The OneMinute Geek:
Keeping computer use private
The Problem:
You have less privacy on your computer than you may think. In fact, your every computing move is being tracked, and by none other than your own computer. As you open and close files or surf the net, your computer is logging your steps, recording your digital footprints. If, for example, you want to see which files were recently accessed, click on Start (lower left of your Desktop) and choose Documents. Want to see which Internet sites were visited? Assuming you’re using Internet Explorer, double-click on your Internet Explorer icon, click on the menu called Tools, choose Internet Options, choose Settings, and choose View Files. If you’re planning a surprise gift and you don’t want your sweetheart to see the digital history of www.Tiffanys.com on your home PC, this could be a problem.
The Solution:
While you’re right to expect that your online business should be private, ensuring this requires some extra effort. The five steps below assume you’re using Microsoft’s XP operating system. (If you have an older version, try the same steps but realize that the Menus will be a bit different).
- Place your cursor over the My Computer icon (located on your Desktop) and right click on your mouse. A small menu screen will open. Choose Search and click on All Files and Folders. Type in *.tmp and click on Search. This will search for all temporary files. Delete all of them – if possible.
- Place your cursor over you’re your Start toolbar (located at the bottom of your Desktop.) Right-click on your mouse and choose Properties. Click on the Start Menu tab and then click on the Customize button. Click on the Clear button. This will delete the Documents history in the Start menu of all those files you recently worked on. Don’t worry; it will not delete the actual files.
- To clean up the Internet activity, double-click on your Internet Explorer icon, click on the menu called Tools, choose Internet Options, and click on Clear History. Now click on Delete Cookies. Next click on Delete Files. (If you don’t save files offline, you can check the box “Delete all offline content”.) Click OK. Finally, while still in that Internet Options window, click on the Settings button and then the View Files button. There’s probably nothing there at this point, but if there is, go ahead and delete it.
- Occasionally you may want to empty your Recycle Bin, too. On your Desktop, move your cursor over the Recycle Bin and right click on your mouse. Choose Empty Recycle Bin.
- If you ever want to delete an email permanently, highlight the email or group of emails you want to delete, hold down your Shift key and hit the Delete key on your keyboard at the same time.
Unfortunately, none of these measures are always 100 percent effective. The best approach is to never do anything with your computer that you wouldn’t want others to know about. (And, before you divorce your husband because the PC lists the URL for an R-rated site, keep in mind some pop-ups and related spyware can deposit records on your hard drive even though no one actually visited the site.)
James Kerr is President/CEO of SuperGeeks, a Hawaii-based computer service and repair company (www.supergeeks.net). Please feel free to send your questions, comments and suggestions to Mr. Kerr. He can be reached at kerr@supergeeks.net and 942-0773.
