Window Washer vs. Evidence Eliminator

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by Peto, Jul 18, 2007.

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  1. Peto

    Peto Registered Member

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    I am new to these forums; and hope I have selected the correct topic for this thread.

    I have been using Window Washer by Webroot with mixed results; and so I am researching competing products.

    Some info I have found indicates that Evidence Eliminator by Robin Hood h[I]tt[/I]p://www.evidence-eliminator.com/ could be a very good replacement.

    But the info I have found on both products seems possibly linked to either manufacturer and some info on Evidence Eliminator appears controversial.

    Are there any informed opinions here that could help illuminate the nature of either product?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 18, 2007
  2. LoneWolf

    LoneWolf Registered Member

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  3. true north

    true north Registered Member

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    Hi there,

    have a look at this clean and wipe app.

    http://www.r-wipe.com/

    Very deep cleaning if you want.

    true north
     
  4. sukarof

    sukarof Registered Member

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    I have been using the extension WOT for a couple of months and it have never reacted before but loading eveidence eliminator page made it wake up (149 dollars! o_O )
     

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  5. Perman

    Perman Registered Member

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    Hi, folks: This one:R-wipe and clean is my new clean tool after using window washer, east-tec eraser and anti-tracks. Worth a test run.
     
  6. Peto

    Peto Registered Member

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    Thanks, Folks, for the info and the links.

    I'm still using Window Washer. No EE downloads.

    I was led to EE from this seemingly innocuous "review" that showed up after a Google search for "privacy software reviews":

    ~Link to rogue site removed. - Ron~

    Linking to the site provided the scare tactics that concerned me enough to Google the Evidence Eliminator name and find the confusing and conflicting info.



    I will now chase down and research any reccommended privacy software links folks might want to suggest.

    Window Washer is apparently linking to the web without my requesting that activity--the Sunbelt Firewall is reported that activity--I gave the permission, but now am having second thoughts. This is why I am looking for a better quality privacy software.

    Thanks again for the help.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 19, 2007
  7. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    I have used Evidence Eliminator (as I stated in a link provided by LoneWolf) before, although not on my home PCs (where I work, we have a license or two, I think). I know nothing of the vendor and that site sukarof is showing, but the app do its job as it should. I have noticed nothing rogue-alike.
    But then again, what do I know... :blink:
     
  8. BlueZannetti

    BlueZannetti Registered Member

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    I believe the general consensus is that the application does work as advertised, or at least to the same level as competing options. The branding of EE as a rogue application is really tied to their extremely aggressive marketing approach which emphasizes that surfing evidence on your PC that could (likely) cost you your freedom, job, and/or relationships. They are really over the top in making assertions like that and immediately try to play off of the basest fears of novice users. The pricing is also absolutely ridiculous for the function provided.

    Blue
     
  9. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

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    Hello.

    I was not aware of the former, but I do agree with the latter. :)
    However, this is an example of how a quality of software should not be measured with a single factor only - the quality of vendor. In other words, I wouldn't say EE is a rogue, but rather it's vendor.

    Cheers. :)
     
  10. BlueZannetti

    BlueZannetti Registered Member

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    I could go with that since it captures the essentials.

    Blue
     
  11. Longboard

    Longboard Registered Member

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  12. Peto

    Peto Registered Member

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    My apologies to all!

    I see Ron removed my link to a "rogue site".

    My action was naive and an unintended hazard. I have not installed rogue site detection software, and did not know..

    I have removed that site from my browser bookmarks. Thanks again!

    I will certainly not purchase EE.

    Thanks also, Perman and true north. I will try the R-wipe!
     
  13. greenhorn113

    greenhorn113 Registered Member

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    I like IE Privacy Keeper by UnH Solutions which appears to do a fine job and is freeware.
     
  14. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    What about Eraser? People seem to think very highly of it. I have never been able to get the default installation's context menus to work properly, in fact I've created ny own personal variate of it. I believe it is OS, correct. This is a free product and allows for secure erasing of both files and free space. That, along with CCleaner, is all I think I need. Any opinions?
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2007
  15. the Tester

    the Tester Registered Member

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  16. Rick 1

    Rick 1 Registered Member

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    That's really profound. And the worst of it: the document doesn't say any more and the screen shots don't reveal any more. No: you're expected to believe this snake oil idea called 'wiping' which means overwrites != 1 (could be zero in theory haha) and that's it - you're secure. Yeah right.

    Here you are - what a grand group - and you're claiming one product is better than another - and yet what tests are you performing? Have any of you even tried doing hard drive level scans? Or submitting your hardware to a forensics lab? Or asked law enforcement or government agencies what they use? And how they test their tools?

