Windows 10: Why does deletion (e.g. of data on a memory stick) take so long?

Hello

Why does deletion (e.g. of data on a memory stick) take so long?
Is there a way to speed it up?
Is it because Windows is wanting to put deleted files into the "Recycle Bin"?
And if so is there any way to STOP Windows from doing so?

Cheers

J


PS I just deleted some files on my Kingston memory stick. It took over 10 minutes to delete 1GB. Which is almost longer than it took to copy that same data on in the first place!

:)

 

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I think that there is something wrong in your PC's USB port(s) and Windows.

Anyway, test all PC's USB ports, does any of those work?

If you have other USB device (e.g. printer or USB memory stick), does it work with your new PC?

 

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No, there's no recycle bin on a memory stick. You are asked to confirm 'Do you want to permanently delete this?', not '...send it to the Recycle Bin?'.

Deleting a file means clearing the entry in a table that points to where the data is stored. If the 1GB is all in one file then that's just one entry to clear. If, as I strongly suspect, your 1GB was made up of thousands of small files, folders and subfolders then it will inevitably take a long time to clear all those index entries.

Your 10 minutes does sound longer than usual though. Are you deleting with File Explorer? Or are you using something else to do a secure delete? Only a secure delete should take as long as writing the data because it is overwriting all the data.

If you want to delete everything that's on the memory stick, it's far quicker to format it (make sure Quick Format is ticked).