Internet Explorer

IE keeps track of all the sites you have visited. This list is visible to anyone with access to your computer, and to hackers that trick IE into giving up the information. This function deletes the list of sites you have visited.

Cookies are small files placed on your computer by the web sites you visit. They are often set to last for years or decades. Companies use them to personally identify you and track your activities on line. Some cookies only track you while you are on the web site, while others can track you across thousands of sites.

The cookie index files contain a list of the cookies stored by IE. It provides a history of all the sites you have visited. It is important to delete this as part of removing your cookies and removing your history.

While you surf, IE stores copies of the web pages, including images, on your disk, so if you go back they can be retrieved quickly. This allows anyone with access to your PC, or hackers, to see what pages you have visited and what images you have viewed. These files can also consume hundreds of megabytes of space on your hard drive. Removing them improves both your security and your computer's performance.

When you type a web address into the address bar at the top of IE, it remembers what you typed. When you type in another address it will try to guess what you intend to type, based on previous URLs you have entered. This log of the sites you have visited is available to anyone with access to your PC or hackers.

Clicking on this button will shred (remove) ONLY the items that you have selected in Internet Explorer Settings by clicking on the box for each setting.