IE History Tracker Features: What IT Admins Need to Know

How to Use IE History Tracker to Recover Deleted Browsing Records

What IE History Tracker Does

IE History Tracker scans and recovers browsing artifacts from Internet Explorer by reading browser history files, cache, and system artifacts (index.dat, WebCacheV01.dat, prefetch, DNS cache, and Windows restore points). It can help retrieve URLs, visit timestamps, and cached content that were deleted through the browser or by basic file deletion.

When Recovery Is Possible

• Recent deletions: Higher chance if system activity after deletion was minimal.
• No secure erase: Recovery unlikely if the drive was securely wiped or TRIM has zeroed SSD blocks.
• System restore points present: Restore points can hold older copies of history files.

Preparation — What You Need

1. A separate storage drive (USB or external HDD) to save recovered files.
2. Administrative access to the Windows machine.
3. IE History Tracker installed on an analysis workstation (do not install on the target machine; run from external media when possible).
4. Forensic toolkit: disk imaging tool (FTK Imager, dd), and a hex viewer for deeper analysis.

Step-by-step Recovery Guide

1. Isolate the machine
   • Disconnect from the network to prevent further changes.
2. Create a forensic image
   • Use a disk imaging tool to create a bit-for-bit image of the target drive. Save the image to external storage.
3. Work from the image
   • Mount the forensic image on your analysis workstation or use IE History Tracker’s image support.
4. Scan relevant artifacts
   • Point IE History Tracker to the mounted image or extracted user profile paths:
     • Internet Explorer history folders (WinXP: Documents and Settings\Local Settings\History; Win7+: C:\Users\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WebCache)
     • index.dat and WebCacheV01.dat files
     • Temporary Internet Files (cache)
     • Prefetch and NTFS $MFT for indirect evidence
5. Run recovery
   • Run a full scan. IE History Tracker will parse records and present recovered URLs, timestamps, and cached content. Export results to a CSV or HTML report.
6. Recover deleted entries
   • Use the tool’s deleted-record recovery option (if available) to carve entries from unallocated space and carved copies of history files.
7. Correlate with system artifacts
   • Cross-check timestamps with prefetch, event logs, DNS cache, and browser cache to validate visits.
8. Preserve chain of custody
   • Log actions, keep original images unchanged, and produce cryptographic hashes of images and exported reports.

Interpreting Results

• Timestamps: Confirm time zones and system clock changes.
• Partial records: Sometimes only URL fragments or timestamps are recovered; corroborate with other artifacts.
• Cached content: May include page snapshots, images, or downloaded files—treat as sensitive evidence.

Troubleshooting Tips

• If IE History Tracker fails to parse WebCacheV01.dat, ensure you’re using an up-to-date version and have access to a copy (file may