NetShred FAQ

1. What are the System Requirements for running NetShred?
2. Does NetShred do the same thing as other privacy software that clean, remove, erase, clear, wipe cache or history from the Internet?
3. Why do I need NetShred if I have ShredIt? Don't they do the same thing?
4. How do I determine whether I need internet track eraser software?
5. Is there an internet track eraser for Mac OS X?
   
   Registration and Installation
6. How do I install / uninstall NetShred?
7. NetShred says it's not registered. What's wrong?
8. I'm trying to register NetShred, but the Registration key field says "Enter to Unlock : Demo Version - Try before you buy!" and I can't enter my key. What's wrong?
9. NetShred runs but doesn't do anything except beep. What's wrong?
   
   Operation
10. Why won't NetShred run when I quit my browser/email application?
11. Why won't NetShred shred my browser cache?
12. Why won't NetShred shred my history file?
13. Why won't NetShred shred my email trash?
14. Why doesn't NetShred support Outlook Express?
15. Why is the Profile Tab disabled?
16. How do I shred the email trash after I've already emptied the trash?
17. What is Browser Watch?
18. What are the technical details?
19. What happens if I use File Recovery Software?
    
    
20. Your FAQ doesn't answer my question. What do I do?

1. What are the System Requirements for running NetShred?

To run NetShred you need:

• Macintosh™ 680x0 or PowerPC
• Mac OS® 8.x or Mac OS® 9.x

NetShred works with the following web browsers:

• Netscape 4.x
• Internet Explorer 5.x
• AOL
• iCab 1.x

NetShred works with the following email applications:

• Netscape 4.x
• Eudora 3.x, 4.x, 5.0

For information about the 68K version, please contact support.

2. Does NetShred do the same thing as other privacy software that clean, remove, erase, clear, wipe cache or history from the Internet?

3. Why do I need NetShred if I have ShredIt? Don't they do the same thing?

ShredIt is an all purpose file shredder that will shred a file, clean a folder, and erase a hard drive. You could perform NetShred's job manually by doing the following:

• Locate all of your email trash, cache files and history files that are created when you go online
• Drag and drop them all on ShredIt.
  

But this would be a lot of work. NetShred will do it for you.

4. How do I determine whether I need internet track eraser software?

To assess your risk, go here www.mireth.com/text/ns_test.html. In less than 2 minutes, you'll know whether you need internet track eraser software.

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5. Is there an internet track eraser for Mac OS X?

• For information on NetShred X for Macintosh OS X, go to
  http://www.mireth.com/pub/nxme.html

6. How do I install / uninstall NetShred?

7. NetShred says it's not registered. What's wrong?

• If you are trying to run the demo, quit from "NetShred" and run "NetShred DEMO" instead.

• If you want to buy a Registration Key/Serial Number,
  • to go to our Purchase page, or
  • read the Buy Me file in the documentation folder
    
    
• If you have already bought a Registration key, have entered it and are getting this error, please follow these steps:
  
  
  1. Verify that you have entered your Registration Key correctly. The easiest way to do this is
     to copy (Apple - C) your Registration Key from the email and
     paste it (Apple - V) it into the Registration Key Field.
     
     If you have entered your Registration Key correctly,
     - the Registration Key field will contain the following:
     "NetShred Has Been Unlocked - Thank-you"
     
     If you have not yet entered a Registration Key,
     - the Registration Key field will be blank and the "Enter to Unlock" message will be displayed
     
     If you have entered an incorrect Registration Key,
     - the Registration Key field will contain the invalid Registration Key and the "Enter to Unlock" message will be displayed
     
     If you can't enter the Registration Key,
     - if the Registration Key field contains the following message:
     "Demo version - Try before you buy!", you are trying to enter the Registration Key in the DEMO version (which does not require a key), instead of the full version. Quit from the DEMO program, run the full version of NetShred and try again.
     
     
  2. If that didn't solve the problem, verify that you purchased a Registration Key for NetShred. Check the Registration Key email you received from Mireth Technology. It will state what product the key you purchased is for.
     
