How I read your hotmail and other cool things.

[KMA]

START --> SETTINGS --> TASKBAR & START MENU --> Click: Start Menu Programs Tab
Click: "Clear" Radio Button in Documents Menu
Button will de-highlight
Click: "OK"


This will "remove the contents of the Documents Menu and other Personal history lists."

For example: "IF" I were using Real Player to view "something" that shouldn't be seen by someone else - e.g. 12-year olds, my PC techies .. etc .. - then if I hadn't done this, the last video that I viewed would show up in the File - Open list in the Real Player program and viola, embarressed!!!

Clear the Cache(s)
Clear the History(s)
Clear the Temp File(s)
Clear the Documents List(s)
Clear Cookies (if you accept them at all)
Block unwanted Certificates
Do not leave your email address out in the rain
-IT WILL GET WET. *S*
Okay, that made no sense, but you know.



This is how I read your hotmail and mailroom without your password:

This is an excellent reference about clearing your 'cache' ( which is everything you've looked at lately, 'lately', depending on how much you surf and how much hd space is alloted to 'caching' files).

How to clear the cache
I get asked from time to time, so I thought I'd put this here because you probably get asked too and it will
save you doing it from scratch each time:

Internet Explorer

Select Edit from the pulldown menu
Select Preferences
In the left table, select Web Browser
Select Advanced
Where it says 'Cache' click on the 'Empty Now' button


Netscape

Select Edit from the pulldown menu
Select Preferences
Select Advanced
Select Cache
Click on 'Clear Disk Cache' and 'Ok'

For PC users:


IE

Select View (for IE 4.xusers) or select 'Tools' (for IE 5.x users)

Select 'Internet Options'
Select 'General Tab'
In the second section where it says 'Temporary Internet Files' click on 'Delete Files' then click 'OK'

Netscape

Select 'Edit'
'Preferences'
'Advanced'
'Cache'
'Clear Disk Cache' and 'Clear Memory Cache' and click 'OK'


One little addition for IE users:
When the box pops up asking if you want to delete all Temporary Internet Files in IE, there is a little box that you can check to ?delete all local files as well?, check it before you delete your cache.

I was thinking of this subject for the last few days, wondering how many people are actually aware everything you ?view? can be reread because of caching. This is one of those ?doesn't everybody know that?? things, but most of us don't. If you work and access any place on the net, a majority of your daily viewed screens (easy non-tech way to understand it) are stored INTACT and easily viewed in their completion on your HD (hard drive).

So when I come over to your house for dinner or drop in from out of town, and I ask, 'oh, can I use your computer to check my email' and you smile (or if you're me, you panick) and say 'sure' and serenely toss the fetticini like the innocent you are, IF I'm curious to what you?re really all about and I want to see where you spend your time when you surf, I just check your 'temporary files' and it's all there in technocolor, no password required!!!

I can read all the e-mail msgs you've viewed and sent in any web-based e-mail program like HOTMAIL (tho, not normal e-mail, since that's not 'viewed' by your browser (the thing with the URL bar at the top).

I can also read your instant messages here if you?ve viewed it. And any forums you've 'visted', whether you?ve posted in them or not.

Caching saves all the pictures on every site you view as well. Even if you don?t hang out for (hours at a time gleefully giggling at porn, sighhhhhhh) if you accidentally hit a link that takes you to a porn site, all the .jpg .gifs .html of that page will be stored and can be viewed. One would assume you went there intentionally (your employer will be interested.) Everything. Just everything your browser ?sees? is stored, depending on how much ?cache? you alot to storage.

I can do this with my of my friends, few of them know it?s possible, they understand ?cache? but they can?t find their own cache on their computers; of course I never do because I believe privacy, that and I'm just not an overly-curious person. I like to be a PRIVATE one, tho, if possible. And allow everyone else the opportunity to be private as well. But you don?t have the option of regulating your privacy if you?re not aware of this.

These 'cached' files are the equivlent of your medicine chest and anyone who knows how, going thru it.

If you?re at work and you can clear you cache, do it. Do it every time you leave your computer. Clear it. It's annoying. Do it anyway if you view sensitive or private material at work. Or better yet, just wait till you get home.

If you live with a computer genius, he or she has been reading your Madjack account for years.

