Do you clean your index.dat file in IE?

Supposedly, the behavior of Windows is to overwrite deleted items with garbage data in those files (it doesn't actually free up any space in those files when you delete items in the registry, at least in Windows 9x - who knows why ). Again, I'll have to try to verify this when I get time.

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

sk: There is not the registry and then two files that are storing registry information in some sneaky way.
user.dat and system.dat IS THE REGISTRY.

 

I know you will, Javacool. And again, I might be mistaken, because not only was it a long time ago, but it was an area about which all I knew was what I was reading then and there, but I could almost swear I remember something about the infamous 'backup registry' files in 98SE, in the backup cab file. And if something got mucked up with the system or user data files, it went and pulled the next ones in line from that cab file. I don't want to send you on any wild goose chases, but in the event that I'm even halfway in the ball park, I figured I'd share it with you. I just wish I could give you more specifics; but I don't think it's a dead end, either.

sk

 

Okay. That clears that up. Well, then, if one clears out the index.dat files, but does nothing whatsoever to/with the actual registry files, doesn't the registry contain all the MRU information, regardless of whether or not it gets deleted in the cookies and TIF and history and recent docs data files? At least some of that information remains in the registry, doesn't it?

And that goes to what I just posted as well. If you have backups of the registry in the backup cab file, at least in 98SE, it'll just draw it from there. I think one of the attempts to pull this off was to nuke the original registry files, and have a bland, 'clean' registry file in the cab file, so that if/when Windows drew that as a replacement, you'd have solved the problem. But I'm not sure it worked all that smoothly; although that just might have been 'the' fix, now that I think about it.

sk

 

Technically, it shouldn't - Windows should be overwriting the space where registry information was once stored with garbage data once it is deleted. Registry MRU items that you deleted should be gone and overwritten with garbage data. And file-based TIF, cookies, recent docs, etc aren't stored in those files - not even in just link form.

That does sound very possible, although I'm not sure which machine I want to sacrifice today to test it.

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

Well, whichever one you choose, we all know it will have gone down for a good cause! (What the heck; just make a full image b/u and let er fly!)

As an aside, Javacool. If in fact this actually turns into something significant, is there a way you can then build in a fix directly into one of your existing programs? Or is this something that would take a new program to counter. Again, to the best of my recollection, I think this was the point where the Spider or the Eraser author said there was just nothing more that either he or his program could do. The system and user .dat files were just too problematic. I know it had to be something like that because I remember thinking: Well, then what was the point of clearing out the first ones if these still were such a bear. And I think that's when I d/l'd some text editor and went into those reg files and it was like the first time I looked into Directory Snoops list. I think the gist of his final parting message was: "Don't count on either privacy or anonymity when you surf the net."

sk

 

IF I would build some sort of user.dat/system.dat cleaning/compression functionality, it would probably be in a separate "test" program (where the possible risks would be clearly marked - i.e. for advanced users only), because I am also finding them a lot of trouble to do much with (especially between different versions of Windows).

It doesn't sound like the cleaning/compression of those files will ever be a functionality built-into MRU-Blaster, if that's what you are asking. But there is much more coming for that program.

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

So, Javacool, first of all thanks for checking and getting back with your update. Second, however: The $64,000 question now becomes: Without the current ability to do much about the registry .dat files, what is the bottom-line impact on any Windows user's real world privacy, given the inherent nature of the those files?

sk

 

Given that, IMHO, there will never be 100% privacy on a Windows system - very little (if those files do contain deleted data that somehow wasn't overwritten with random data and someone were to delete them, there is probably just another mechanism in Windows that stores the same or even worse data that we don't know about or that simply cannot be messed with).

System logs, MRUs, etc that some consider to be a privacy issue can also be very useful to another person. It's all a trade-off, but there are ways we can reduce the amount of information our computers store without a significant loss of functionality, and thus increase the level of privacy our PCs provide. Programs like MRU-Blaster, that delete the major usage tracks, can help tremendously in this regard.

The only way to truly "clean" your computer is to wipe the whole hard drive with a 20+ pass DoD standard wipe and then punch 1 inch diameter holes in random places on the physical disk (and even then, there's always the possibility that some new technique could manage to resurrect a small amount of data - to make sure, run over the hard drive with a car a couple of times after doing the above steps). Of course, you'll be missing an important component of your computer then.

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

Don't forget nuking CD's in the microwave too.

But seriously, given the low level structure(s) involved here, is this really a browser issue, or an OS issue. (This is obviously one of the old issues between just HOW intertwined the browser and OS are in a Windows environment.) My question is: Is this an instance where another browser WOULD significantly make a difference, or, because it's so entwined with the registry, would you literally have to switch to a completely different OS in order to avoid these types of problems? And do other OS's have their OWN peculiar security risks? Just some things to think about.

sk