SafeErase running in the Windows Recovery Environment, where Windows does not lock any files. Required to erase the system drive and the entire PC. |
| Free space | Areas of a drive that no file occupies. They can contain the contents of files that were deleted normally. |
| MFT | Master File Table: the directory of an NTFS drive. It keeps names and references of deleted files and the contents of very small files. |
| Pass | One complete overwrite of the data. Some methods use several passes with different patterns. |
| Record chain | The sequence of erasure records on a PC. Each record refers to the previous one, so a deleted record is noticed. |
| Report | The XML file with the targets, the method used and the result of an erasure. |
| Secure erasure | Overwriting data before releasing the space, so that it cannot be recovered. |
| SolidErase | The O&O method for SSDs: one pass with random data, which avoids unnecessary write cycles. |
| SSD | Solid-state drive: a drive with flash memory. Its controller decides where data is physically stored. |
| Timestamp | Confirmation by a timestamp service (RFC 3161) of the time at which an erasure record was signed. |
| Traces | Data that browsers, Windows and programs store as a side effect of use, such as history, cookies, cache and temporary files. |
| TRIM | A command with which Windows tells an SSD which areas are no longer in use. |
| Windows RE | Windows Recovery Environment: a minimal Windows on a separate partition, used for repairs and for Fortress Mode. |