How do I empty your cache (delete cookies) on my computer?
 

I received the following message from a online store:

May we suggest you empty your cache (delete cookies) and/or use a different web browser when placing future orders onlineorder

Can anyone help.

Thanks

What browser are you using? I used to use Internet Explorer, but recently have found that Google Chrome works a lot better for me. Except I have to switch back to IE when using PayPal to print postage.

Anyway, whatever browser you have is going to have a "tools" option for the internet. On Google Chrome, you click on the horizontal lines icon in the upper righthand corner, then click on "tools", then click on "browsing data" to get to where you can clear cache and delete cookies. I would have to start up IE to give you explicit directions for that one, but it's easy there too.

There are other browsers I haven't used, such as Firefox. Do you know what browser you are using?

All depends on which release of IE you are on. On mine I go to my Tools and the first choice is delete browsing history. Whatever ypu are using you probably have a "Help" button and can click on that to get help on the subject.

@jadet-
Which takes you to another menu where you can select (by check mark) which items you want to delete.
You might want to delete your cookies and temp files, but not your browsing history.
So exercise caution before hitting enter ;-)


ooc, is it an online site you shop at often?
Because in all my years of buying at hundreds of sites, I've never been asked to delete cookies while placing an order.
Just curious.

Try this.
Click the START icon in the lower left corner of your screen....(could show as a blue globe with 4 squares)
Click CONTROL PANEL in the right column that pops up.
Click INTERNET OPTIONS from the list.
Click the GENERAL tab at the top of the list.
Under "Browsing History" click DELETE.
On the list that pops up, click the tiny box by TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES, and COOKIES, and HISTORY.
Click DELETE. A smaller window pops up that shows it's working and it will close when done. (The more frequently you do this the shorter time it will take the computer to accomplish the clean up.)

Alternatively you can do this regularly.
Click START as before.
Click ALL PROGRAMS.
Click ACCESSORIES (Look for it, it WILL be there!)
Click SYSTEM TOOLS.
Click DISK CLEAN-UP.
Click OKAY.

The computer figures how much space you can save.
Click the little box beside "Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin, Temporary Files, and Thumbnails.
Then click OKAY.
Then click DELETE FILES in small window that comes up.
I do this every couple of days to delete cookies, and open extra space in the cache.

I use a program called CCleaner that my paid computer guru put on my laptop. You might google it from Piriform to see if it can be downloaded for free from the internet. I just click that CCleaner icon and it goes from there, eliminating a few clicking steps.

[MTS, [About a site telling her to clear her cache] it's possible that she has never cleared her cache of graphics which have eaten up her data space and that's why an internet site, which probably was not loading properly, asked her to clear her cache. Especially if she has an older computer with less GBs. Graphics are "heavy" users of 'space'.]

Hope this helps you!!

Jan in VA

Thanks Jan I'm sure your info will be a big help to many.

Thanks so much everyone. This board is the best!

Make sure you only delete the cookies from sites that you don't use often.If you delete all of your cookies, the regular sites that contact you will not be able to find you until you acquire more cookies.(generally speaking)

Wow, you are awesome. Thanks so much for the info.

Open the Run window (not search) under Start type %temp% and hit enter. A file will open. Select all in the organize tab, then delete all. Everything is clean and nothing important is lost.

Thanks Jan, I printed out your instructions and applied them to my computer and it worked. Thanks again...

It is a big help to me for sure! Thanks so much now I don't have to wait for a dear little GS!

where is the Run window? I click on Start, & only see Search.
Thank you

If you are set up this way, try typing the word TEMP into the search space. See if a window pops up with CONTROL PANEL at the top of it. The second item is DELETE COOKIES OR TEMPORARY FILES. Click this. Then you can also click the 3rd line DELETE BROWSING HISTORY to clear even more space.

Jan in VA

THank you, Jan. Mine came up with Internet Properties, but it had the same items you mentioned. so I deleted everything, except "password". I deleted a whole bunch of temp files when I typed in %temp% via the Window Explorer. I hope this will help my sluggish computer.
Thank you again :)

T,
There is one more necessary maintenance process you should use on your computer if it is sluggish. It's called "defragging" and it allows the computer to access, sort, and compress files (not just things you've written) so that the data space is more efficient.

Click START.
Click ALL PROGRAMS (it's there, you'll have to just really look)
Click ACCESSORIES ( " )
Click SYSTEM TOOLS.
Click DISK DEFRAGMENTER.
Click DEFRAGMENT DISK
The computer will take it from there. If you haven't done this in a while, or ever, it may take a while - up to hours! You can leave it working overnight if you wish.

Hopefully this will improve things for you!

Jan in VA