Clearing temporary Internet files and cookies

Every time you visit a Web site, the files for the Web page, such as the HTML and the images, are downloaded and stored in a temporary directory known as Temporary Internet Files. Over time, this directory can become full of images and HTML from various Web sites that you have visited. This directory can end up taking up a lot of space on your hard drive. Additionally, a user can browse your Temporary Internet Files directory and find out exactly what site you have been visiting just as if they were looking at your browser history. If you are concerned about your privacy, or just concerned about disk space, then clearing the Temporary Internet Files is a must.

Cookies are another item that is created on your computer when you visit a Web site. Contrary to popular belief, cookies are really not that bad. Most Web sites use them to save user data to a browser. One example of this is site preferences or automatic logon when you visit a Web site. The Webmaster of the Web site can detect if their Web site has already given you a cookie that has your user ID stored in it. If it finds one, then it knows exactly who you are and logs you on automatically. Advertisers also use cookies to store personal data. Instead of showing you the same advertisement 50 times, they use cookies to keep track of how many times an advertisement is displayed on your screen.

A common myth about cookies is that they allow Web sites to track other sites you visit. That is just not true. The only cost of having cookies on your computer is a privacy concern for local users. Any user that has physical access to your computer can browse to the directory that the cookies are stored and view what Web sites you visit because the cookies are named after the Web site that instructed your browser to put them on your computer.

Clearing the Temporary Internet Files and removing the cookies is a very simple task. Just follow these steps to clear these files:

1. Open up another copy of Internet Explorer.

2. Click Tools and then select Internet Options.

3. Under the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete Files button.

4. You will be prompted to confirm if you would also like offline files to be deleted. For maximum privacy, check the box and Click OK.

5. Once the files are erased, you will be shown the Internet Options screen again. Taking care of the cookies for your privacy is just as easy. Just click the Delete Cookies button.

6. Click OK on the confirmation screen.

7. Select OK once more to close Internet Options and you are done.

Now users will no longer be able to see what Web sites you visit from the cookies and Temporary Internet Files that are stored on your computer. Additionally, you will have freed up some disk space by deleting these files.