Cookies?

[bruce5755]

Should I delete cookies at the same time as temporary Internet files, do they take up lots of space or is it ok to keep them, do they do any harm?

[Kerplunk]

Cookies are small text files that hold info about you that websites can read.  They can store information like your username for websites or the last time you visited a site.  They are generally small in size and shouldn't take up to much space.  If you are not experiencing any internet problems then just leave them be.  Deleting them will not cause you any problems providing you can remember any usernames and passwords you have for sites you visit.

[LeMarchand]

They don't take up much space (1 or 2 KB each) - though I recently serviced a laptop with over a CD's worth of cookies on it! Most cookies are harmless, and some can be quite useful - getting rid of the need for you to log on at certain sites, for instance - but some track your net usage and even if they don't actively do so anyone checking your cookie cache can see where you have been.

I would suggest downloading AdAware, Spybot and Spyware Blaster (all free for the basic versions) which will deal with any of the "bad" cookies - make sure you update and run them regularly! As well as those, something like Ki-Washer or CCleaner (C**p Cleaner), which are both free, will allow you to specify which cookies you want to keep and delete the rest. Both programs clear out various other places where you might inadvertently have information stored.