Cookies are little bits of data stored as text documents that Web sites place on your computer when you visit them. First-party cookies come from the site itself, and third-party cookies come from advertisers and other third-party vendors. Cookies are generally harmless, as long as you keep a Medium or High level of security. Cookies are what allow Web sites like Amazon.com to know that you enjoy gardening books and don’t want to see books on motorcycles. They enable you to log on to a Web site without always having to type a password. You can view and delete the cookies that
have been placed on your computer by using Windows Explorer to locate Local Disk:\Documents And Settings\All Users\<your user name>\Cookies. As we say, cookies are in the main harmless, and do aid the performance of your web browsing activities, but you may have thousands of them and over time this adds up to slower system response times.
You can change the default settings for cookies in Internet Explorer:
1. Open Internet Explorer, click Tools, and click Internet Options.
2. Click the Privacy tab.
3. If Default is not grayed out, click it, and configure the settings to Medium by sliding the security slider.
4. Read the explanation for Medium security. If you’d like more secure Privacy settings, move the slider up; less secure, move it down.
5. You can now configure custom settings. You can override default cookie handling for a particular Web site by clicking the Advanced button. We’ll say that for the most part, Medium (or Medium High) is the best choice for Privacy settings. Too low of a setting can make you vulnerable; too high and your Web surfing will be extremely limited. You will find that you must have cookies enabled to enter many sites, so enabling cookies is generally a good idea.
You can also delete the cookies stored on your machine from inside Internet Explorer by following these steps:
1. Click Tools, click Internet Options, and click the General tab.
2. Click Delete Cookies to remove all of the cookies stored on your machine.
This would be a good idea if you are selling or loaning the computer to someone or if others share your computer and online accounts. (It's always best to format and reinstall the operating system before selling any computer, though.)