Clearing your browser history etc

[Paul_UK]

If you don't want your parents or others who use the PC knowing where you've been on the Internet, take a look at the information here (http://askbobrankin.com/clearing_browser_history.html). That info is for PCs running Windows with either Internet Explorer or Firefox.

[94nat]

I have to be careful using our computer. My little brother also uses it. Mum and Dad also surf the net but not very often. I always make sure that my history is deleted!

[Grof142007]

Im a Pro at Deleting my Files Even Tho No One Can Access my Files With Out Being Log on to my Account Directly Which has a Pass.

hehe Im a Comp geek AKA nerd and everyone else 2 to Cpu slow to look thru my files

[TexasRomance]

If you don't want your parents or others who use the PC knowing where you've been on the Internet, take a look at the information here (http://askbobrankin.com/clearing_browser_history.html). That info is for PCs running Windows with either Internet Explorer or Firefox.

Um...all i saw was a quote...and some links that you download stuff...
I know there is an easy way to clear it but i forgot.
its like ctrl + [ something here ]

[Paul_UK]

The page still works fine for me. But this is what it says.....
Clearing Browser History

"How do I clear the list of sites visited in my web browser? There are some nosy people in my office and I don't want them to be able to see what web sites I have visited."

Cleanup in Aisle 451

Well, that depends on which list you mean. There are several crumb trails that can reveal your web whereabouts to others who might be snooping around your computer. Let's look at some ways to clear your digital tracks with the most popular browsers.

First, there's the address box (up near the top of the screen), where you type in web addresses (URLs) of sites that you want to visit. Those addresses accumulate in the dropdown box that you can access with the little down-arrow on the right of the address box, and some of them will display below the address bar as you enter URLs. This can be very handy or very embarrassing, depending on who's watching over your shoulder and where you've been.

And then there's the browser history, which logs the date, time and web address of every page you have visited. A lot of people are not aware that this history log even exists, so if it's YOU that's spying on your colleague, spouse or child, it's the first place to look. Just press Ctrl H and the History panel will appear on the left side of your browser screen.

Fortunately, it's very easy to clear out the address bar entries and the browser history. With Internet Explorer, click on Tools -> Internet Options and then whack the Clear History button. Firefox users, click on Tools -> Options, click on Privacy, then hit the Clear button next to History. That's it -- tabula rasa, squeaky clean.

Almost...

If you're surrounded by non-techies, that should take care of the snoopers. But you may also want to remove some traces that more determined folks (i.e. "geeks") might find laying around on your hard drive. Namely, there is the browser cache, cookies and saved form data.

Firefox has a handy Clear All button on that Privacy page which will clear everything that your browser may store while you're browsing. If you want to clear these items selectively, there are individual Clear buttons for each.

With Internet Explorer, it's slightly more complicated. Go back to Tools -> Internet Options, and then press the Delete Cookies and Delete Files buttons. Now click on the Content tab, and hit both the Clear Forms and Clear Passwords buttons.

NOTE: I generally do NOT recommend that people delete their cookies. They're useful when it comes to customizing your browsing experience at many sites, and can save you the trouble of re-entering information on web forms. Anti-spyware programs that identify cookies as "threats" are silly and should be avoided. For more info on this see my article Eat Your Cookies.

Feeling Fabulous?

For most users, that should erase all traces of where you've been hanging out in the digital domain. But there are a few more things to consider.

If you run a desktop search enhancer such as Google Desktop be aware that it may also catalog your browser history. You can clear items from this history, but it's a tedious process. You have to do a desktop search, click on Remove Items, select the offending items, then press the Removed Checked Results button. Over and over... I did find a program called Mil Shield which can clean your browser history and the Google Desktop history. It offers a free trial and costs US$29 if you want to purchase after the trial ends.


Do you have a software-based firewall? If so, it may have some caching built in. Check the firewall options to see if there's a way to clear the history and/or cache. The same goes for various browser plugins, such as Yahoo Toolbar, MSN Toolbar, etc. Poke around in the settings menus to see if there's a "clear my tracks" option.


If your computer is at work, your employer may monitor all Internet access. If you're not sure about this, or about your employer's Acceptable Use Policy, check with them. Or just don't go there at work. You know where... ;-)


Finally, if you have any adware, spyware or viruses on your system, all bets are off. These things are designed to violate your privacy and it's common for them to report your browsing habits back to Malware HQ. If you need help with scanning your system for spyware, adware and other unwanted pests, see my articles How can I avoid computer viruses? and Spy, Counter-Spy for details on how to protect yourself from those risks.

[Jersey4Life]

Lol, it's funny you brought this subject up. I'm deleting the browsing history and google tab at least five times a day now.

[Paul_UK]

Well if you have any useful tips that aren't in that article, please share them here!

[wtinal]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is very helpful to be able to do this now that I have a summer houseguest staying with me.

