CCleaner - temporary file removal

Use CCleaner to remove from your computer any temporarily files collected during your working sessions. An essential tool for privacy, Ccleaner can also wipe (permanently delete) these unnecessary files.

Homepage www.ccleaner.com Computer Requirements All Windows Versions Version used in this guide 2.14.XX License Freeware

Installing CCleaner Read the brief Hands-on Guide Introduction Click the CCleaner icon below and 'Open' or 'Run' the installer. If necessary, save the installer first, then find it and doubleclick it If you saved the installer to your computer, you may delete it after installation CCleaner:

Required Reading

Level: 1: Beginner, 2: Average, 3: Intermediate, 4: Experienced, 5: Advanced

Time required to start using this tool: 15 minutes

What you will get in return:

• The ability to permanently delete temporary files stored on your computer

1.1 Things you should know about this tool before you start

Programs like your Internet browser or word processor store a lot of temporary data on your computer as you work with them. A program could generate lists of recently viewed documents or web pages. For example, when you start typing an address into your Internet browser, you may see a list of those that start with the letter(s) you have previously typed in as follows:

Figure 1: An Internet Browser Address bar featuring different URLs.

The websites that are displayed in the drop-down list are from your browser 'history'. Browser histories can save you the effort and time required to type in the full address; however, they can also help someone to identify which websites you have been visiting. In addition, temporary data is also collected from images that appear on websites, information you have typed into Internet forms and even email messages. You may not want others to find information on your past activities, but the default settings on computers do not allow you to securely erase this data.

Note: Your computer automatically collects a trail of information on your recent activities. If someone has access to your computer they can follow this trail back, just like you'd follow the tracks of an animal. Alternatively, a 'recently opened documents' list in Word may advertise the presence of a sensitive document (even if the document was deleted). To prevent this from happening, you must delete the browser history from your computer.

Each program you use keeps its own temporary data storage, so removing them all individually is not easy. CCleaner makes this task relatively simple. Instead of having to go through many different directories deleting unnecessary temporary files, CCleaner will display a list of programs installed on your computer that collect temporary data, and gives you the choice of erasing this data.

Important: CCleaner only erases temporary files, not the actual documents that are saved on your computer. However, you should still have an updated backup of your user documents (see How-to Booklet chapter 5. How to recover from information loss for more information on how to perform a backup). You will however, lose all browsing history, recent documents history and saved passwords - but then, that is the point of this exercise!