Temporary Internet Files (Cache)

When you load a web page, your browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.) stores a copy of that page on your hard disk. If you visit that web page again, caching allows the page to be loaded from your hard disk, rather than having to download the page from the remote web server again. Internet Explorer (IE) refers to these cached files as Temporary Internet Files, and Netscape - as Cache. Using Cache can save you a lot of time. But sometimes even though a web page may have changed, the browser still continues to load the old page from your local hard drive rather than the web site. 

You can correct this by using the Refresh button in the IE or Reload button in Netscape:
Click Refresh/Reload. The computer checks the network to make sure you have the latest version of the page. To retrieve a fresh copy of a page regardless of what's in the cache, hold down the Shift key and click Reload/Refresh.

Sometimes, no matter what you do, you suspect that the page you're looking at is not current. To completely ensure that the browser is downloading a new page rather than loading it from the cache, delete all of the cache files.

You may specify also how often your browser checks the network for page revisions (so that you don't keep "stale" pages in the cache too long). You may select: "Once Per Session", "Every Time", or "Never" in Netscape, or "Every visit to the page", "Every time you start Internet Explorer", "Automatically" or "Never" in IE. "Every Time" assures that the page you see is always the latest, at the cost of slower performance. "Never" is fastest, but the page you see might be stale.

To clear your cache please follow the following steps:
Netscape 3:
Select - Options | Network Preferences | Cache | Clear Memory Cache Now
Options | Network Preferences | Cache | Clear Disk Cache Now
Ensure that within 'Verify Documents' you Select - 'Once per session'. 

Netscape 4 (Communicator):
Select - Edit | Preferences | Advanced | Cache Select - Clear Memory Cache
Select - Clear Disk Cache
Ensure that you Select - 'Once per session'. 

Internet Explorer 3:
Select - View | Options | Advanced | Settings (half way down the page) | Empty Folder
Ensure that within 'Check for newer versions of stored pages' you Select - 'Every time you start Internet Explorer'. 

Internet Explorer 4:
Select - View | Internet Options | General | Temporary Internet Files
Select - Delete (do not Select - 'Delete all subscription content' when prompted)
Select - Settings | 'Every time you start IE'

Internet Explorer 5:
Select - Tools | Internet Options | General | Temporary Internet Files
Select - Delete Files (do not Select - 'Delete all offline content' when prompted)
Select - Settings | 'Every time you start IE'
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