Could someone explain to me, in simple terms, what "cookies" are?

Question

Someone told me to get rid of the cookes to speed up my computer, but couldn't tell me what they are, nor how to get rid of them.

I'm old and I'm slow, be gentle.

Answer 1

A cookie is a file that a web site puts on your computer that helps to identify you. For example, how does Yahoo! remember your user name when you visit? The site puts a cookie on your computer, a unique file. When you visit Yahoo again, it looks for the cookie, finds it, and says "OK, this cookie tells me that it is so-and-so visiting." Your personal information isn't in a cookie. It's more like a reference number so the website can look up the information in their internal servers.

Getting rid of cookies doesn't really speed up a computer very much, and you might find it easier to navigate the web if you have them.

Instead, I'd recommend getting rid of temporary internet files. On internet explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options. Under the "general" tab, find "Temporary internet files." Select "delete files." That should speed things up.

Answer 2

An HTTP cookie, or a Web cookie, is a parcel of text sent by a server to a web browser and then sent back unchanged by the browser each time it accesses that server. HTTP cookies are used for authenticating, tracking, and maintaining specific information about users, such as site preferences and the contents of their electronic shopping carts. The term "cookie" is derived from "magic cookie," a well-known concept in UNIX computing which inspired both the idea and the name of HTTP cookies.

Cookies have been of concern for Internet privacy, since they can be used for tracking browsing behavior. As a result, they have been subject to legislation in various countries such as the United States and in the European Union. Cookies have also been criticised because the identification of users they provide is not always accurate and because they could potentially be used for network attacks. Some alternatives to cookies exist, but each has its own drawbacks.

Cookies are also subject to a number of misconceptions, mostly based on the erroneous notion that they are computer programs. In fact, cookies are simple pieces of data unable to perform any operation by themselves. In particular, they are neither spyware nor viruses, despite the detection of cookies from certain sites by many anti-spyware products.

Most modern browsers allow users to decide whether to accept cookies, but rejection makes some websites unusable. For example, shopping baskets implemented using cookies do not work if cookies are rejected.

having, a lot fo cookies on the machine will not really slow the machine done. as long as u delete the temp internet files, from tools internet options

Answer 3

Cookie are small files stored on your computer. These are generally saved by some of the sites you visit.

Apart from these, there are many other things that are responsible for slowing down you computer. It could be programs that you have installed. Some of spyware programs that automatically get downloaded on your computer and slow them down. Or may be your computer needs more RAM.

You can try following steps atleast to get rid of cookies and spyware. These will give you some relief:

1. Delete the temporary internet files:
a. Click Tools->Internet Options on your Browser(Internet Explorer).
b. In Temporary Internet files, Click once Delete Cookies and once that is finished, click Delete files.

2. Install Yahoo toolbar. This installs Norton anti-spyware for free.
a. Download Yahoo toolbar from link below
b. Run it and follow the instructions to install it.
c. Close all Internet Explorer windows and Restart it.
d. Click on Anti-spy icon on the toolbar and run it. This icon looks like a yellow square with red crossed spiral on it.

Hope that helps

Answer 4

In very simple language-cookies basically just keep track of the web sites you have visited. Go to the tools option at the top of your page-

Tools
Internet Options
You will see where the page has 3 sections-home page, temporary internet files, and history
Go to the section that says "Temporary Internet Files"-choose delete cookies, and delete files. When you hit delete files, a little box will pop up asking if you want all offline content deleted, you can do that if you want to.
Go to the section that says "History" click on clear history.
You can also choose in that section how many days you want your computer to keeps you visited web sites in the history-from 0 on up.
Then just hit okay and you are done.

Answer 5

A message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file. The message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.

The main purpose of cookies is to identify users and possibly prepare customized Web pages for them. When you enter a Web site using cookies, you may be asked to fill out a form providing such information as your name and interests. This information is packaged into a cookie and sent to your Web browser which stores it for later use. The next time you go to the same Web site, your browser will send the cookie to the Web server. The server can use this information to present you with custom Web pages. So, for example, instead of seeing just a generic welcome page you might see a welcome page with your name on it.

The name cookie derives from UNIX objects called magic cookies. These are tokens that are attached to a user or program and change depending on the areas entered by the user or program.

Answer 6

Cookies are fragments of information stored on your computer. They are typically used to identify you as someone who has already visited a stie.

For example: when sigining into yahoo, there is an option for "remember my Id on this computer". If you select this option, the website stores a small file on your computer which keeps track of your log-in name, so that when you leave the website and come back, the site will already know you log-in name, and automatically fill it in for you.

Another Example: If you have ever been to a website that shows you the last date you visited, a "cookie" was placed onto your computer during the last visit that keeps track of the date of that visit, so this info can be retrieved by the website and shown to you.

Another Example: If I am filling out an order form on the internet, and have to go, an I log-off, then log back in later and just pick up where I left off, this is because my previous choices were saved as "cookies" on my computer, and the website has retrieved these "cookies" from my computer and used them to fill in the choices made earlier into ther form.

Easy concept, hard to explain; basically, a "cookie" is a piece of information placed onto your computer that can be retrieved later for many purposes. As the website maker, I can store as many cokkies as I want on your computer, containing any information that I choose. I can then access that information when you return to my site.

Answer 7

Cookies are bits of sometimes encrypted information that your computer stores when you access a website. For example, if you choose the 'remember my login' for yahoo, it will store a cookie for it on your computer. Doing so, the website will retreive that cookie when you access the website again, and log you in. They bascially save you time.

People say they are harmful. I dont believe so. Ive been a computer tech for 10+ years, and theyve never been a problem for me.

BUt, if you want to clear them, thats easy. In internet explorer, go to the tools menu at the top of the browser window. Scroll down to Internet Options. A screen will pop-up and you will see a button that says clear cookies. Click it. And your cookies are gone. I dont use firefox, so i dont remember exactly, but i think its basically the same steps.

Hope that helps clear things up.

Answer 8

Think of them as this way.
Remember when your mom made you cookies when you were little - they reminded you how much your mom loved you.
Cookies on a computer are a simple way to remember you when you visit that site again. Whether it be something simple like have you been here before or a previous order to something a little more complex. Cookies are not really bad, unless you visit a LOT of sites. It also does not hurt to clean them out. It just makes things simpler for the website. No big deal.

Answer 9

Cookies are basically stored in your computer so that the computer will remember them when you go to the web site they are temporary files that take up space. You need to go to Tools, Internet Options and delete cookies to get rid of them.

Answer 10

Cookies are small data files written to your hard drive by some Web sites when you view them in your browser. These data files contain information the site can use to track such things as passwords, lists of pages you've visited, and the date when you last looked at a certain page.

To delete them in Internet Explorer, click on "Tools", then click on "Internet Options", then click on "Delete Cookies".