Erase Computer History [aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com]

Erase Computer History [aboutcomputer99.blogspot.com]

Many PC users believe that if they delete their computer history and close their browser, the traces of whatever sites they have surfed will vanish forever. However, this is not always accurate. In fact, a lot of such information stays back on the hard-drives of the computer.

Unless we know the precise location where such information is hidden, they could stay in the system and may act as a possible threat to our privacy by revealing the browsing habits. Just visualize what will happen if your spouse, kids, boss, colleague or a friend becomes curious to know which websites you have been visiting online, the music that you have listened to or the movies that you have watched. It will not be hard for all these people to employ some software or dig out the necessary information manually from your computer.

To protect your online browsing habits from getting into the wrong hands or to stop your privacy from being compromised, you should erase computer history. If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can see your browsing history by selecting "Tools" menu followed by opting for the tab marked "Internet Options". Then, click the button labeled "Settings". After that, click the "View Files" button.

Web surfers who use Microsoft Internet Explorer can erase computer history by following these steps:

* To delete their history files, IE 6 and 7 users can choose the "Tools" menu, "Internet Options", and then select the "Delete" or "Delete Files" button. Web surfers can also click the "Advanced" tab, go to the "Security" section and check the tab labeled "Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed" to erase their computer history.

* Web surfers using IE 4 on an Apple Macintosh can erase computer history by clicking these tabs in succession-"Hard Drive" icon, "System", "Preferences" and "Explorer". In the final stages, they should move the history file into the trash folder.

* Web surfers using IE 3 can delete their browsing history by selecting the "View" menu, going to "Options" from there, open the tab labeled "Advanced", click the "Settings" tab, and then finally choose the "Empty Folder" button.

Mozilla Firefox users can erase computer history by clicking in succession the following: "Tools" menu, "Options" tab, the "Privacy" button, and then click the button marked "Clear Now" or "Clear" which is listed under "History" tab. Instead of this step, these users can also press three keys marked Ctrl, Shift and Delete so that the Clear Data Window opens. From there, they can check the relevant boxes to erase browsing history.

For Netscape users, history files can be erased by clicking the menu labeled "Edit" followed by the selection of "Preferences" and "History". Lastly, the user should click the "Clear History" button.

Opera users can erase computer history by clicking the "File" menu at first and next selecting "Preferences" and "History."

Find More Erase Computer History Issues

Question by waddabunchabologna: Computer history? How do professionals take a computer and find deleted history on it. How are they reading this history. I have nothing to hide but I'm worried about selling a computer that may have old account info on it. Can someone please explain how they find and read this stuff. Best answer for Computer history?:

Answer by df747jet
The information is on the hardrive stays there until it is overwritten, read more here http://www.pcworld.com/digitalduo/article/0,aid,121154,00.asp

Answer by JamesBond
It has to do with the way data is stored on a hard disk. When you create a file, what is actually created on your hard disk is a chunk of the actual data and then a point in a map representing that data. This point represents a file. When you want to access the file, the computer first looks in the map and then it knows where the actual data for the file is and goes and reads it. To save time during deletion, the computer doesn't actually delete the data; it just deletes the map entry. What an expert will do is scan the hard disk and try to recreate these map entries. There are utilities out there that will help you thoroughly clean your hard disk. But, I wouldn't worry about it if your just going to sell your computer. Finding deleted information isn't as trivial as it's made to seem. It takes expertise and lots of time or hardware resources.

Answer by EG345
There are many programs on the market that allow you to retrieve deleted data. In reality data is not really deleted when you throw it away or empty your recycle bin. That is why it is so easy to recover. The only thing that happens when you empty your recycle bin is the pointers to the file in the MFT (Master File Table) are deleted so the OS thinks they are permanently gone. They aren't. Never throw an old hard drive away or donate a computer if there is or has been personal information on it until you get and use a program that will "scrub" your hard drive. This is a process of overwriting the hard drive with blank space or 0's and 1's. Seven passes is the DOD minimum standard so it can take awhile, but it can save much time and trouble down the road.

Answer by helpme
go to "tools" tab at the very top of the page and click on it. Go to "internet options" when the box opens up go to "settings" when that box opens click on "view files" If you need more help IM me

Answer by stewart_pittman
There are software recovery programs that can scan for so called deleted areas and recover them. There is a masterboot table that when you state thatyou want a file removed it will flag it as removed or delete, however IT IS NOT DELTED!!! Only from the table not the sector. This is recoverable. I think spybot has a shredding feature, where once you delete a file, you command it to shred that entire secotr of the hard drive. Also, its been a while but i think Internet Explorere makes a sec ond or third copy called index.dat, where it has all your history. This is what I do at home. 1. NEVER LET ANYONE USE MY OWN PERSONAL COMPUTER, I let them use the public computer. 2. I have a removable hard drive. When I leave home

Answer by KAMSC_kid_09
Before you sell it, reformat it. Double click on My Computer and Right click your hard drive, left click format. ACHTUNG!!! this is very final, it will wipe your computer. If you're super paranoid, reformat it again (from the BIOS). Only a CIA or FBI agent would ever be able to reconstruct that info.

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