When the computer guy, cable guy, and guest comes to your house or anyone who will likely touch your computer, or needs to get 'in it', or if you know computer users are coming for tea and will ask the inevitable 'Oh! Can I use your computer to check my e-mail?' you can say with a (knowledgeable, innocent smile, this time,) 'Sure,' while you serenely grill the veggie patties.

Also clear your ?history? (in the same place you clear you cache) which will clear the URL bar at the top. So when your friends or the computer cable guy comes to set up your computer and he opens your browser and clicks the URL bar open at the top and sees every place you?ve surfed too, you don?t have to worry about him seeing who knows what you personally worry about!!

And knowing WHO you are at Madjacks granted, he may not know who/what Madjacks is, but with 9000 visitors a day, it?s a possibility. (Yes, I am paranoid. I should have the nick ?****ing Paranoid?) I just believe computers are like diaries and unless the FBI has a reason to, no one should see anything on it YOU don?t want them to.

IF you, RIGHT NOW, want to read you cached accumulation of files to SEE *exactly* what information IS accessable on your computer at this moment, in IE open your file manager | click 'c' | documents and settings | username [if there is more than one, find the one you use to log in and surf with; each ?user? on a computer with more than one ?user? has it?s own ?cached? files ? on my computer running XP there are, currently, 5 different ?users? I can surf under, hense 5 different caches ? I only surf on one (mine) so I only have to clear my user?s cache if someone?s coming over] | local settings | temporary files


When you open 'temporary files' and there should be a folder or folders (depending on how much cache you are allotting, mine has 5. Click it (them) open. Anything with an '.htm' (.html?) extention is an html page (like the one you are reading now) and you will be able to see you can 'view' many things you've accessed without a computer. Anything with a .jpg or a .gif is a picture you?ve viewed. You?ll be surprised how much ?stuff? your computer innocently caches for you.

Turning off your computer and letting time pass does NOT clear the cache.

YOU MUST DELETE IT!!!!!

Part 2 in the response!!!

 

[KMA]

You can *also* clear your cache manually the same way you view it (see above), but if you do delete it this way (by selecting ?select all? in that temporary folder and hitting delete) you MUST THEN empty your recycle bin. Clearing your cache THIS WAY will move all the files to the recycle bin, because you?re deleting them in the file manager like individual files so they go to the recycle bin.

Also note, some computers are purposely set up so you CANNOT view or (manually by going into the file manager, manipulate, delete, or read the cache.) But whether you can view your cached files or not, delete them often, because they?re still being cached for you whether you can see them or not. Computers, work ones, usually, can be set up so that an administrater blocks all users from certain sys functions, disabling manipulation which can cause havoc on the computers (accidentally deleting sys files, etc), and, so, viewing your cache is often is disabled. So just clear you cache often if you view sensitive, private material at work or even at home. Those of you with teenagers? They?re reading your mailroom; they?re right on top of your life. As, well, you can be on top of theirs. *shudder* That?s a moral issue each person must decide on individually, so no real comment, besides from, before you look another?s cache, be prepared to know things you many really not have wanted to know after you find them out. Unless it?s for a really good reason, like a person is presenting themselves as a danger to other people or themselves, I?d say it?s best to not ?check up? on other people, regardless. But it?s your call.

Please also note: Do your cache clearing when you're AT a harmless page like www.yahoo.com. Don?t clear it when you?re at in your mailroom or inside a sensitive document, since often it won?t clear the page you are actually ?on? at the time of the clearing OF the cache. When it?s time to clear cache, close all your browsers, then open a new one and clear it, then shut down or leave or whatever.

If you are in IE go to your options in your browser and under 'general' click 'settings' and where it says "amount of disk space to use" for temporary files (your cache) change it to 1mb. Many computers allot as much as 600mb to storing alloted files.

That's not a good idea, generally speaking, as far as security goes, for not only does it steal hd space for MP3s (grin), it STORES a lot of stuff you don't want anyone else to see. If your computer?s hard-drive is very slow, caching files regularly viewed (ie: places you surf to often like porn, Madjacks, hotmail?s main page; yahoo, etc) will be ?cached? and come up much more quickly than if they aren?t there. So if you find changing your cache to a 1mb as opposed to whatever was allotted before makes your slow computer slower, just return to the amount that was previously allotted to cache space. (Make sure you check to see what it?s currently at before you change it.)

