A cookie is a small text file placed on the hard drive by a web page server. First party cookies are created by a web site you are visiting and remember data, such as passwords or items in a shopping cart. Third party cookies are created by a web site other than the one you are visiting, such as an advertiser. This type of cookie is used to track your internet usage and can be considered an invasion of privacy.

A web cache is a collection of data duplicating original values stored earlier, a type of temporary storage for frequently accessed data. It speeds up retrival time when the same web page is accessed repeatedly. Our recommendation is that you do not cache pages when using public access or lab machines. Cache using a home or dedicated office machine that you feel is secure. The downfall is that by accessing the cache, you may be missing changes that have taken place on the original web page. Clearing the cache corrects problems when reviewing a recently changed website.

Internet Explorer

1. Select “Tools”
2. Select “Internet Options"
   

To Delete Cookies

1. Click “Delete Cookies”
2. Click “OK”

To Clear Cache

1. Click “Delete Files”
2. Check the box next to “Delete All Offline Content”
   

To Clear History

1. Click “Clear History”
2. Click the “Yes"

Mozilla Firefox

To clear the cache, cookies, and history

1. Select Tools
2. Click on the Clear Private Data option
   
3. Verify the options for Cache, Cookies, and History have check marks by them
4. Click Clear Private Data Now
   

Netscape 7.x

To clear the Cache:

1. Select the “Edit” menu
2. Select “Preferences”
3. Expand the “Advanced” category (Click the box next to advanced)
4. Select “Clear Cache”
5. Select “OK”
   

To clear the History

1. Expand the “Navigator” Category
2. Select “Clear History”
3. Select “OK”
4. Exit the “Preferences” menu
   

To remove Cookies

1. Select the “Tools” menu
2. Select “Cookie Manger”
3. Select “Manage Stored Cookies”
4. Select “Remove All Cookies”
5. Click “OK”