[Jersey4Life]

I have Windows Vista (yes, it's terrible) but I've found it to be easier to delete the browsing history than XP. With XP you have to go to "tools" and go to browsing history and delete each catagory given one by one. Yes, everything has to be deleted, because each can potentially show what you've been doing. With Windows Vista, you go to "tools" like you do in XP but there is an option for "Delete Browsing History" which gets rid of everything, trust me I've checked. Also, the google tab (if you have one) needs to be deleted. You do that by clicking the down button to the right of it and clicking "clear history."

You also want to make sure you check the recycling bin if you've been deleting any documents containing topics on your homosexuallity. My mom checks that too, but she thinks she's looking for porn, not evidence that her son is gay!

Another thing to be careful of is what type of internet browser you use. If your parents subscribe to MSN or AOL (or did, I think it's out of business now) or something like Netzero, they could potentially get e-mails on your internet activity. By simply using Internet Expoler instead of MSN, AOL, or something like Netzero you can get around these e-mails because the service providers can't view your internet activity.

[Miaplacidus]

Use the Free Internet Window Washer (www.eusing.com) It is wonderful. It really clears everything.

[jayden]

i always get rid of the history to because my 2 brothers use the computer and even mum and dad do also

[LorenzG1950]

Another bit of advice. When you register at gay web sites or enter contests, you may get added to a newsletter distribution list. That means you could get unsolicited ads, info about gay events, etc. via email. Be cautious about turning on your out-of-office assistant which can forward your mail to co-workers while you're on vacation. In one case, I thought I was writing to a very trusted friend at work. She was sick and her co-worker responded to my mail. That could be disaster in the hands of the wrong people :eusa_doh:

[Paul_UK]

If you are worried about using your email address to sign up for something, and don't care about receiving further email from them once the signing up is done, get a disposable email address that lasts just 10 minutes from http://www.10minutemail.com/

[Nicknikko]

Use the Free Internet Window Washer (www.eusing.com) It is wonderful. It really clears everything.

i agree that was really useful!

[CrimsonThunder]

I made a topic about this that involves places you'll never know about. (but people that want to know would)

Right Here. (http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2683)

[Paul_UK]

Somewhat related to this is this article from BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7090407.stm

What makes a good password?

We are leaving ourselves open to fraud online because of the passwords we use, says a campaign group. So what makes a good password?

By their very nature passwords are problematic. Easy to remember often means easy to guess and hard to guess often means hard to remember.

But people are leaving themselves open to identity fraud and one of the reasons is their password, according to Get Safe Online (GSO), a government-backed campaign group.

Problems include using passwords that are easy to guess and using the same one all the time. With "password" often cited in surveys as one of the most common passwords, GSO has a point.

So what makes a good password? It's all about having a difficult word and a good system, say experts.

A good password will mix letters, numbers and punctuation, but the strongest contain non-alphanumeric characters or symbols.

Never use a word that is in the dictionary, says Ken Munro, managing director of SecureTest. Online fraudsters have written programs that can try thousands of different passwords and try every word in the dictionary.

We are leaving ourselves open to fraud online because of the passwords we use, says a campaign group. So what makes a good password?

By their very nature passwords are problematic. Easy to remember often means easy to guess and hard to guess often means hard to remember.

But people are leaving themselves open to identity fraud and one of the reasons is their password, according to Get Safe Online (GSO), a government-backed campaign group.

Problems include using passwords that are easy to guess and using the same one all the time. With "password" often cited in surveys as one of the most common passwords, GSO has a point.

So what makes a good password? It's all about having a difficult word and a good system, say experts.

A good password will mix letters, numbers and punctuation, but the strongest contain non-alphanumeric characters or symbols.

Never use a word that is in the dictionary, says Ken Munro, managing director of SecureTest. Online fraudsters have written programs that can try thousands of different passwords and try every word in the dictionary.

Avoid using anything personal like a birthday, a son or daughter's name, a partner's name or a pet's name. Also, the longer a password is the harder it is to crack.

Don't use consecutive keys on the keyboard. Qwerty is a regular on lists of most-popular passwords, just look at your keyboard to find out why.

A good suggestion is to use a phrase you can easily remember, says Mr Munro. Use something like "I went to the pub last night" and take the first letters of each word. You can mix upper and lower case and throw in random symbols, like a dollar sign.

But as well as having good passwords, having a system when it comes to using them is also advised.

"Have one password for high security things that really matter, like online banking, and a low security one to use on things that don't really matter," says Barry Fox, contributing editor for Europe Consumer Electronics Daily.

People are often advised to change passwords regularly. But experts argue that this isn't always necessary.

"It's a common misconception," says Mr Munro. "It's better to have one good password than lots of bad ones."

The other essential when it comes to protecting your personal details is also having a good user name. People tend to just use their names, which is leaves them vulnerable.

[mark4444]

on mozilla all you have to do is go to options>clear Private Data
You can set it to where it does it automatically

[byeee]

My method is a bit simpler... since I know that nobody cares to look through deep in my files, I just use Internet Explorer (or Safari/Avant/Opera sometimes) for 'private' stuff and Firefox for all the rest. Worked fine for me so far :). And no need to waste time deleting history all the time... but it only works if you don't have... curious people in your family ;)

[Tyce]

But I also heard from a friend that you could easily call your Internet Provider and ask for your Internet history.

Is this true?