COMPUTERS

I was encouraged to write this article to help a very close friend in time of need.

Everytime you surf or visit the internet a web page is saved in a temporary file on your computer's hard drive for every click you make. The file is generally known as the "Temporary Internet File." In actuality, this file represents pretty much everything your computer has seen on the Web. This is the first place authorities look for illegal activities, that is, if one is ever suspected of any such activities. Probably the biggest problem over time for some of us, especially if the Web is surfed regularly, is that the file grows very large. which may cause the computer to slow down. The main culprits are pictures and images because they take up so much space.

The temporary internet file is also filled with "Cookies." A cookie is a small piece of instruction or program that enters your computer when visiting sites that allow others to track your surfing habits and ativity, such as your interests and how often and how long you visit certain sites. Some cookies allow you to reach a site quicker, but they are not really necessary.

Over time, the Temporary Internet File can grow very large and take up so much space that it may slow down your computer. If your computer has become slow, there are several things that may cause this. The following is just one thing that may help on computers that have Windows XP Operating Systems with the Windows Internet Explorer browser. The procedure may also work on other systems.

Logout of any email programs
Close all browser windows
Click on "Tools" on the tool bar
Select "Internet Options."
Click the "General Tab" in the dialogue box
Under "Browsing History," click "Delete."
(You will have a choice to delete certain items or delete everything from the temporary internet file. The main items that should be deleted are internet web pages and cookies, but if it is important to delete your tracks on the things you have searched for, delete "history," also.)
Select the items you wish to delete by checking the appropriate boxes or click on "Delete All."
Click "OK."

This process may help computers that have been used a lot surfing the Web over several years and have never had this kind of maintenance done on them.

Now, you may be interested in seeing what your computer has seen over time and what anyone else may see if they were to check your computer. To check this out, follow this procedure:

When you are in the Dialogue Box, instead of clickng "Delete" under your "Browsing History," click on "Settings."
Another dialogue box will appear. Click on "View Files," and all visited web pages will be displayed.
Double click on any item and you will get a message similar to this: "Running a system command on this item may be unsafe, do you want to continue?" It's advisable that you should click "No."
Click any item you wish to view and then select "Copy File" in the "Folder Tasks" box, which is generally to the left side of the page.
Copy the item to some place on your computer, such as "My Documents."
Then go to "My Documents, or wherever you have copied the item and open it. Caution: If other people have surfed the Web on your computer, you may be surprised at what you may see.