This page shows how to erase PC history in index.dat files. If you would like to delete downloads, cookies, temp files, autocomplete, or viewed websites,click here.

What are Index.dat files?

Want to Erase PC history?

Not if Microsoft can help it! Internet Privacy groups have long been protesting against Microsoft Index.dat file. These files are hidden on your computer and contains all information from the Web sites that you have ever visited. Every URL, and every Web page is listed there.

This hidden file also keeps a record of all of the email that has been sent or received through Outlook or Outlook Express. The index.dat files cannot be deleted traditionally. You will need to manually rid your computer of these files to ensure that you to erase PC history . because this technology is always open when Windows (usually the explorer.exe process) is running. Open or “locked” files cannot be deleted in any way when the process using them is running. Also, when this files grow as large as 100MB, it degrades your web performance.

Index.dat files can almost impossible to locate. If you are in Windows, even with “Show hidden files and folders” enabled, index.dat files are not visible and cannot be found. These files are invisible because they have been designated as system files. System files and folders are treated differently in DOS and Windows. because of this variation they become effectively invisible in traditional search methods. Moreover, it makes it almost impossible to permanently erase PC history.

Even after the user has taken the steps to erase PC history files, clear the internet cache folder, temporary internet files folder, and history folder, the index.dat files on Windows continue to store all visited web addresses and cookies and temporary files. In essence Microsoft has made has a very slippery critter that will hide from your attempts to erase PC history.

Click this link to learn about software that can securely erase pc history and index.dat file

If this information makes you uncomfortable and it should. Number one: you should think about switching to the Firefox or Google Chrome which are both browsers that do not contains such technology. Number two: use advanced techniques to erase PC history and index.dat files.

I highly suggest you invest in a evidence erasing software if you feel nervous about your email or website history. This will perform a disk sanitation. This technology encrypts and delete your history. This method permanently eliminates all history from ever being recovered from your hard disk. Even the FBI cant get to it.

How to manually locate and delete your index.dat files

On a Windows Vista and Win7 computers these files are located in the following locations:
C:\User\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies\index.dat
C\User\Microsoft\WINDOWS\History\index.dat
C\User\Microsoft\WINDOWST\Temporary Internet Files\Content\index.dat
C:\User\Microsoft\WINDOWS\Cookies\index.dat
C:\User\Microsoft\WINDOWS\History\index.dat C:\User\Microsoft\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files\index.dat

In Windows 2000 and Windows XP there are several index.dat files in these locations:

C:\Documents and SettingsCookiesindex.dat

C:\User\Documents and Settings\\Local
Settings\History\IE5\index.dat

C:\User\Documents and Settings\\Local
Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist….\index.dat
C:\User\Documents and Settings\\Local
Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist…\index.dat

C: User\Documents and Settings\\Local
Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat