IE 6.0 cache setting?

bobrmoose

Can't help with the settings but here's the conversion. Basically 1000 Mb = 1Gb.

From Google:

1 megabyte = 0.0009765625 gigabytes

Thanks for that, appreciate it! If, as I've heard, I can set the browser cache at say 3% of the total free space of my hard drive, which is 70GB, then the setting would be 2100MB. Does this sound right to anyone? I'm confused enough as it is, because I keep reading about a certain percentage (like 3%) of either the RAM or the hard drive free space being used as the cache setting. Which could it be? I have 640MB memory in the system- would it be a percentage of that or the hard drive? Aaaaaaugh!   BTW, one site I found said IE defaults the cache setting to 3% (but I can't remember if it was RAM or hard drive capacity!)  Thanks for any help with this!

Hi bobmoose:

I doubt that your browser cache would be based
on your HD free capacity. Here is what PCPitStop
has to say on the subject:

"About Browser Cache Size:

Generally, cache sizes above 80 megabytes waste disk space and can actually cause slower performance. Cache sizes below 5 megabytes may not provide enough temporary storage for the browser, and can cause low performance because of increased network activity."

Thank you. I checked out that link, think I'll go with 10MB cache.  FYI, I've got 56K dialup- guess that makes a difference when talking about how much cache to use. Thanks!

Message Edited by bobmoose on 01-10-2004 01:23 AM

Message Edited by bobmoose on 01-10-2004 01:24 AM

bobmoose,

On the chance that you revisit this thread you should know that the speed of your Internet connection has only a little to do with the size of your cache. If you are using dial-up (as I am) and revisit the same page frequently without refreshing it a larger cache will provide speed in browsing, as the page's content will be loaded from the cache. If the cache is full (as it will be quite rapidly if you use the Internet very much) you not only lose that speed advantage but will experience other odd behavior, such as an inability to download images in any other format than *.bmp regardless of the format the picture is in on the Net.

You can get an idea of how big your cache should be based on your use of the computer by setting it to a relatively large size (perhaps 150MB) and using the computer for a day or two. Before you set the size larger, be sure you empty the cache (on the General tab of Internet Options click "Delete files" and also "Delete all offline content"). After you use the computer for a day, open Windows Explorer and go to your Temporary Internet Files folder (if you are using XP it will be at C:\Documents and Settings\ your account\Local Settings|Temporary Internet Files), right-click that folder and choose "Properties." See what the size of the stored data is. That will give you an idea of whether you should either (1) increase or decrease the size of the cache or (2) empty Temporary Internet Files more frequently.

Unless you use the Internet very seldom, 10MB is too small to be practical.

Message Edited by Denny Denham on 01-10-2004 09:05 AM

Thanks for that, I'll try it out! On another thing: what about the emptying or clearing of the cache- I'm unclear about how often to do that. At the end of a session or end of the day or ?  Thank you.

Message Edited by bobmoose on 01-10-2004 11:48 AM

Oops, sorry for the misleading info, bobmoose.
Pitstop makes recommendations particular to
one's setup, and I have cable.

Thanks for the catch, Denny.

bobmoose,

The frequency of deleting the files is up to you. You have an option of deleting them automatically. If you wish to do this, go to Tools|Internet Options|Advanced tab and under the Security listing check "Empty Temporary Files folder when browser is closed."

Thanks. I checked the Temp Internet files size now after 12 hrs of off and on activity online and it showed: Size-13.1 MB ....Size on disk-16.9 MB.  Which of the two should I be concerned with? FYI, my normal use of the internet is mainly on a dozen "favorite" sites. I'll check the cache again tomorrow night. I cleared the cache and set it at 150MB earlier in the day as you suggested.  

Message Edited by bobmoose on 01-11-2004 12:03 AM