How to Cache File Extensions

In order to provide a more user-friendly experience when using computer applications and websites, computer programs save recently used files and information in a locally stored cache file. A cache file's primary purpose is to speed the loading of recently viewed information. Common applications that use cache files are web browsers, movie editing software, and image manipulation programs. The most common file extensions that are cached are websites that you visit.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. View the current Internet cache settings on your computer. For Internet Explorer, select "Tools->Internet Options" from the main menu. Then, select the "Settings" menu button on the general tab.

2. Pick a cache setting from the available menu options. The available options are "Every Visit to the Page", "Every Time You Start Internet Explorer", "Automatically", and "Never". Pick an option that best suits the speed of your Internet connection. If you have a slow connection, consider selecting "Automatically" or "Never".

3. Choose the amount of hard drive space to dedicate to storing HTML files when web surfing. Internet Explorer will choose a default maximum setting for you, but the setting can be changed by left clicking the slider underneath the memory setting on the same tab where you chose the cache policy for your web browser.

4. Enable the use of cached Flash files on your computer by downloading and installing Flash Player 9 or newer on your computer (see Resources for link). Outdated versions of the Flash plug-in for your computer would not permit caching of video files, and will slow down the viewing of flash movies.

References

• Information on Cached Files
• Caching Tutorial
• Developer Information for Caching Flash SWF Files on User's Computers

Resources

• Information on Cache Files
• Flash Player Download Site