Windows Cleaner

Although it suffers from some interface problems, this free application offers a decent amount of tools for keeping your PC activities private. The program's main window is easy enough to understand but features a prominent ad for the developer's site. This didn't bother us much, but we were baffled to find the large icon labeled "Clean Now" didn't work, forcing us to delete our tracks via the menu item. Similar to most privacy apps, this one wipes away traces of your Web-surfing history, although we wish it supported browsers other than Internet Explorer. You can choose to exclude any cookie or typed URL from a cleaning session, but you can only do so via a step-by-step wizard, not the most convenient method. Windows Cleaner's best attribute is its large list of supported third-party applications, including Norton Antivirus, Photoshop, and WinZip. We didn't see popular IM clients such as Yahoo or MSN Messenger on this list, but we were glad to be able to download new plug-ins from the developer's site. Although it's not the most comprehensive or best-designed privacy app we've ever seen, this free offering still makes a nice choice for Internet Explorer users.