Often referred to as the cache, the Temporary Internet Files folder contains a kind of travel record of the items you have seen, heard, or downloaded from the Web, including images, sounds, Web pages, even cookies. Typically these items are stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder.

Storing these files in your cache can make browsing the Web faster because it usually takes your computer less time to display a Web page when it can call up some of the page's elements or even the entire page from your local Temporary Internet Files folder.

All those files stored in your cache take up space, so from time to time, you may want to clear out the files stored in your cache to free up some space on your computer. This is called clearing the cache.

Simply following the steps below at a one to two week interval will help keep you computer running smoothly.

Windows 98/ME/2000

1. Right click the mouse on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop and select Properties.

2. In the Temporary Internet Files section click on the Delete files button.

3. Check the Delete all offline files box then click OK.

4. From here, you can also click on the Delete Cookies button and delete all of the cookies that have been saved to your computer.

Windows XP

1. Click on the Start button.

2. Right click the mouse on the Internet Explorer icon on the top left hand side and select Internet Properties.

3. In the Temporary Internet Files section click on the Delete files button.

4. Check the Delete all offline files box then click OK.

5. From here, you can also click on the Delete Cookies button and delete all of the cookies that have been saved to your computer.

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