Registry Back-Ups - ACRONIS PRIVACYEXPERT 2003 User Manual

3.2.6

Registry Back-ups

Windows 95/98/Me operating systems create registry back-up copies that
may contain evidence of PC use or Internet activity.
Registry back-up copies clean-up destroys back-up copies of registry files, i.e.
not just deleted files, but also corresponding hard disk clusters (sectors)
using a specified wiping algorithm.
Under Windows 95/98/Me registry files are system.dat, user.dat, located in
the C:\WINDOWS folder; under Windows Millenium registry files also feature
classes.dat. Registry file back-up copies are kept in the
C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP system folder in archives rb<file number>.cab
(«rb» means «registry back-up»).
When Windows boots it creates a back-up copy of the system registry files.
So user data – last visited pages lists, files or computers search lists, etc. --
are stored not only in the registry, but also in its back-up copy.
If you clean-up the user data stored in the registry with Acronis
PrivacyExpert and re-boot the PC, Windows will automatically create a back-
up copy without traces of your PC activity.
If you only clean the registry and power the PC off, the old back-up copy
will still contain the traces. So to fully maintain confidentiality of your PC
activity, you must also clean the registry back-up copy.
Unlike cleaning other components with Acronis PrivacyExpert, the Registry
back-up copy clean-up deletes not just the registry keys, but the entire back-
up copy of registry files, using a guaranteed data destruction algorithms (see
1.7 «Data Clean-up Algorithms»). If you also clean the registry using other
components clean-up, the new back-up copies of registry files will be clean of
any user activity traces.
All back-up copies of registry files are cleaned under Windows 95/98/Me!
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