Q: When does G-Zapper automatically clean my Google cookie?
A: G-Zapper scans and cleans the Google cookie each time you close your web browser. Since some Google services require the cookie to be available, G-Zapper will not clean the cookie while a web browser is open. Once you close all web browsers, G-Zapper performs an automatic scan and cleaning. If you wish to manually clean the cookie, open the G-Zapper window by double-clicking the desktop icon and click the DELETE COOKIE button. If you don't use Google's services, you can opt to permanently block the Google cookie by clicking the BLOCK COOKIE button.

Q: How do I know when G-Zapper has cleaned a Google cookie?
A: By default, G-Zapper will play a sound effect and flash the cookie tray-icon (next to your clock) when a Google cookie has been cleaned. You can also open the G-Zapper window by double-clicking the desktop icon and view the status of the most recently cleaned cookie, including the date the last Google cookie was cleaned and the total number of cookies cleaned since installing the software.

Q: Can I run G-Zapper and still use Google's Gmail?
A: Yes! You can safely use Gmail and G-Zapper at the same time. G-Zapper contains two methods for cleaning the Google cookie: automatic cleaning and manual blocking. The default method is automatic cleaning.

G-Zapper's automatic cleaning feature regularly cleans the Google cookie and breaks the chain of relating your previous searches to future ones. When using the automatic cleaning, you can continue to use any of Google's services, including Gmail and still enjoy privacy while searching. In fact, after you finish checking your Gmail account and close the web browser, G-Zapper will instantly detect and clean the cookie.

G-Zapper also includes a manual blocking feature, available by clicking the BLOCK COOKIE button. While blocking the cookie, a Google cookie will never be saved to your PC. While this provides maximum protection for search privacy, Google's services such as Gmail will be unavailable. We recommend that most users utilize the default automatic cleaning of G-Zapper.

Q: I installed the free version of G-Zapper and manually blocked the cookie. Now I cannot sign on to my Gmail account. I get a pop up message that the Google cookie has been disabled and to please restore it. How do I get back to my g-mail account?
A: Google stores all of their service preferences in 1 cookie, which will be blocked by G-Zapper if you choose to manually block the cookie. If you wish to continue using Google's services, but still enjoy privacy while searching, we recommend leaving the cookie unblocked (click the RESTORE COOKIE button in G-Zapper), and allow G-Zapper to automatically clean the cookie. You can also optionally click the DELETE button to clean the cookie yourself. This will help keep your Internet searches on Google private, but still allow you to access Gmail.

Q: I uninstalled G-Zapper and now I can not access my Gmail or other Google services. I already uninstalled, so how do I fix this?
A: This can occur if you manually block the Google cookie and then uninstall the software. You will need to re-download G-Zapper and restore your Google cookie. Then uninstall the software again, as follows:
1. Download and install G-Zapper at http://www.dummysoftware.com/gzapper.html
2. Click the RESTORE COOKIE button.
3. Exit G-Zapper if it is running.
4. Click Start->Programs->G-Zapper->Uninstall.

Q: Why does Google require cookies to be enabled in order to use Gmail?
A: This is a very good question and to be honest, we don't know. Certainly, Google could allow users access to Gmail without the necessity of cookies. However, by forcing users to enable cookies, they obtain a way to load/store user preferences in Gmail and a possible way to track email habits within your account to your PC. It is very likely that Google is storing all of your emails sent and received through the G-mail service, probably for advertiser usage in the future, as well as for statistics. However, what happens if Google decides to sell your email data to someone else? Do you own the data? In either case, by enabling cookies, they may obtain 1 more way to link your activity with your home PC. This is, of course, a best guess. Users should contact Google for exact details.

Q: Does G-Zapper support the Macintosh?
A: G-Zapper is compatible with Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP, but does not support the Macintosh at this time. We may release a Mac version in the future. If your Mac is able to run Virtual Windows, you may be able to run G-Zapper using the virtual Windows program.

Q: Why should I use G-Zapper just to delete the cookie if the next time I visit Google, they just save another cookie to my PC?
A: Deleting the cookie does indeed help. Deleting the cookie forces Google to assign you a new ID. This effectively breaks the chain of relating your new searches to previous ones. Therefore, Google will have a lesser ability to track your entire history of searches, since they will be broken across many different IDs, instead of just one. Even better, you can block the cookie entirely. But for those who use Google's services and need their cookie enabled (such as Gmail), they can simply delete the cookie regularly, such as every week, and gain a degree of privacy as described above.

