Review: Webroot Window Washer 6.5 security software

Webroot, the company behind the anti-spyware tool Spysweeper, describes Window Washer as a system cleaner and trace remover.

It scans computers to remove unneeded files and sensitive information, such as an internet browsing history.

It has a number of uses, from removing wayward bits of applications that remain after being uninstalled, to cleaning out cookies and history files, and even extends to securely overwriting the hard disk on an old PC.

The design has been revamped and it is now very straightforward to use. A simple clean-up, using the sensible default settings, is a single click, but it's also possible to go into some detail, selecting specific items to clean.

A second way to use the software is to clean up after programs that don't uninstall themselves properly (this is more common than you might think, although it's usually harmless). As well as general automatic cleaning of program files and Registry entries, Window Washer 6.5 includes over 470 'custom washes', which attend to the leftovers of specific applications. We ran the program on a PC we regularly use to review software and hardware, and it cleaned and removed over 4,000 items, recovering 1.4GB of hard disk space.

Files deleted from the disk can be overwritten using one of several methods for secure wiping - known as ‘adding bleach’ in Window Washer's curious launderette-speak. This can be applied either to unused space on a disk or to whole disks, which is handy if you are selling or giving away your PC or even just throwing it out.

Window Washer includes a scheduler, enabling it to run automatically: the user selects which items are to be washed and the frequency of washing, from once every 15 minutes up to once a day, but it's not possible to specify a time.

The Window Washer manual suggests that a likely user might be a bachelor shopping for an engagement ring, who wants to cover his tracks, although we can't imagine many bachelors need to go to this much trouble. Even so, the ability to keep your computing confidential can be very useful and Window Washer 6.5 is a well-designed and easy-to-use tool for doing just that.

Vista compatible: Yes