Spotlight: McAfee Shredder

With McAfee QuickClean, you can delete unused files and folders, free up disk space, and enable your computer to run more efficiently. Then, use McAfee Shredder by safely and permanently deleting unwanted files to protect your privacy!

To Clean Your Computer with QuickClean:

1. On the Advanced Menu, click Tools.
2. Click Maintain Computer, and then click Start under McAfee QuickClean.
3. Do one of the following:
   • Click Next to accept the default cleaners in the list.
   • Select or clear the appropriate cleaners, and then click Next. For the Recently Used Cleaner, you can click Properties to clear the programs whose lists you do not want to clean.
   • Click Restore Defaults to restore the default cleaners, and then click Next.
4. After the analysis is performed, click Next to confirm file deletion. You can expand this list to see the files that are going to be cleaned and their location.
5. Click Next.
6. Do one of the following:
   • Click Next to accept the default No, I want to delete files using standard Windows deletion.
   • Click Yes, I want to securely erase my files using Shredder, and specify the number of passes. Files deleted with Shredder cannot be recovered.
7. Click Finish.
8. Under QuickClean Summary, view the number of registry files that were deleted and the amount of disk space reclaimed after disk and Internet cleanup.

To Safely and Permanently Delete Files with McAfee Shredder:

Deleted files can be recovered from your computer even after you empty your Recycle Bin. When you delete a file, Windows marks that space on your disk drive as no longer being in use, but the file is still there. Using computer forensic tools, you can recover tax records, job resumes, or other documents that you deleted. Shredder protects your privacy by safely and permanently deleting unwanted files.

To permanently delete a file, you must repeatedly overwrite the existing file with new data. Microsoft® Windows does not securely delete files because every file operation would be very slow. Shredding a document does not always prevent that document from being recovered because some programs make temporary hidden copies of open documents. If you only shred documents that you see in Windows® Explorer, you could still have temporary copies of those documents.

To shred files, folders, and disks:

1. On the Advanced Menu, click Tools, and then click Shredder.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Click Erase files and folders to shred files and folders.
   • Click Erase an entire disk to shred disks.
3. Select one of the following shredding levels:
   • Quick: Shreds the selected items 1 time.
   • Comprehensive: Shreds the selected items 7 times.
   • Custom: Shreds the selected items up to 10 times. A higher number of shredding passes increases your level of secure file deletion.
4. Click Next.
5. Do one of the following:
   • If you are shredding files, click Recycle Bin contents. Temporary Internet files, or Web site history in the Select files to shred list. If you are shredding a disk, click the disk.
   • Click Browse, navigate to the files you want to shred, and then select them.
   • Type the path to the files you want to shred in the Select files to shred list.
6. Click Next.
7. Click Finish to complete the operation.
8. Click Done.