Released in 1997, Window Washer was Webroot’s first commercial product designed to protect the privacy of the user by permanently removing all traces of web browsing history

Web browsing history

In computing, the web browsing history refers to the list of web pages a user has visited recently—and associated data such as page title and time of visit—which is recorded by web browser software as standard for a certain period of time...

and other personal information files saved on a PC. It is no longer being updated and no further versions are planned.

Version .95

Window Washer .95 was the first launch of the product and was originally designed to remove unwanted files that accumulate on a computer’s hard drive while surfing the internet.
The areas of trace file removal include: Internet history, address bar, cache, cookies, recent documents list, recycle bin, ICQ history and any other temporary internet files stored on a computer after a web search. Window Washer has a total removal feature which completely erases everything found on the hard drive including the operating system.

Version 1.0

Beginning with the 1.0 version launch in mid-1998, a new process was added to the file deletion process known as “bleaching”. This file encryption process seeks out files with random characters in their names, destroys them and then permanently removes them from the computer’s hard drive. A custom cookie selection feature was also added to allow users to select specific cookies to be excluded from the deletion process making it so homepages, internet preferences, logins and passwords can be stored for future visits to a website. Software updates also included the ability to clean CHK files created by scandisk and third party programs files such as ActiveX and Java that are downloaded by Internet Explorer.

Version 2.0

The 2.0 version updates launched in late 1998 were primarily designed to be able to match the advancements in visual improvements of Windows 95/98 and NT 4.0. Window Washer adapted its user interface to allow users to use the software under the multiple users programming of the new Window’s operations systems. This version of Window Washer also supported Netscape 4.5 and Internet Explorer 5.0 as well as the added features that came along with it such as the keyword storing feature in search engines, and personal information stored after being entered into online auto-complete form.

Users also gained the ability to reassign a wash path for commonly washed items and do command-line washes. Routine cleaning cycles were reprogrammed to include the cleaning of the information stored in the Windows Registry (aka “streams”) which deletes tracking paths the past actions of the user.

Additional features in the 2.0 launch included a real-time counter for "Drive Space Restored" and "Items Washed" was added to the status window. Custom plug-ins were also made available in beginning with this version so that history pathways left behind by popular media programs such as RealPlayer and Adobe Acrobat would be included in wash cycles.

Version 3.0

A customizable user interface was added as a feature in the 3.0 version launch in early 2000. Additional third party plug-ins were made available for download as well as the ability to wash the recent history cache of Windows Media Player.

Increased compatibility was also added for Netscape 6, MSN Explorer 6, and AOL 6.

Version 4.0

The interface was again updated to include easier custom configuration for the preferences and settings. The most notable upgrade to the 4.0 version was the addition of the automatic check for updates feature. This release also included enhanced password security, an improvement in the destroying and deleting function when bleaching, and increased efficiency in cleaning sweeps overall.

Version 4.0 made Window Washer compatible with AOL 7.0 beta, Netscape 6.1, Windows XP, and Internet Explorer 6.0.

Version 5.0

Window Washer 5.0 eventually included a requested feature; a one-click personal privacy safety option that shreds and permanently destroys and deletes files and folders. Version 5.0 also came with a built in safety feature that prompts the user to confirm a requested delete of files in categories in which personal files are commonly stored or that operating system files are saved so that files are not unintentionally deleted. Other 5.0 features included a Cookie Keeper, which helps to maintain internet settings, and a My Personal Favorites option to organize frequently visited sites without having them deleted in clean-up cycles.

Version 6.0

The 6.0 product launch included a completely new user interface as well as cleaning for more internet browsers including Mozilla and Firefox. Version 6.6 is the latest version of the product available and makes Window Washer compatible with Windows 7 and Windows Vista Operating System (32 bit and 64 bit). It also includes cleaning functions for Internet Explorer 8.

System requirements

Windows Vista, 2000, or XP

266 MHz processor

5 MB hard drive space

64 MB RAM