Windows’ shellbag entries are capable of showing you how and when specific files and folders were accessed. For maximum discretion, Ghacks shows you how you can remove these entries to ensure privacy.
Shellbag entries are the Windows operating system’s way of recording information about window viewing preferences. It records the size, view mode, icon, position of the folder, and the access time and date. Because of that, digital forensics can use the information to track which folders users have accessed, when they were last visited, and last modified. Shellbag entries can also display the contents of removable storage devices that were connected to your computer in the past, including encrypted volumes.
The process of removing these entries is pretty in-depth and requires the deletion and recreation of Windows registry keys. If you’re interested in maximum privacy on your Windows machine, and think you’re up to the task, check the link below for a thorough guide to removing Shellbag entries in Windows.
How to remove old Shellbag entries in Windows for privacy [Ghacks]
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3 responses to “Remove Shellbag Entries In Windows For More Privacy”
Actually, this sounds really useful for finding out what I was up to when I get behind on timesheets.
Are there any tools for mining this information?
be pretty easy to script one up in powershell – if they’re beneath the same key, just iterate through.
I’m tempted, really tempted.
Also (shameless plug for a new service we now use at work), paid users of Toggl can record the applications they used, so if you forgot what you did, it tells you. Scared me at first, but they don’t share the info, it’s for you alone.
Nobody needs to find out about your lifehacker browsings..
Shell bags are in fact quite valuable to identify user activity and can be further used for forensic investigation. However, the essential feature is dependent on version of your operating system and user’s profile. The recovery of file paths is reliant on sub keys that resemble the file arrangement on the disk.