Internet Explorer
 

More people use Microsoft's Internet Explorer (or "IE" for short) than any other internet browser. This should not come as much of a surprise since IE is bundled with every installation of the Windows operating system.

Internet Explorer, regardless of the version, uses certain resources on your computer.  One of the resources IE uses is space on your computer's hard drive.  Internet Explorer will, depending on its settings, save a few small files to the hard drive each time you view a web page.  These files are images, pictures, and other page elements that seldom change over time.

By saving these files on the hard drive, IE does not have to repeatedly download them from the website each time you visit.  The benefit of this is faster loading of pages when you return to a website.

Explorer will also save small bits of information called a "cookie".  Cookies store things like user names and preferences for websites that require a log in.

They can also store information about your browsing habits.  This type of cookie is called a "tracking cookie".  Tracking cookies allow a website, especially one that wants to sell you something, to tailor what it shows you to more closely match what it believes you might be interested in.  It aids in product placement and advertising on web pages.

Many people consider the use of tracking cookies to be somewhat unethical.  Despite that concern, most commercial websites use them.  (AYS does not use tracking cookies, by the way.)

(Some kinds of cookies, however, can be a security risk because they store personal data and information like the keystrokes you type on a keyboard.  This data can then be retrieved by a disreputable website for use in ways that can cause harm.  The best way to avoid collecting bad cookies is to stay away from the shadier parts of the World Wide Web.  See more about this elsewhere on our website.)

As you might guess, there is a downside to Internet Explorer saving these small files and cookies.  If you don't clean them out periodically IE will start to run slowly, take a long time to load web pages, and could even crash.  You may see warning messages saying you are running short of free hard drive space, especially if you have a smaller hard drive.

In extreme cases, assuming most of the free space on your hard drive is already gone, Windows can take many minutes to start up, instead of a more normal 30 to 60 seconds.

The solution to these problems is to clean out Internet Explorer's "Temporary Internet Files" folders, also known as IE's "cache" memory.  Follow the steps listed below to clear the Internet Explorer, version 6 cache.

1. Open the "Tools" menu on the top toolbar and select "Internet Options" at the bottom of the menu.

 

2. The "Internet Options" window will open.  Under "Temporary Internet files", click on the "Delete Files..." button.

 

 

3. The "Delete Files" box will appear.  Click on the "OK" button, and the cache clearing process will begin.  You can also select the "Delete all offline content" box if you have been saving web pages for viewing when disconnected from the Internet.

 

 

Depending on when the cache was last cleared, it may take a while for the process to complete.  If the cache has been cleared regularly, then the process only takes a few minutes.

If the cache has not been cleared in a long time, the process can take a half hour or more.  It may even appear that the computer has locked up.

An hourglass-shaped mouse pointer on the screen and a flashing hard drive activity LED on the computer indicates the clearing process is continuing.  Be patient and it will eventually finish.

 

You can also clear any cookies that Internet Explorer has saved.  This is good to do occasionally as it also frees hard drive space and can improve Explorer's performance.

Simply click on the "Delete Cookies..." button on the Internet Options window and follow the brief instructions in the window that appears.

 

Note:  Clearing cookies will also result in the loss of automatic login information used on some websites.  

 

On your next visit to a website that was set up for automatic login, you will be required to supply your user name and password again.  Click on the "Remember my login information" or similar option that appears and the automatic login function will be restored for that site.

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Last modified: 05/19/08