Erasing your Interent Tracks

A cookie is a file that is stored on your computer. It contains data passed from websites to your computer so that websites can “communicate” with this file when you return to the site. If other people have access to a computer where a cookie is stored, then they may be able to find out what websites you have been visiting. If you are using a shared computer, such as within a family-setting, library, school, office or internet café, other people may be able to determine what websites you have visited. If you fear disclosure of your HIV and/or Hepatitis C status, or if you want to keep your visits to the YouthCO website private, then you may wish to learn how to erase your internet tracks after visiting this site.

There are a number of "tracks" left on a computer (private or public) after browsing the Internet. These are Temporary Internet Files (and/or Cache in Netscape), Cookies, and History (and location bar in Netscape). All of these items can be erased or deleted so that the average computer user cannot determine what the previous user has been viewing. The following instructions outline how to erase your Internet tracks in most versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape.

Internet Explorer:
To delete your Temporary Internet Files:

1. Open Internet Explorer (IE)
2. Select Tools
3. Under Tools, select Internet Options
4. In Internet Options, under the General Tab in the Temporary Internet Files section, select Delete Files (delete both Temporary Internet Files and Offline Content)
5. Under the General Tab in Temporary Internet Files section, select Settings
6. In Settings, in the Check for newer versions of stored pages section, select Every visit to the page
To delete your Computer Cookies:
7. Follow steps 1-3 above
8. In Internet Options, under the General Tab in the Temporary Internet Files section, select Delete Cookies then click OK
To clear your History:
9. Follow steps 1-3 above
10. In Internet Options, under the General Tab in the History section, select Clear History
11. Click on Apply and then click OK

Netscape:
To clear your History & Location Bar:
1. Open Netscape
2. Select Edit
3. Under Edit, select Preferences
4. Within Preferences, Click + sign or Arrow next to Navigator
5. Then click on History
6. Under History, select Clear History and then Clear Location Bar
To delete your Computer Cookies:
7. Follow steps 1-3 above
8. Within Preferences, Click + sign or Arrow next to Privacy & Security
9. Select Cookies
10. Under Cookies, select Manage Stored Cookies
11. Under Manage Stored Cookies, select Clear All Cookies and then click Close
To clear the Cache:
12. Follow steps 1-3 above
13. Within Preferences, Click + sign or Arrow next to Advanced
14. Then click on Cache
15. Under Cache, select Clear Memory Cache
16. Select Clear Disk Cache
17. Select Document in cache is compared to document on network: every time

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