A utility from Nova Development is designed to answer fears about sensitive data being left on scrapped PCs - a growing problem as more and more computers come to the end of their working life.

Removing data completely from a PC is more than a matter of pressing delete, as anyone who has used file recovery software will know.

Drive Erase Pro is targeted mainly at people who want to ensure a hard drive is truly blank before selling, donating or scrapping the PC in which it is fitted. It allows you to delete individual files or the entire disk.

There are seven data destruction levels, a boot CD to allow a disk to be wiped completely, the ability to wipe multiple PCs numerous times and a Disk Viewer to prove that deleted data is actually gone for good.

The £29.99 package, available now from Avanquest, also caters for people who wish to hide their surfing activity.

It comes bundled with Surfsecret Privacy Protection which deletes your browser history, Instant Message tracks and the Google 'last-searched' toolbar. It also features a Stealth Mode to hide what programs you are running.