Erase

Whether getting rid of an old computer or just making a clean start for your favorite hard drive--do hard drives even get to be honored as "favorites?"--it's important to wipe it clean. With one's and zero's and data recovery, though, it's harder than you might think to make sure that your personal data is gone forever. This collection of drive bombs showcases four free programs for internal and external drive data deletion, as well as files and folders on the fly.

For shredding individual files or folders, or entire drives, Eraser reminds me … Read more

Erasing personal information has become serious business for computer users. File Waster offers you an opportunity to perform a variety of tasks to help keep unwanted eyes from looking at your files.

This is a no-frills program that may look intimidating to first-time users. Fortunately, it makes wiping your data or encrypting files very simple. By dragging the files into File Washer's display, users can decide what they would like to do. While this works well for single files, it would be a chore for large batches of folders and files. Fortunately, File Washer is equipped with a Cabinet … Read more

If you need sensitive data deleted without a trace, look no further than this easy to use application.

Secure Eraser has a colorful interface with three main tabs any user can understand. The program features include secure file and folder deletion, system cleaning, and Registry cleaning. The Secure File Deletion tab is fairly self-explanatory, as it simply deletes user-designated files and folders after overwriting the original file with random data. These deleted files and folders are completely erased and not just sent to the Recycle Bin. System Cleaning allows users to clear up temporary files, Internet Explorer settings, and the … Read more

MacRumors has published a report that details information about Apple once again revising iTunes App Store reviews. This time, however, Apple is wielding a big eraser.

One of the more problematic issues for iPhone developers when the App Store first opened was the fact that anyone could post an app review. No purchase was required. Negative reviews from users who had never used apps lowered rank in the App Store. However, last September, Apple's policy changed, and users could only review apps they purchased and/or downloaded.

Now according to MacRumors, Apple has made changes to some "existing … Read more

Send unwanted files to the point of no return with this simple privacy tool, but we weren't impressed with its hard-to-find configuration menu and lack of a Help file.

Accessing 4Neurons Eraser is simply a matter of right-clicking on a file or folder and selecting the Erase option from your context menu. As soon as we selected it, a window popped up to confirm our choice. One click and the file was completely removed. Accessing the configurations menu proved to be much more cumbersome, and we had to perform a search just to locate it. The program doesn't … Read more

Distrust is a free Firefox add-on that claims to erase all traces of your browsing history. After encountering a hit-and-miss performance, we wouldn't trust this add-on for protection.

The add-on can be accessed via the Firefox Tools' menu or by clicking the small status bar icon. The first has only two options: Starting/Stopping Distrust Session and Distrust Preferences, but the Preferences menu lets you select filtering options, such as browsing history, download history, disk cache, and cookies. After taking the program through its paces with a session of surfing, we found that browsing history was erased, but download … Read more

Three easily selected tabs, and a small number of functions make this one of the easiest-to-use Internet history removal tools we've tested. AntlerTek Internet History Eraser's dialog-size interface doesn't need the well-written Help file to master it. Even a novice user will immediately see how to operate this app.

The program's top tab contains the most robust function: an easily set schedule to erase the local Internet cache. Click the item and enter simple time information and let the program thoroughly erase cache information immediately or as often as you'd like.

Users with the need … Read more

A sleek, professional interface gives a good first impression, but this privacy tool caused big problems for our testers.

Content Cleaner for Vista scans your computer for questionable material. Its interface is well-designed and intuitive. It's a simple process to set up and perform a scan, whether you scan a preset area or create a custom search. The easy-to-understand command buttons for configuring the settings are prominently displayed on the left. To help speed up the searches, you can manually select the types of files you want to include in the scan, such as audio, video, and image files. … Read more

Click&Clean is yet another Firefox extension that requires you to download another program--CCleaner--first. The good news is that both this extension and CCleaner are free and worked perfectly for us.

CCleaner is a program that rids your computers of unwanted files, including temporary files, cookies, and browsing history. Click&Clean is basically an extension that allows you to access CCleaner directly from your Firefox toolbar. It adds only a single button, so it won't clutter your browser window. Clicking it opened the CCleaner interface immediately.

If you're a Firefox user, and a fan of CCleaner, … Read more