I learned a little something from our IT folks at work
yesterday I will pass along for the benefit of those
who use Internet Explorer 6.0  If you're using IE and
you don't know what version, go to "Help," and click
on "About Internet Explorer," and it will tell you
which version.

If you're on IE 6.0, click on "Tools", then "Internet
Options".  For years, I've been clicking on "Delete
Files" and "Clear History" on the "General" tab a
couple of times in any session in which I'm on line. 
It will clear the cache (the little pictures the
computer saves for quicker reloading that will bog
your computer down over time if you don't clean it out
because it gets too full--you can adjust the size of
your cache, but it can still slow you down).  I
usually clear the history when I'm going through my
Yahoogroups list and attempting to unbounce folks so
that I methodically know which lists I've already
worked with.  Once you clear the history, the links
aren't a different color than the rest as they are
when you've already clicked on them.

I use ScanSpyware.Net to clear the sludge out of my
computer after each session, so I don't have any high
risk spy-guys following me on the computer looking for
ways to get in.  

But there was a setting in those "Tools", "Internet
Options" I wasn't clearing I will be now.  If you're
on IE 6, click on "Tools", "Internet Options", and
then "Settings" on the "General" tab.  A new section
will come up.  Click on "View Files."  This will open
up your "Temporary Internet Files".  If, like me, this
is the first time you've looked at it, you will be
amazed at how much gunk is in there.  

This is the place where all those pop-up ads and pages
you've clicked on have left their cookies and copies
of notes you've looked at if you've not cleaned it
out.  The graphics you've had on display (a page may
be composed of countless graphics) may be there too. 
Some of that stuff you DEFINITELY don't want to have
on your work puter, and you probably won't want it on
your home one, either.

According to our IT support, these cookies are the
reason you get so many pop ups.  They're telling the
marketers what interests you have and sending you
other ways to try pick your pocket.  They're tracking
where you go (I know not all cookies are evil, at
least not when they started out, but when the internet
took off as the great retail avenue, merchants got
"smarter"/"more devious", and this is the end result).

I was advised by my IT person to delete them all. 
However, being of the age where candles burn holes in
your brain and things like passwords just fall right
out of your head, I selectively went through them.  I
deleted a majority of what was there, but saved the
ones for newspapers I had to register for that would
take me longer to look up the password again.  

It's these buggers that can be slowing up your
computer, so you should be able to safely delete them
without hassle.

Though I have cable broadband, there are days the
connection gets slow (especially when a site is
attempting to set a cookie--and you have to take
cookies with many sites--of the folks in Shanghai or
Ganghzou are trying to crawl through my computer and
get blocked by my Firewall).  Cleaning the computer
(goodness, I hate housecleaning much less cleaning the
puter, LOL) is just about a requirement if you want
spead at all.
 
I hope this helps you.  I consider myself fairly savvy
about computer maintenace, but this one was new to me.


--- Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> It's probably not from them. The latest spam and
> viruses are spoofing
> e-mail addresses so that it's nearly impossible to
> track where they
> comes from. I get bounced messages all the time to
> people I know I've
> never heard of before nor would have sent a message
> to.
> 
> The best way to combat this is to have an address
> that you give out
> online and another one that you use just for
> personal e-mail. For
> example, if a website asks for your e-mail address,
> use your backup
> e-mail address instead of your main one. Chances are
> that site will
> either sell your address to someone else or it will
> be hacked by
> spammers. This will keep the spam off your main
> address and keep your
> address from being used without your knowledge.
> 
> http://www.snopes.com/ has info on spam and viruses.
> 
> deb
> 



=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]

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