Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Tracks
By Cate Eales

Appeared October 19, 2006 on castanet.net

Recently I received a call from a client who had just bought a new computer and was planning to pass on the old one when his family visited for Thanksgiving.

He decided not to delete all the files and wipe the hard drive because he wanted his family to have the computer with all the programs his grand children use when they visit. He just wanted someone to come over and “give it a good scrubbing” so that personal and private information was removed.

This gentleman knew enough about security to understand that putting things in the Recycle Bin does not actually remove them (it just hides them, and not very securely either) and he knew that computers keep track of where you go, what you do and what you view.

Most of the time these tracks are a convenience, letting you quickly return to a document or image or web page via a "most recently used" (MRU) list. An example of a MRU list is your browser's History file, a list of all the web pages you have visited since it was last cleared.

If you care about other people knowing where you visit and what you look at, you should know how to clear History files. In Firefox go to Tools | Options | Privacy. There you can choose what information is saved and what is not by looking at the tabs and clicking on the Settings button.

In Internet Explorer go to Tools | Internet Options | General to clear the History file and the Temporary Internet files.

But page names are not the only thing recorded when we use our browsers. Every image we see on our screen, even if we don't intentionally download or save it, is stored at least for a short while in various temporary internet file folders.

These too can be purged, along with MRU lists, if we remember to do it. A free program that I have mentioned before called CCleaner does a good job of clearing out unwanted files, and inexpensive programs like Window Washer can automate the clean-up process for you. I don't use Window Washer, but I have clients and family members who do and who are satisfied with it.

But some information that you might like to keep private is also stored in the registry where it is not easily reached. The registry, as we mentioned in a previous column, is a large collection of files, often with impenetrably obscure names, that make your computer work. Messing with the registry beyond backing it up regularly is not for the faint of heart because an inadvertent delete or innocent typo can have dire consequences. (If you're going to edit the registry, back it up first and know how to restore!) But even if you don't want to edit the registry, there may be times when you want to look inside.

For example, every time you create a new identity on Yahoo!Messenger or visit a chat room, an entry is made in the registry. Deleting an identity at the Yahoo! site will eventually remove it from their system, but it will remain in your registry. So will the name of the last room you visited, for example, and the last file you sent.

Anyway, when I made my house call we:

The computer still had programs and licenses that had some personal information, but because he was turning it over to family, he felt comfortable with that.


A reminder that Microsoft released a big bunch of software patches earlier this month including some essential security updates, so be sure you have your Automatic Updates turned on. Even if you are conscientious about not opening unexpected email attachments there are reports of unpatched computers becoming infected just by visiting a rogue webpage even without deliberately downloading anything.


Thanks to everyone who writes with comments, questions, and constructive suggestions! I appreciate your contributions, so please keep them coming. Also please remember that you can read any of these columns again (or for the first time!) by pointing your browser to the column archives, here.

Links
How to Recycle Your Computer Safely http://rlis.com/columns/column61.htm
CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/
Window Washer http://www.webroot.com/consumer/products/windowwasher/?rc=4929&ac=5187469
Registry Backup http://rlis.com/columns/column63.htm
ERUNT http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/
Eraser http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/default.php
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml
 

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Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.