h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello. I was hoping someone could help me with a problem. How do I delete things permanantly from my computer? I've got my kids over this weekend and now that I'm on the internet I'm sure they'll want to go on too. I've been deleting all the more adult pages and suchlike that I've visited but I'm terrified they'll still find them. They're teenagers and a lot better on computers than I am. Can anyone help?

What computer setup? Windows?

Disc Cleanup will remove some stuff.

Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disc Cleanup.

Internet Explorer 7?

Tools > Internet Options > General > Browsing History > Delete.

Older version of Internet Explorer?

Much the same, but you have to delete cookies, stored files, and the list of visited websites separately.

TRiG.

Thank you.

I have Windows XP and Internet Explorer 7. Is IE7 better at clean-up than older versions cos I did all that before and Darren still managed to find stuff I'd rather he hadn't.

A computer restart afterward may possibly help. There are far geekier geeks than me around the place, though. SEF, TiT, and Peet are three I can think of off-hand.

TRiG.

I saw the title of this thread and was afraid we might have another Nighthoover on our hands!

Here's an idea - don't bother.

They're teenagers and a lot better on computers than you. Therefore, by definition, they've probably seen things that would make your hair curl and your teeth fall out. You're a grownup, and would it be so terrible if WHEN THEY GO LOOKING FOR IT (which they would have to) they find evidence of that?

You might just as well ask "where can I best hide my stash of porn mags so my kids don't find them?".

Sanitise your favourites/bookmarks list, clear your cache, delete your history (all from Tools/Options), and let them get on with it, I say.

SoRB

Gee thanks mister. I take it you don't have an ex-wife who will happily crucify you for the slightest thing and use any excuse to stop your kids visiting.

Well, no, you're right, I don't. But given that that is the case, the obvious answer is - don't let them use the computer. And if they ask why, blame their mother.

SoRB

Traveller in Time on third thoughts about IE 7
"Not that traces can be found more easy, just seems to be still rather buggy .

Think the best policy would be to give them a user account with limited rights. < http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279783 >

Trig already gave a near complete list of the standard actions to clean up internet activity. Perhaps you should check your bookmarks (some people seem to use bookmarks instead of tying the URL straight into the address bar)

And I agree with SoRB in let them do something else, take a walk, watch some Torchwood or 'Happy Feet', visit the local swimming pool . "

While we're on the subject, does anyone know how to make those words in the search dropdown menus go away?

Yep. Hover your mouse over them and hit the delete key.

Now that is a handy tip! Thanks, 3D.

On a slight tangent, it's worth mentioning that if you have confidential or especially private material on your computer and it ever needs its HD replaced, you need to do a zero all data process to remove the information. A normal trash still leaves the material there (until it is overwritten).

Or it hit it repeatedly with a hammer.

Traveller in Time on his head
"Do not know that piece of software: 'hammer'

Oh most important: remove from beeing informed of this conversation "

A hammer or some other form of violence directed at a hard drive is apparentaly the only way to ensure any sensitive data cannot be recovered. A determined enough forensic department or criminal can retrive data off hard drives even when that data has been overwritten several times

The read/write heads on drives apparentaly never quite follows the exactly the same path and tiny remnents of magnetic data can remain even after re-writing. Expensive software can re-create these 'deleted' files.

I hasten to add, your average guy down at PCworld repairing your PC isn't going to use such tecniques just on the off-chance he might find some national secrets or illegal prawn, but if the Police ever suspect you of something dodgy and they take away your PC, no amount of hard disc formatting will save you

Traveller in Time trying to imagine the recovery
"Hmm, they would end up with several possible data alternatives, say the data of an avarage file (eg 4096 byte) where they have several alternatives for each byte. I bet you can find the collected works of Shakespeare on each hard drive that way. "

CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) is excellent for keeping your system clean. It's totally free (just untick the box to install yahoo toolbar during the installation) and it will get rid of pretty much everything. It even has a setting for secure deletion (up to 7 times overwriting).

http://www.ccleaner.com/

I use it all the time, you won't believe how much unnecessary data is stored on an average persons computer. I ran it on a friends PC and he had over 1.5gig of temporary internet files on his computer!

Wolfticket

<>

Anyone downloading Wolfticket's CCleaner - make a note of your login details for important and useful things stored on your PC like bank details, it even chucked me out of h2g2

I also had to find my bank details from an old diary