Deleting and restoring files

Deleting files from computers on the network

Panda Data Control enables you to delete indexed files shown in computer inventories. File deletion is an asynchronous operation launched by the network administrator from their console and which takes place when the agent receives a request from the Panda Adaptive Defense 360 server and the following conditions are met:

The file is not in use.
The content of the file has not changed with respect to the file stored in the inventory.
The file has not been deleted by the computer user in the time between when the inventory was generated and when the administrator launched the deletion action.
The computer is online. If this condition is not met, Panda Data Control marks the file as Pending deletion until the computer connects to the Panda Adaptive Defense 360 server.

Deletion action statuses

Because file deletion is an asynchronous operation, it can have the following statuses:

Deleted: The file has been moved to the Panda Adaptive Defense 360 backup area.
Pending deletion: Panda Data Control is waiting for the computer to connect to the Panda Adaptive Defense 360 server in order to delete it.
Error: It was not possible to delete the file due to an error.

Backing up the files deleted by Panda Data Control

Files deleted by Panda Data Control are not permanently erased from the computers’ hard disks. Instead, they are moved to a backup area where they are kept for 30 days, after which they are permanently deleted.

This area is automatically excluded from inventories, searches, and the file monitoring feature, and cannot be accessed by the software installed on users’ computers.

Deleting files

Follow these steps to delete one or more files:

From the My lists side panel:
- Go to the Status menu at the top of the console. Click Add from the My lists side panel. A window appears with all available lists.
- Click the Files with personal data list. A list opens with all PII files found across the network.
From the Files with personal data widget:
- Go to top menu Status. Select Data Control from the side menu. Click one of the items in the Files with personal data widget.The Files with personal data list opens, filtered by the selected criteria.
From the Files by personal data type widget:
- Go to top menu Status. Select Data Control from the side menu. Click one of the items in the Files by personal data type widget.The Files with personal data list opens, filtered by the selected criteria.
Follow these steps to delete multiple files:
- Select the checkboxes next to the files you want to delete.
- Click the icon at the top of the page. A confirmation dialog box opens.
Follow these steps to delete a single file:
- From the context menu of the file you want to delete, click Delete. A confirmation dialog box opens.
If you confirm the action, the file appears in red and with the icon indicating that the file is pending deletion.

Viewing deleted files

Follow these steps to view the files deleted by the administrator:

Go to the Status menu at the top of the console. Click Add from the My lists side panel. A window appears with all available lists.
Click the Files deleted by the administrator list. A list opens with all PII files found on the network that were previously deleted or restored by the administrator.

Restoring files previously deleted by the administrator

Panda Data Control enables you to restore, to their original location, all files previously deleted by the administrator through the console, provided they still remain in the backup area (up to 30 days after they were deleted). File restore is an asynchronous operation launched by the network administrator from their console and which takes place when the agent receives a request from the Panda Adaptive Defense 360 server and the following conditions are met:

The file remains in the backup area: Deleted files are kept in the backup area for up to 30 days after being deleted. After that period, they are deleted permanently with no option for recovery.
There is no other file with the same name in the restore path: If there is another file with the same name in the restore path, Panda Data Control restores the file to the Lost&Found folder.
There is no other file with the same name in the restore path: If there is another file with the same name in the restore path, Panda Data Control restores the file to the Lost & Found folder.
The restore path exists: If the restore path does not exist, Panda Data Control restores the file to the Lost & Found folder.

Restore action statuses

Because file restore is an asynchronous operation, it can have the following statuses:

Restored
Pending restore
Error

Restoring deleted files

Follow these steps to restore the files deleted by the administrator:

Accessing the restore feature:

Go to the Status menu at the top of the console. Click Add from the My lists side panel. A window appears with all available lists.
Click the Files deleted by the administrator list. A list opens with all PII files found on the network that were previously deleted or restored by the administrator.

Go to top menu Status. Select Data Control from the side menu. Click the Files deleted by the administrator widget. The Files deleted by the administrator list opens with no preconfigured filters.

Follow these steps to restore multiple files:

Select the checkboxes next to the files you want to recover.
Click the icon at the top of the page. A confirmation dialog box opens.
If you confirm the restore action, the file status changes to Restoring.

Follow these steps to restore a single file:

Click the context menu of the file you want to recover.
Click the Restore option. A confirmation dialog box opens.
If you confirm the restore action, the file status changes to Restoring.