Run a Thorough Scan

Overview

By default, IdentityFinder will scan your whole computer, searching through over 200 of the most common file types. It has a built-in processor to read and search through each one. You can also set IdentityFinder to search all files on the computer, using a processor if it has one for that filetype, and using a plain-text search for other files. This will lead to a very thorough search, though it's still possible that proprietary applications choose to encode their data files in a way that is not searchable at all (if you have such an application, you'd have to open it up and examine the file in question by hand in order to determine whether it has PI).

Scanning All Files

To configure a one-time thorough scan of every file on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Open IdentityFinder and enter your profile password (or create a new one, if this is the first time you've run IdentityFinder on this system).
2. Click on the Locations tab, then click on the arrow below the Files button, then click on Customize File Settings.
3. Click on Search All Files, and click OK. This will search all files, regardless of their filetype.
4. Ensure the My Computer location is selected (this is the default).

Run a Search

Click on the Main tab and then click on the IdentityFinder Start Search button.