     Example:
     ===================
     
     NetShred Macintosh Key: xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx
     
     or
     
     NetShred serial number:
     Serial Number: XXXXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
     
     End of Example:
     ===================
     
     
  3. If that didn't solve the problem, delete your preferences file and configure NetShred again. The preferences file's location is:
     Hard Drive>System Folder>Preferences>NetShred Prefs
     
     
  4. If that didn't solve the problem, please download and install a new copy of NetShred. Sometimes an file is corrupted in transit. To download a new copy, click here, or request a copy by email from Product Support
     
     
  5. If that didn't solve the problem, contact Product Support

     
     
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8. I'm trying to register NetShred, but the Registration key field says "Enter to Unlock : Demo Version - Try before you buy!" and I can't enter my key. What's wrong?

You are trying to register the demo version of NetShred.

• If you are trying to run the demo, you don't need a Registration Key.
  
  
• If you are trying to register the full version, quit from "NetShred DEMO" and run "NetShred" instead.

9. NetShred runs but doesn't do anything except beep. What's wrong?

10. Why won't NetShred run when I quit my browser/email application?

• NetShred does not support the browser/email application you are using.
  Verify that NetShred supports the browser you are using. For a complete list of which browsers NetShred supports, refer to the System Requirements.

• NetShred has not been installed correctly.
  Ensure that NetShred has been correctly installed to run automatically when you quit from your browser/email application. For further information, please see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.

• You have a browser/email application still running.
  Ensure that you have quit from all browser/email application. If you are running more than one browser/email application, NetShred will run when you have quit from all of them.

• You are using NetScape and haven't configured any profiles.
  Ensure that you configured NetShred to work for the profile you are using. For further information, see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.
  
  
• If you downloaded the software, there may be a problem with the archive you downloaded.
  Sometimes an file is corrupted in transit. To download a new copy, click here, or request a copy by email from Product Support
  
  
• If that didn't solve the problem, contact Product Support

11. Why won't NetShred shred my browser cache?

• NetShred does not support the browser/email application you are using.
  Verify that NetShred supports the browser you are using. For a complete list of which browsers NetShred supports, refer to the System Requirements.

• The "Shred Cache" tick box on the configuration screen has not been selected.
  For further information, please see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.

• The Cache is not in the default location.
  
  Verify the location of your cache folder. NetShred looks for files to shred in the default location for your browser. If you have moved the cache folder to somewhere else, you need to configure NetShred to look in the new location.

  For each browser you use, verify where the browser is keeping the cache folder. If it is not in the default location listed below, write down the location it is using. If your browser is not using the default location, you need to configure NetShred using the "Custom" location menu item. For instructions on how to do this, see the Read Me file.

  Here are the default location for each browser:

  Netscape Default Cache Location:
  System Folder:Preferences:Netscape Users:<Profile Name>:Cache f

  Internet Explorer Default Cache Location:
  System Folder:Preferences:Explorer:Cache.waf

• You are using NetScape and haven't configured any profiles.
  Ensure that you configured NetShred to work for the profile you are using. For further information, see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.
  
  
• If you downloaded the software, there mya be a problem with the archive you downloaded.
  Sometimes an file is corrupted in transit. To download a new copy, click here, or request a copy by email from Product Support
  
  
• If that didn't solve the problem, contact Product Support

12. Why won't NetShred shred my history file?

• NetShred does not support the browser/email application you are using.
  Verify that NetShred supports the browser you are using. For a complete list of which browsers NetShred supports, refer to the System Requirements.

• The "Shred History" tick box on the configuration screen has not been selected.
  For further information, please see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.

• The History file is not in the default location.
  
  Verify the location of your History file. NetShred looks for files to shred in the default location for your browser. If you have moved the history file to somewhere else, you need to configure NetShred to look in the new location.

  For each browser you use, verify where the browser is keeping the history file. If it is not in the default location listed below, write down the location it is using. If your browser is not using the default location, you need to configure NetShred using the "Custom" location menu item. For instructions on how to do this, see the Read Me file.

  Here are the default location for each browser:

  Netscape Default History Location:
  System Folder:Preferences:Netscape Users:<Profile Name>:Netscape History

  Internet Explorer Default History Location:
  System Folder:Preferences:Explorer:History

• You are using NetScape and haven't configured any profiles.
  Ensure that you configured NetShred to work for the profile you are using. For further information, see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.
  
