Im a novice here so if in wrong place forgive me.
can I get software that will let me wipe files clean and not just release them for use but leave info there?
FWIW am using a dell with XP pro..

For wiping all the free space on a disk, this was mentioned recently.
http://www.killdisk.com/

There are also many tools which act like a "shredder" for your desktop wastebasket.
http://www.filetransit.com/files.php...re_File_Delete
http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/security/fwerase.html
No specific recommendation, just somewhere to look

am I to understand that these things will allow actual removal of data or whatever from a file or files and leave it empty and not be traceable by some computer forensic expert?
I will check out your suggestions.
Is anything available commercially like at fry's ?
Thanks for the info.

looks like that is what I was looking for.
Thanks