How to Eliminate Old Cookies and Duplicate Downloaded Files?

Shout cookies in the class and kids around you will gather to collect a chocolate chip treat. But in computers, cookies are much different than a simple treat. They are a small piece of digital data stored to write information about a specific browser session. They are an essential and inseparable part of the modern Internet.

Cookies are also known as web cookies, Internet cookies, browser cookies and HTTP cookies. They help websites and webmasters to identify specific users and facilitate certain services tailored to their needs. Cookies are written by the server that processes your requests. Most often, cookies contain a unique ID that represents your computer’s identity. It helps the server validate your request and provide data relevant to your session. Session is the time you spent on a website which includes your activities. Cookies help the server deliver pages tailored to a specific individual. When you visit a website, the server stores a packet of data on your computer. When you visit the same website again, the server retrieves this information.

In short:

• Server keeps a track of your sessions, activities
• In the case of e-commerce websites, cookies enable websites to keep track of products in user’s shopping cart without needing them to sign-up
• Without cookies, every time you open a website, your session data would reset to zero

Are Cookies Safe?

Cookies are mostly safe, unless they are downloaded from insecure or malicious websites. Some websites may transfer malicious code or viruses to your computer in the form of cookies. Such cookies are capable of recreating themselves even after they are deleted by the user. It is recommended that you use Antivirus software with browser protection and up-to-date virus definitions.

How to Eliminate Browser Cookies?

Google Chrome

1. Click the Menu icon with three dots on the top right corner.
2. Select More tools, followed by Clear browsing data.
3. Check the Cookies and other site data and click on Clear Data.

To change your browser’s cookie-specific settings, type chrome://settings/cookies in the Address Bar on top and allow or disallow cookies using the slider.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Click on the Hamburger icon.
2. Select Options, followed by Privacy & Security.
3. Click on Clear Data | Cookies and Site Data.
4. Click on Clear.
5. Check the Cookies and Site Data option, and then click on Clear.

Internet Explorer

1. Press the Alt key to show the menu bar.
2. Click on Tools, followed by Internet Options.
3. Click on the General tab and click on the Delete button under Browsing history.
4. Check Cookies and click on the Delete button to confirm.

Safari

1. Click the Safari menu, select Preferences.
2. Click on the Privacy option, and select Remove All Website Data..
3. Click on Remove Now to confirm.

How to Eliminate Duplicate Downloaded Files?

Clone Files Checker is a simple and straightforward application that lets you delete duplicate files. The application shows an in-house preview of your file contents so that you don’t need to open them separately. Reviewing files becomes easier with an automated file selection mechanism. With One-Click, you can select hundreds of files.

1. Download Clone Files Checker.
2. Click on the System Scan tab.
3. Click on Add and locate the Downloads folder.
4. Select one of the following options:
   1. All Files: Use this option to scan all files irrespective of their types.
   2. Custom: Use this option to scan only certain file sizes of your preference.
5. To exclude files below/ above a certain size, use the Ignore files smaller than and Ignore files larger than settings.
6. Click on Start Search and wait until results are accumulated.
7. Once the results are accumulated, click on Review & Fix.
8. You can select the duplicate files with One-Click using the Review & Fix button.
9. To delete or move duplicate files to another folder, click on Select Action and choose your desired action.

Features

• Add multiple folders to scan for duplicates
• Ignore files based on their size (for example, if you don’t want to scan large files for any reason, use the Ignore files larger than option and specify your file size limit)
• Ignore files based on their type (for example, sometimes you may not want to scan all file types. In such case, you may use the Custom option and select individual file types
• History: Clone Files Checker displays a list of all files found alongside the action taken on a specific interval. This information serves as a log of your past activities.
• Backup & Restore: CFC lets you backup your files before deleting/ moving. Backups are compressed to take lesser storage. Backing up files helps you revive them later, if you need.
• iTunes Music Search: Using this feature, you can search for identical music based on music file tags (such as artists, album, etc). If you’ve a massive music library, this feature is very helpful.