Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #653 in Software
• Brand: Webroot
• Released on: 2008-11-17
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Format: Enhanced

Manufacturer's Description
Webroot Window washer is an award winning software solution designed to protect your privacy by permanently removing all traces of your web browsing history and other personal information from your PC. In Just one click, Window Washer scours your hard drive and removes information such as websites visited, downloaded files, stored user names and passwords.Window Washer also removes the opened file list within Windows and hundreds of third-party applications such as Windows Media Player, Adobe Acrobat, Apple iTunes and Quicktime. Once these traces are removed, Window Washer ensures they are gone forever. In addition, by automatically cleaning your system with Window Washer's convenient scheduling feature, you can ensure your privacy is maintained every time you use your computer

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Essential Software
Software like this is essential nowadays. Every time you use your computer you leave behind a signposted trail of what you did, when you did it and what you looked at. Files you delete can still reside on your hard drive years later. All this personal data can be viewed, even by web sites you visit - your privacy and safety are at risk from criminal exploitation.

I have used security software for at least 15 years, both previous versions of Window Washer and offerings from several others. I can report that Window Washer is a reliable and easy to use piece of software that you can happily install and forget - it can be set up to work automatically. It is better value than most, has a proven track record, is from a well known software house and is as easy to use and flexible as anything else on offer, without losing functionality. It gets my vote as the best all-round package for peace of mind.

User control is excellent with a simple interface. "Washes" as they call the deletion process, can be performed as desired, or scheduled either on a time lapse basis or at key events like start-up or shutdown. The scheduler function essentially allows you to "fit and forget" safe in the knowledge you are protected once you've set things up. Not only does the operation protect you, but the clearing of old data liberates memory and speeds up your computer too.

I notice that another reviewer here gives a negative account based on their belief that this program does not work. This view is mistaken. It's important to realise that Window Washer is highly flexible and designed to wipe only what you want it to. BUT YOU NEED TO SET IT UP FIRST. Go into the wash setup menu and you'll find lots of tabs that allow you to select exactly what items from which programs you desire to be purged. Fail to do this however, and of course, it won't wash anything for you. It ain't psychic folks, and you wouldn't want to trust it if it DID just purge anything without explicit instructions first!

An important feature is the ability to include what Webroot terms "bleach" to the wash. In reality this is a flexible wiping tool that securely overwrites the space freed by the "wash", removing any trace of its previous existance. It can be user instructed to overwrite from a single pass right up to Guttman standard of 35 passes, including a file slack option too.

The control panel is simple and unfussy, yet gives you full control of what you want purged and how. There is individual control over all your programmes and processes, and you can create custom items too. Windows registry streams, autocomplete form data, browser history, cookies, temporary file cache, wbem log files, file access history, to name but a few - Webroot will safely remove all traces of personal data from your system.

Worthy of note, and worth the purchase price alone if you intend ever selling, handing on or scrapping your computer (and that means YOU) is the ability to create an external bootable disc! By booting your computer onto it, you are able to wash and bleach your entire hard drive - software, files, data, the lot - ensuring nothing is left behind for the new owner to discover. Be aware - surveys have shown that the majority of second hand and "scrap" computers still contain enough personal information for the identity of the previous owner to be stolen. Criminals are not unaware of this lapse! And judging by the mysterious sudden batch of negative votes for this review, maybe they're trying to dissuade you from taking action to halt their illegal activities.

Buy this software. Use it. Stay safe.

Very Good Budget Version of a Powerful Security Tool
Around four years ago, fearing cyber-theft, I downloaded and registered a program called 'Evidence Eliminator', which cost me around £60-70 - and that was with a discount!

This worked brilliantly and delivered what it promised; allowing the user to delete/shred all internet traces. Among other things, I was able to overwrite data up to seven times with randomly generated alphanumerics - thus making files on the hard disk - or indeed ANY disc I cared to run it on - unrecoverable even to forensic science.

This product is a less sophisticated, stripped-down version of that program, and appears to work surprisingly well. However, it is less configurable (not a bad thing) and doesn't have quite the same flexibility. On the positive side, it works a lot quicker in single overwrite mode than 'EE'.

Another feature that actually improves on 'Evidence Eliminator' is the Cookie Keeper, which allows you to select any cookie you want to retain from a drop-down list. It saves this in the memory, so there's no need to continually re-type it in. This feature is also available in 'EE', but the last time I looked you had to actually type in the cookie address yourself (which is both time consuming and boring to do.)

Quite simply, this is an invaluable utility for anyone serious about computer security, or someone merely worried about clutter on their hard drive. Another plus is its extremely cheap price. Very definitely recommended.

For 'wash' read 'delete'...
I'm always wary of programs that boast their awards and successes rather than their features during installation. Webroot Window Washer is one such program. Having said that, it gives you a choice of a 'Basic' or 'Advanced' interface to begin the 'Laundry'.

The user interface may make you think this is a lightweight application but don't be fooled. It is a very powerful and therefore very dangerous tool for the uninitiated.

If you are new to PC 'housekeeping', beware. It's all too easy to select everything to be cleaned only to discover you've rinsed something important off your hard drive.

My advice? Start with the more robust things like cottons (registry tidy ups after uninstalling programs) before moving on to your delicates (cookies and site passwords).

Blokes may find this all too technical because the program refers to every action as a different kind of 'wash'. Don't be afraid, guys, it's just jargon.

The most powerful aspect of this program is the 'bleaching' function. Forget having to wipe your entire hard drive, running a 'military' or 'government' wipe and then reinstalling everything, WWW will render unrecoverable, any areas you select. It's that good.

Thinking of selling your old hardware or even giving it away to a local charity or church? No need to remove your hard drive before passing it on. WWW will ensure that even your personal information is lost forever so you can rest easy in your benefaction.

A shredder will reduce your hard copy to 1" strips of paper so identity theft is nigh on impossible, but what of spybots mining your hard drive for personal info? WWW can be scheduled to perform regular washing, light showering or heavy scrubbing to deliver the cleanliness level you require. Feel clean and feel safe.

There are undelete programs available for free and some quite advanced ones for little more than the cost of this product that will easily recover all kinds of personal information from old hard drives, even supposedly formatted drives. You need this program if you are concerned about who could read your personal information.

Highly recommended.