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What is McAfee Security Center?

The Security Center on your computer desktop is part of your free Cox Security Suite Powered by McAfee®. It is a powerful security solution that allows you to monitor the security status on your computer and to know instantly whether virus, spyware, email, and firewall protection services are up-to-date. 

How can it help me?

You can use this tool to maintain computer privacy by protecting your documents and files.

For additional help with any Security Center feature visit the McAfee Community. Click Home and Home Office, then under Communities on the left, click Security Center.

What is the McAfee Shredder?

The McAfee Shredder tool lets you permanently delete items on your computer that you no longer need. You can use this tool the same way you would use a paper shredder to safely dispose of your private files. The difference between the shredder and actions you normally perform, such as delete files and folders, empty your recycle bin, or delete your temporary Internet files folder, you can still recover this information. Shredded items cannot be recovered.

How can it help me?

The tool is designed to protect your privacy. For instance, if you sell or donate your computer, no one will be able to use or see the items you shred.

When you use the McAfee Shredder tool to delete the contents of  your recycle bin and temporary Internet files, it makes sure that information cannot be recovered. You can also use the McAfee Shredder tool to delete the entire contents of a removable drive, including external hard drives or USB drives.

 You can decide how many times you want to shred an item. The more times you shred the item the more confident you can be that your private information will not be recovered.

The 5 types of shredding are:

1. Quick - shreds the item once.
2. Basic - sheds the item twice.
3. Safe - shreds the item five times.
4. Comprehensive - shreds the item seven times. 
5. Complete - shreds the item 10 times. 

To begin, double-click the McAfee Security Center icon in your task bar or on your desktop.

To shred an item:

1. Under Features expand Data Protection.
2. Click Shredder.
   Tip: You can also access the shredder under the Navigation link at the top right of the console.
3. Choose from one of the following:
   1. Recycle Bin - Delete the contents of the recycle bin.
   2. Temporary Internet Files - Delete the contents of this folder.
4. Click Shred, then confirm your choice in the confirmation dialog box.
5. Click Shred again as many times as you want to shred the item.

Note: If you check Let me choose, then click Shred, you will be able to decide which files to shred from another location. After choosing the folder, click Shred. The Browse for Folder pop-up displays. Choose the item you want to shred. 

Warning! Items shredded cannot be recovered so be sure you want to shred them before performing these actions.

 A summary screen will show you the number of times you shredded an item and what items could not be shredded. If you minimize your Cox Security Suite software while the tool is running, an alert displays this information.

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Quick Clean

McAfee QuickClean tool deletes unnecessary files, freeing up space and optimizing your computer's performance. This tool cleans files and folders you specify. You can use the tool to free up space on your computer as needed or schedule it to clean your computer regularly and automatically. Below is a list of items you can clean and why you may want to do so:

How to use QuickClean

Choose your settings:

1. Double-click the Security Center icon on your desktop.
2. On the Security Center console under Features, expand PC and Home Network Tools.
3. Click QuickClean.
4. Expand  Settings.
5. Put a check next to the items you want to clean.
6. Click the Apply button.
   Note: To restore default settings click the Restore Defaults button at the top of the dialog box.

Choose your schedule:

1. On the Security Center console under Features, expand PC and Home Network Tools.
2. Click QuickClean.
3. Expand Schedule.
4. Put a check next to the schedule you prefer.
5. Choose the days and times for your schedule.
6. Click the Apply button.

All steps complete.