Caching does have it?s good side, however, should you accidently delete something like a file you were working on, a picture you wanted to save and now can?t find where you surfed to, you CAN check your cache and it will probably be there if you haven?t cleared it. To quickly ?view? cached files, when you are in the folder of the cached files, change the ?view? to ?thumbnails? and each file will be a little tiny minature of itself, which enables you to scan quickly for the file you?re looking for.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it is. Try it out and see what is being cached on your sys(tem). You might be horrified. It?s a natural human reaction.

 

[OtroPex]

Nice post.

What about a temp.dat file that resides in the cookie folder. It's in use and cannot be deleted. Looking at it - it has some urls
and such inside.

Thanks for the help

 

[Chain Saw]

Thanks. I'll try what you've posted and see if I can wipe the squirter video off my computer.(g) (I don't know how to use the smilies)

 

[KMA]

OtroPex:


In IE, click on tools, then internet options. From the general tab, you can delete cookies, history and temp files. There is no need to delete the dat file. The dat will shrink accordingly.

 

[Penguinfan]

Holy chit the stuff that was on my computer Mine was set at 2238 mb for storage, does that sound reasonable?

Penguinfan

 

[KMA]

2238 megs is your hard drive storage??? That's not a lot these days. Cleaning your computer and deleting the files frequently should keep things running for you, you might even notice increased speed!!!

 

[Penguinfan]

That is what it was set at for temporary file storage, the actuall hard drive is 40 gb.

 

[DR STRANGELOVE]

kma

have you visited

www.helponthe.net

great site...I just completed a log of HIJACK THIS, removed spyware that ad-aware and spybot aren't able to remove... I'm thinking of posting procedure here to help others, what do you think?

 

[KMA]

I have no clue what you mean by "that is what it is set at for tempoary storage file", BUT:

Contrary to popular belief, a massive CPU does not automatically mean more speed. In addition to CPU, the key factors are the amount of RAM and the speed of your hard drives. A blazing CPU isn't going to help much if it spends most of it's time waiting for hardware to feed it data.

After the CPU, RAM is the best way to get an improvement without breaking the bank. Provided you haven't used all of your slots, adding RAM is often the cheapest upgrade there is. If you don't have enough RAM, your computer will create more 'virtual RAM' on your hard drive. The more it has to use that virtual RAM instead of actual system memory, the slower your machine will be.

In hard drives, the two primary values are seek time, and data rate. Seek time refers to how fast the drive can move the heads from one track to another and begin reading data. For seek time, lower numbers are better. Data rate is how fast the drive can stream data once it reaches the proper track.

For lots of little files, a faster seek will give better performance than high data rate, and vice versa for low numbers of big files. Most people don't handle only large or only small files, so a compromise is usually needed here.

One point where performance can be affected, is the question: One big drive, or multiple smaller drives??? If your machine can support multiple drives, it can improve performance to have System and Virtual RAM on one drive, with data stored on another. The reason for this is that a single drive trying to use Virtual RAM while trying to read/write data must constantly move the heads between the the swap (virtual RAM) and the data.

Each individual case is different. If you are nearing the limit of your mboard capacity, then individual components are not likely to help as much as an upgrade of the mboard and CPU. The easiest method is a barebones upgrade consisting of case, power supply, mboard, CPU, and RAM. Salvage the hard drive, video card, and other incidental bits from the old machine. This can often be done for under $250 and leaves plenty of room for future expansion.

 

[KMA]

Dr. Strangelove,

It looks like a cool site. I am still perusing but it looks like a good site to join!!!

Thank you!!!

 

[KMA]

Lots of great benefits included too!!! Do you use the same nic there Dr. Strangelove???

 

[Iminforabuck]

I have a question.

You state about reading web-based email from temporary folders.

Dont those web-based email files become unavailable once a person is logged out?

I mean, wouldt you have to have the passwords to be able to access those past documents?

 

[KMA]

The files are usually held in your "Temp Internet Files". Some web-mail interfaces give you the option of NOT doing this, but typically not. There is always a chance and why not be safe rather than sorry???
Some effort is required to read these files, but tools are avalable to help.