  
• If you downloaded the software, there mya be a problem with the archive you downloaded.
  Sometimes an file is corrupted in transit. To download a new copy, click here, or request a copy by email from Product Support
  
  
• If that didn't solve the problem, contact Product Support

13. Why won't NetShred shred my email trash?

• NetShred does not support the browser/email software you are using.
  Verify that NetShred supports the browser you are using. For a complete list of which browsers NetShred supports, refer to the System Requirements.

• The "Shred Email Trash" tick box on the configuration screen has not been selected.
  For further information, please see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.

• The Email Trash file is not in the default location.
  
  Verify the location of your Email trash. NetShred looks for files to shred in the default location for your browser. If you have moved the email trash to somewhere else, you need to configure NetShred to look in the new location.

  For each browser you use, verify where the browser is keeping the email trash. If it is not in the default location listed below, write down the location it is using. If your browser is not using the default location, you need to configure NetShred using the "Custom" location menu item. For instructions on how to do this, see the Read Me file.
  
  Here are the default location for each browser:
  
  Netscape Default email trash Location:
  System Folder:Preferences:Netscape Users:<Profile Name>:Mail:Trash

• You are using NetScape and haven't configured any profiles.
  Ensure that you configured NetShred to work for the profile you are using. For further information, see the Read Me file included in the documentation folder.
  
  
• If you downloaded the software, there mya be a problem with the archive you downloaded.
  Sometimes an file is corrupted in transit. To download a new copy, click here, or request a copy by email from Product Support
  
  
• If that didn't solve the problem, contact Product Support

14. Why doesn't NetShred support Outlook Express?

Outlook Express uses a proprietary (not public) file structure to store both email and email trash together. Because of this, we can't guarantee that we wouldn't shred both your email and your email trash. For this reason, we don't support Outlook Express.

15. Why is the Profile Tab disabled?

16. How do I shred the email trash after I've already emptied the trash?

17. What is Browser Watch?

• Manually

• Automatically when you shut down your computer

• Automatically when you quit from your browser and/or email
  application.

In the first case, you trigger NetShred to run by double-clicking the icon.

In the second case, the OS triggers NetShred to run before shutting down (as it does for all applications in the shutdown folder).

In the third case, Browser Watch triggers NetShred to run by keeping track of whether any of the browsers or email applications NetShred supports are being run. As soon as they are all shut down, it triggers NetShred to run.

18. What are the technical details?

19. What happens if I use File Recovery Software?

A File Recovery UtSoftwareility will recover files that have been erased. It does this by keeping a separate directory of the files on your hard drive and keeping the current location of the last contents of the file. So, if you accidentally deleted your doctoral thesis, you could recover the file using a File Recovery Software. But, if you had made changes to your thesis first, saved it and then deleted it, your File Recovery Software could recover the file, but not recover it the way it once was, before you changed it.

Both NetShred and ShredIt work by overwriting the contents of each file with random data before deleting the file. So, even if you use a File Recovery Software, it can't recover data in the file the way it once was before NetShred or ShredIt overwrote the file with random data. It can, however, recover the file name since it stores this in it's own directory file.

Since the function of a shredder utility is to make files unrecoverable and the function of a file recovery utility is to make files recoverable, you have to decide which is more important to you. We'd recommend the following:

• If you don't want to be able to recover the file name or file contents of any file you want to get rid of, use file shredder Software (ShredIt, NetShred) to dispose of it and don't use a file recovery utility on your machine.
  
  
• If you want to be able to recover the contents of any file you have gotten rid of, use a file recovery Software on your machine, but don't use a file shredder utility, since you won't be able to recover the contents of any file you shred.
  
  
• If you don't want to be able to recover the contents of any file you have shredded, but do want to be able to recover the contents of any file you have deleted, use both a file recovery Software and file shredder Software on your machine. (Just make sure you don't shred a file you might want to recover.) This will be a good compromise provided that the ability to recover the file name does not compromise your security.

20. Your FAQ doesn't answer my question/I need further help. What do I do?

• Problem description.
  
  
• If you are having problems with a particular product, please include the following information as well:
  
  • What product and version you are having problems with. (To find the version number, highlight the NetShred application and "Get Info" (Apple + "I")
    
  • Whether you are using the demo version or the registered version of the product
    
  • What OS version you are running. (To find the version number, look in the “About this Computer” box under the Apple Menu.)