east-tec Eraser 12.9.5

Overview

Most users nowadays are aware that their internet activity is stored locally (and online as well, but that’s another story) and can be easily traced by someone with basic computer knowledge. If you wish to erase all footprints of the sites you've been, whom you chatted with, temporary files and other evidence then you should definitely take a look at east-tec Eraser 2014. This software guarantees that not only your online sessions are deleted, but leftovers and unnecessary files from other applications are removed as well.

Installation

The installation procedure is a piece of cake to perform. You just have to run the installer and follow only a few series of steps without making any significant settings. The main installation process will be completed in a few settings and afterwards you can launch the program. No viruses, Trojans or other types of malware are included in the setup package. The same goes for additional 3^rd-party advertised software.

Supported operating systems are Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8.

Interface

east-tec Eraser 2014 introduces a completely new interface that is intuitive and modern, allowing users to navigate through its function categories using the left-hand pane. Those are: Dashboard, Privacy Guard, Erase Files & Folders, Erase Deleted Data, Media Wiper and Scheduler. Clicking on one of the categories will display the corresponding functions and features in the rest of the screen.

The Dashboard is a new feature that allows users to check the overall status of their privacy and alerts them if something’s wrong. From there users also get informed with the latest updates from east-tec.

Pros

The program has various features regarding both your local and internet activity. The Privacy Guard gives you the power to erase sensitive data from Windows and browsers such as history, cookies, cache, recently opened documents, chatroom conversations, Windows swap/paging files, temporary files, recycled items and other kinds of data. It also cleans your computer from unnecessary files created by other applications or leftovers kept after their removal; the number of supported applications is higher than 250 and includes many popular software.

With east-tec Eraser 2014 you have the ability to securely delete existing files/folders from your computer without the risk of them being recovered in the future. This is achieved by using one of the implemented deletion algorithms, which are: Quick Wiping (One Pass/No Check), Quick Wiping (One Pass/Check), Quick Wiping (Random Pass), Stop Recovery Tools (Two Passes/Checks), AFSSI-5020, NAVSO P-5239-26 (RLL) (3 Passes), NAVSO P-5239-26 (MFM) (3 Passes), Russian GOST P50739-95, U.S. Department of Defense (3 Passes), German VSITR, U.S. Department of Defense Enhanced (7 Passes), B. Schneier’s algorithm (7 Passes), 3+7+3 Beyond DoD Standards and Stop Hardware Recovery (Gutmann). Creating custom deletion techniques is possible too. If you want to make sure that files and folders you deleted in the past aren’t recovered then you can erase deleted data as well using the same algorithms. You can also completely erase contents of removable disks of sizes up to 64GB (to wipe disks larger than this you need to use east-tec DisposeSecure 5).

A scheduler is included in the program to perform the program’s functions at fixed intervals or specific dates.

Advanced settings include the ability to use east-tec Eraser in stealth mode, meaning that it will work in the background while you work normally in the foreground. Stealth mode is used in combination with customizable hotkeys that allow the user to quickly hide east-tec Eraser while it starts the pre-selected modules.

Cons

We found no bugs during our tests and have no complaints at all.

Alternatives

Other alternatives for this program are Eraser (free), abylon SHREDDER (paid) and CCleaner (free). CCleaner is actually the most complete out of those since it offers a wide variety of cleaning features like east-tec Eraser 2014, as well as an uninstaller and a registry fixer. It doesn't secure erase data with multiple overwrite passes though.

Conclusion

east-tec Eraser is one of the best cleaning tools that makes your online and offline privacy a lot more secure, something that’s quite crucial lately.