How to Delete History in Windows XP

You can erase history files created by Windows XP.

History is vital to your experience on your personal computer (PC). Microsoft's Windows XP operating system maintains a background record of your activities in order to deliver applications and documents to you more quickly in the future--similar to being a frequent patron at a restaurant, where the staff already knows what you're going to order and your wait time is minimal. History files on your PC can be temporary or last the life of your computer. If you want to delete history in Windows XP, Microsoft has a tool to help you find and remove the files.

Instructions

1. Close any Web browsers or other applications.

2. Open "My Computer," located either on the Windows desktop or in the Start menu. Right-click on the primary drive holding Windows XP history files, which is usually the "C:" drive. Click "Properties" in the pop-up menu.

3. Click the "Disk Cleanup" button in the dialog box and wait for a second, smaller dialog box to open. Observe the tool's progress indicated by the word "Calculating" and a green, dashed bar moving from left to right. When finished, the second, smaller box will close and the main "Disk Cleanup" dialog box will remain open.

4. Check and uncheck history files, at your discretion, in the "Files to delete" section. File categories that may hold your history include: Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin and Temporary Files. Highlight each category and click the "View Files" button to see more details.

   Click the "OK" button after you have made your selections and then click "Yes" in the confirmation pop-up box.

   Wait for the pop-up box stating "Cleaning up drive" to appear and disappear. The box may only stay up for a moment, so don't worry if you miss it.

5. Confirm that you have deleted history files in the categories you selected by starting again in Step 3 and waiting for the "Files to delete" section to appear. For each category of files, look to the right, where the file size should reflect "0 bytes" (zero bytes), meaning Windows XP has deleted all files matching that category.

Tips & Warnings

• Automate the Disk Cleanup tool so you don't have to remember to do it manually.

• Even when you save and exit out of your Web browser and other applications, deleting historical files can remove files associated with ongoing projects.

References

• Windows XP: Restore Your Computer's Performance with Windows XP
• Windows Search: Search Indexing
• Microsoft Support: How to Automate the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP