Computer Safety

Warning

Computer usage can be monitored and cannot be completely cleared. The following suggestions are meant as safety precautions, but do not guarantee complete removal of tracking information from your computer.

If you feel you are in danger, access a safer computer or call your local or national hotline for help and information.

Avalon's 24-Hour Helpline:

757-258-5051

National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224

If you are using a home, business, or public computer, others have the ability to retrace your internet usage and view web sites visited and emails sent by you. Nothing viewed or written on the internet is 100% safe or private, and programs exist to recover deleted emails, temporary internet files, cookies, and files on your computer.

To increase your computer usage privacy from the average web user, there are some cleaning processes you can practice to increase your safety. Additionally, software programs exist to further reduce your risk by making deleted computer files unrecoverable.

Cookies are small text files stored on your computer containing tracking information on which web sites you visit, including passwords and preferences. You can disable cookies on your computer, but some web sites you visit may not work properly without them enabled.

Clear Your History

• Click Tools on your Internet Explorer task bar. Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.
• From the General tab, click Delete Files button from the Temporary Internet Files section.
• Next, click Clear History button from the History section.
• Check your History to ensure proper removal by clicking the History icon in your Internet Explorer browser window, which should be next to your Email icon.

View Cookies

• Click Tools on your Internet Explorer task bar. Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.
• From the General tab under Temporary Internet Files section, click on Settings button, and then click on View files button.

Delete Cookies

• Click Tools on your Internet Explorer task bar. Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.
• From the General tab under Temporary Internet Files section, click on Delete Cookies button.
  Disable or "Turn Off" Your Cookies

For Windows 98:

• Click Tools on your Internet Explorer task bar. Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.From the Security tab, click Custom Level button.
• On the box that appears, scroll down to Cookies using the down arrow on the side of the box. Left-click the circle to the left of Disable under Cookies and click OK. If you prefer to have a prompt to accept or not to accept cookies, left-click the circle next to Prompt instead of Disable.
• If at any time you want to turn your cookies back on, return to this display and click Enable and then OK.

For Windows XP:

• Click Tools on your Internet Explorer task bar. Select Internet Options from the drop-down menu.
• From the Privacy tab, click on Advanced button. Click the check box beside Override automatic cookie handling, and then mark circle beside Block under both first-party cookies and third-party cookies.
• Click OK to complete.

Delete Email from Outlook Express

• To empty deleted items folder: Scroll within left-margin menu to Deleted Items folder. Right-click this folder and select Empty.
• To set options to delete email: Click Tools, then Options. Click on Maintenance button and place check next to Empty messages on exit from the Deleted Items.

Clear Chat History

Some chat sites maintain a log file that you can clear by deleting information from the log folder under the program file.

ICQ 2000:

Download and install ICQ Message Archive file, which will allow you to manage your messages file. Left click My ICQ on your ICQ window and look under Message Archive. This program enables you to view and delete messages by left-clicking on My ICQ on your ICQ window and then click Message Archives.