cookies

[night98]

what is a cookie and how can it affect my computer?

 

[olefarte]

Cookies are pieces of information generated by a Web server and stored in the user's computer, ready for future access. Cookies are embedded in the HTML information flowing back and forth between the user's computer and the servers. ...........Cookies are based on a two-stage process. First the cookie is stored in the user's computer without their consent or knowledge.............During the second stage, the cookie is clandestinely and automatically transferred from the user's machine to a Web server. Whenever a user directs her Web browser to display a certain Web page from the server, the browser will, without the user's knowledge, transmit the cookie containing personal information to the Web server.

Cookies are used for storing information about you or your preferences. For instance, cookies let TechSpot know who you are, so you don't have to log in every time you come here. Look at this page, at CookieCentral.com. It pretty much explains what cookies are.

Some programs, like Zone Alarm Pro, (a firewall), let you block certain cookies if you don't want them on your computer. Also, I use MyIE2 as my browser, and you can configure it to clear ALL cookies when you shut it down if you want. But if you do that you will have to log in to every site that you have personalized, like MyYahoo.com or any site that you have to log in.