How to Remove Traces of your Activity on a Computer

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Many people don't want others to find out about their activities on their computers. A significant portion of these people want to hide their porn-viewing activities, but there are other reasons as well. For instance, if you're planning to sell your computer you should remove security-sensitive information. In a few steps, you could hide your computer activity.

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Step 1

Delete your Web browser history. In Internet Explorer, you can do this by going to "Tools" menu and selecting "Delete Browsing History..." Then press the "Delete All" button at the bottom of the pop-up window. This will help to prevent the casual user from viewing your previous pages.

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Step 2

To delete evidence of files you may have viewed or programs you may have run, go to the following directory and delete all files contained therein: C:\Documents and Settings\John.Smith\Recent. "John.Smith" is the computer owner's name used during Windows installation.

Step 3

Although it may seem obvious, make sure the Recycle Bin is empty. It's so easy to forget to do this. You can simply right-click on the "Recycle Bin" icon and select "Empty Recycle Bin."

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Step 4

Get a registry cleaner, such as CCleaner (piriform.com/CCLEANER), that can help delete certain entries in your Windows registry. Some programs leave keys and codes in the registry that make them readily identifiable.

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