    You don't really know your data's been secured, do you?
    Oh really? How did you measure the depth?
    How do you know? How did you test it?
    'Level of options' is equal to 'works as advertised'? Who's stumbling in the dark here?
    Appears? How 'appears'? Did you run a disk sector editor? Use an oscilloscope? What exactly did you use? [That's a rhetorical question and we all know it.]

    Instead of fumbling around in the dark and citing what other people think why don't you go out and form opinions yourself? There's nothing wrong with starting a thread to get answers or clues to questions - but the rest of you: you don't know any more - obviously - and yet you're offering your wisdom to an unwitting poster who trusts you and doesn't know any better.

    Read this or read that for someone else's opinion? Have any of you done the research yourselves? It doesn't take more than a day or two. It certainly beats hanging about here and blowing hot air.

    Sure winner bet: not a one of you even knows the basics of shredding, not a one understands the basics of magnetic media. You click toolbar buttons and menu items and count the features.

    I thought this was a security site. I see no one in the least security aware here.
     
  17. Rick 1

    Rick 1 Registered Member

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    'Tough standards'??!??

    Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory
    Peter Gutmann Department of Computer Science University of Auckland
    ftp://rixstep.com/pub/gutmann.pdf
    You're a security site? You're security people? DO THE RESEARCH. :D
     
  18. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  19. firefox2008

    firefox2008 Registered Member

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    Has anyone used CCleaner before? I have been using it for quite some time. It is free and equivalent to Window Washer:


    http://www.ccleaner.com/
     
  20. stapp

    stapp Global Moderator

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    A better download page would be this

    http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds.aspx

    The standard build has the yahoo toolbar (which you can opt out of during install)

    The basic build has no toolbar, but has different languages avaiable

    The slim build is just English, no toolbar, this is what I use :)
     
  21. DVD+R

    DVD+R Registered Member

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  22. Scoobs72

    Scoobs72 Registered Member

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    Try East-tec eraser. I've had it for several years and it's a very good application with all the features I need. It's far superior to Window Washer i.m.o. CCleaner is not far behind East-tec and the others though.
     
  23. dread

    dread Registered Member

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    East-tec eraser for me. Some say Window Washer is trash to. Do a search on that other forum for bcwipe, Evidence Eliminator, East-tec eraser, erase etc.. you will find a lot of usefull information.
     
  24. FanJ

    FanJ Updates Team

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    I can't stay out of this...

    Stay away from EE.
    I second Longboard with that link.
    If I remember me well, I've posted here (and elsewhere) too about it long ago (posting that link).
    And the Wilders board is not the only site where warnings have been posted.

    Well, each has to decide for him/her-self .....
     
  25. ChrisP

    ChrisP Suspended Member

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    I have been using EE for several years. It amases me that so called security experts knock it when it is by far and away the best cleaner out there. They did and probably still do use pathetic / questionable marketing techneques, but the product is the best in my opinion.

    EE does pretty much everything to cover your tracks. No other cleaner out there will underwrite files or randomise the all the creation / edited date / time data on files.

    Many people claim it is necessary to "wipe" files by writing over them several times as they argue that if a file is written over just once, it can be read using special techneques. All disk cleaners / wipers (call them what you want) can overwrite files loads of times to suposedly ensure it can be read again. The fact of the matter is, in everyday use, files get spread all over the place on your HD so it is inevitable that there will be sectors on your HD that did have files on which have been deleted by the OS, that now have other files written on them. If you believe that writing over a file once will not protect you, then these files that the OS deleted - or you deleted using the delete command which now have other files written on top of them WILL BE RECOVERABLE and wiping free space a million times will still allow someone to read the deleted file using forensic techneques. EE can be set to "underwrite" files - when it does a complete system clean, it actually lifts up every file on the HD and repetedly writes a pattern of data under it, thus overwriting any deleted data, then it puts the original file back. Only ee does this.

    EE also randomises all the data on every file about when it was last accessed, created, saved, modified etc. It is possible (and there are tools to automate this) to tell what a user was doing by analysing the last used / modified etc dates of all the files on a PC - leaves a trail of what and when.

    EE aill also compress the registry. When you delete data - mru etc from the registry, it leaves spaces in there where those entries were - this can give an indication as to what was in there - by the position and size of the space. As EE compresses / defrags the registry, it prevents this form of analysis.

    EE will do the usual - cleans cluster tips / slack space, deletes file names (some apps securely wipe the file, but leave the file name!! (its true)

    EE does all this with one click.

    As I say, their marketing is stupid "you are under investigation..." etc - but forget that - it is the best app out there and if you look about - do a google search, you will find links to get discount codes - I got 75% discount years back.



    I have looked at loads of disk cleaning apps
     
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