Temporary Internet Files are files like images, videos, websites, text, cookies etc. and they are stored in your hard drive on the backscene. Their purpose is to speed up surfing. When you visit a page your browser will look for images, media files and other files and download them to your hard disk.

Then it will create a sort of a template for that particular website with all the data that is frequently used. While you surf, other pages of the website will load faster because your browser has already stored some of the information. The downside of this is that it takes up space on your hard disk.

It is a good idea to frequently clean the contents of the folder where your temporary internet files are stored. This folder is usually located in your Documents and Settings -> username -> Local Settings directory. Replace -username- with your windows login name. Go ahead and find the temporary internet files folder and look at the contents. Chances are you will find mostly images, stylesheets and other media files (mp3, video etc.).

You can manually select the contents of the folder and send them to your recycle bin. Alternatively you can clean your temporary internet files folder through your browser's top menu. In Internet Explorer go to:

Tools -> Internet -> Options (or Start -> Control Panel -> Internet Options)

In the -General- tab look for the Temporary Internet Files area and select -Delete Files...- to clear the contents. A confirmation message will appear. Click Ok and you're done. Other options on the same tab will allow you to clear your cookies folder by clicking -Delete Cookies...- or your browser's history by clicking on -Clear History-.

In Mozilla Firefox the term Temporary Internet Files is replaced by the term cache. In order to clean up your browser's cache go to -Options- and click the -Privacy- tab. Here you can do all sorts of maintenance. You can delete all cache files and specify how long you want Firefox to remember what pages you have visited. You can also clean your cookies and your browser's history.

Again, here's how to clear your temporary internet files (internet cache) in Firefox: Go to Tools -> Options and click the -Privacy- tab. Click on -Clear Now- under the -Private Data- section. Click Ok and your done.

Netscape also uses the term Internet cache for the temporary stored files. Go to Edit -> Preferences and a new window will pop up. There you can clean your browser's history by clicking on -Clear History-. To clean Netscape's internet cache click on the [+]Advanced tab on the left menu. Click on -Cache- subtab. New settings will appear on your right. To clean your temporary internet files click on -Clear Disk Cache- on the right. A pop up confirmation message will appear. Click Ok and you're done.

If you want to go even further then here's Internet History Eraser. A software that will not only clean your temporary internet files folder, but will also take care of cookies, other temporary files, browser history, clipboard data, registry streams, auto-complete data forms and a lot more. Internet History Eraser will ensure your online privacy is taken seriously by protecting all your files and your sensitive information.

The author is a webmaster of DigitalStarProducts Digital Products Directory