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Internet Explorer
Click on the Internet Explorer panel of the Privacy Items Browsers tab to show the options for your Internet Explorer items (as per screenshot at right) and then choose the items you'd like to clean and wash by checking the relevant checkboxes.
- History of typed URLs in Address Bar: When you manually type an internet address into the address bar, Internet Explorer saves this history and will use it in the future to try to auto-complete or 'guess' the web site or page when you next type the first few matching characters into the address bar. This can often be quite helpful, but also allows others with access to your PC to see the sites and pages that you have previously visited.
Check this item to clear this typed history.
You can also manually Edit Typed URL History, choosing which items to keep or clear.
- Cookies: Cookies are small files that contain data about your interaction with the web sites that you have visited. Check this item to delete all cookies.
Some cookies, however, may be useful and you may want to keep these. For example, some cookies hold your password and/or other profile information that automatically registers you when you visit a site (without you having to manually enter your password every time) or hold other profile information that tailors the site to your previously saved preferences.
Total Privacy allows you to Select Cookies to Keep with the Cookie Keeper Wizard.
- Cache (Temporary Internet Files): The cache is a copy (on your local hard drive) of web images, documents and sounds from the web sites that you have visited. It can be useful to speed loading of large, content rich web pages, especially when your internet bandwidth connection is slow. However, this history can be uncovered and space is used (often unnecessarily) on your hard drive.
Check this item to clear your cache and remove these temporary internet files.
- URL History: Internet Explorer saves the full history of all web sites you have visited. You can see this displayed when you click on the History button in Internet Explorer. Ocassionally this is useful to quickly navigate again to a site you visited in the past few days, however the record of your visit to these sites is clearly visible to anyone with access to your PC. Check this item to clear and remove this URL History.
- AutoComplete Forms Data: The most recent versions of Internet Explorer contain built-in functionality to 'remember' entries that you have manually typed into web page form fields. Again, this can be useful on some occasions to save manually re-keying every time, however, this may also include passwords or other private information that you do not want others to know or uncover. Check this item to clear and remove this saved memory of your web form field entries.
- AutoComplete Passwords: As above, the most recent versions of Internet Explorer contain built-in functionality to 'remember' your password entries submitted in web page forms. If you are concerned that others may be able to access your private sites using your authentication credentials, you can check this item to clear Internet Explorers saved memory of your submitted passwords.
- index.dat: Index.dat is a very well hidden, locked and encrypted database containing a list of all web pages, URLs and cookies. Check this item to completely clear all index.dat files on your computer. When this option is checked, you can also opt to delete index.dat files for your internet cache, cookies and history.
 Note: By default, Windows index.dat files are locked and can not be completely cleared until you next restart your computer. The files themselves will still remain, however they will be completely blank/empty.
- Favorites order history: Check this item to clear your Favorites history and reset your Favorites menu items to be displayed in alphabetical order.
- Downloaded Components: This folder contains controls (for example, ActiveX or OCX) that have been downloaded from web sites and installed on your computer. Generally these are installed as plugins to provide additional web and/or browser functionality, however these type of components have been used to deliver viruses or other malicious acts. Check this item to delete all downloaded components from your system.
As many downloaded components are useful and provide additional, wanted functionality, Total Privacy allows you to Select Components to Keep with the Downloaded Components Wizard.
- Clear Java .class files from Internet Explorer and AOL: Java .class files are small files containing code that run scripts on your computer. Sometimes this can be to add additional functionality to particular web sites that you visit, however, there is always the danger that 'undesirables' may use script files for malicious purposes. Check this option to remove these Java .class script files from your computer.
 Tip: Move (or hover) the mouse cursor over any privacy washing item on the screen to get further information and a brief description of that item.
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