Q: What do I gain by registering G-Zapper?
A: G-Zapper is free to try for 30-days. Users may install the software
on all personal computers they may own. After 30-days, the software
will no longer protect your privacy in Google. The registered version removes the trial limit and allows you to enter additional sites to block search cookies from. By default, it includes Yahoo, MSN, Ask, and AOL. You can add your own desired search engines (or any web site) to the list by clicking the EDIT SITES button. You also receive a lifetime of free upgrades and support.

Q: How do I know G-Zapper is blocking cookies on sites other than Google? I never see any delete options like for Google.
A: The registered version of G-Zapper cleans cookies from Google and additional search engines. There is no specific delete button for Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc. Instead, G-Zapper automatically checks for and deletes cookies for any other search engine listed in the EDIT SITES window during its automatic cleaning or when you click the BLOCK COOKIE or DELETE button.

To view a log of of recent cookies that G-Zapper has cleaned, click the SETTINGS button in the main window of the software and click the VIEW LOG button. A complete list of recently cleaned cookies is displayed along with their removal date.

To re-assure yourself that the cookies are indeed being deleted from additional search engines, such as Yahoo, you can try the following steps which will download a Yahoo search cookie onto your PC and show you how to delete and block it.

1. In G-Zapper, restore any cookies: In the bottom left corner of the window if you see a RESTORE COOKIES button, click it. If the button says BLOCK COOKIES, skip this step.

2. Visit http://www.yahoo.com and perform several searches to install a Yahoo cookie on your PC.

3. Back in G-Zapper, click the DELETE COOKIE button. You will see a message popup indicating a Yahoo search cookie was detected and deleted.

4. You may now click the BLOCK COOKIE button and permanently block cookies from Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, AOL, and any other site you wish to add to the list.

You can also verify G-Zapper is blocking cookies for other sites, in addition to Google, by following these steps:

1. Click the BLOCK COOKIES button to enable blocking.

2. Run Internet Explorer.

3. Click Tools->Internet Options.

4. Click the SECURITY tab.

5. Click the RESTRICTED SITES item.

6. Click the SITES button.

7. You will a list of all sites under Restricted set by G-Zapper in the Edit Sites window. There is a similar method to view restricted sites in Mozilla Firefox as well.

Q: I am using G-Zapper to delete the Google cookie, but notice each time I run G-Zapper, it says I have a cookie from Google. I went through all the steps to delete it already. Do I have to regularly have G-Zapper delete cookies or will one time do it?
A: If you click the BLOCK COOKIE button, the Google cookie will be blocked permanently, but you will be restricted in access to Google services including Gmail. If you leave the cookie unblocked and instead click DELETE COOKIE, the Google cookie will be erased, but will return (with a new ID) the moment you visit Google. At least by deleting the cookie you sever the connection of previous searches to your new searches by generating a new Google ID. In summary, you can either block the Google cookie entirely or use G-Zapper regularly to delete the cookie and enjoy a higher degree of privacy.

Q: I clicked the Delete Cookie button in G-Zapper and then looked in the cookies folder on my PC and found several Google cookie files. Are these Google cookies?
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@adwords.google[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@adwords.google[2].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@desktop.google[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@earth.google[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@google.co[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@google[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@google[2].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Name\Cookies\name@google[3].txt

A: The list of filenames are not necessarily Google search cookies associated with your unique Google ID; it is the unique Google ID that G-Zapper explicitly targets. Google saves many different kinds of cookies on a user's PC, each associated with a particular service offered by Google. For example, a separate cookie may be saved for Adsense, Adwords, Image Searching, Maps, Google Preferences, and of course, the actual search cookie. Each of these cookies will have the name google.com within the filename. Some of the cookies' contents may even be blank simply because of the way Internet Explorer's cookie management works. G-Zapper does not delete *all* Google service cookies because not all of them create a privacy risk. The one that creates a direct privacy risk is the one that holds your unique Google ID. This is the only cookie targeted by G-Zapper. (Note G-Zapper Professional Edition allows the user to target other cookies such as Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc). The targeted Google cookie containing your unique ID has the following naming format: username@google[n].txt where n = index number generated by Microsoft Internet Explorer. 

Note, there may be multiple files with this file-naming format. However, many will be empty. This is because of how Internet Explorer works. G-Zapper works by targeting the exact Google cookie containing your unique ID. G-Zapper identifies which file it is by examining the contents of each Google cookie.

To verify G-Zapper is indeed deleting the Google cookie containing your unique Google ID, you can try the following steps:

2. Visit www.google.com

5. Visit www.google.com

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