Browser cache problem IE6 / AOL7

[mittene]

Under the IE 6 settings, my temporary internet files folder is set to hold 30 MB, and I have selected the browser to check for newer versions of stored pages automatically. But for some reason whenever I use IE or the AOL 7.0 browser (which shares the IE temporary internet files folder) and visit a particular site, then maybe go visit a couple of other sites, the images from the original site take a long time to reload when I return the original site - just as if the images were never saved to the cache in the first place. This became noticeable after I recently cleaned out my temporary internet files folder, cookies & offline content included. The source of the problem could have originated a long time ago for all I know because I hadn’t cleared everything out in a long time.

When I go to check the temporary internet files folder, it seems like it is only holding onto the jpgs, gifs, etc. of the most recent one or two sites visited. After further inspection, I browsed the temporary internet files folder by going through windows explorer. This time I found a folder “Content.IE5” which contained 11 subfolders (with some strange-looking names) which contained some of the images and other content from sites I have visited in the past. Is there a setting that holds more of the content into the actual temporary internet files folder, rather than having it slip into the subfolders from where it seems to take forever to retrieve?

It is very noticeable to me because I am stuck with a dialup connection, I realize that if I had a broadband connection that this would not be much, if any, of an issue.

I suspect this might have something to do with AOL’s browser cache. You can see the stats on this cache by checking out Start->Programs->AOL->AOL System Information, then clicking on the utilities tab. It shows the maximum cache size, which in my case is 30,720kb and the current cache size, which currently is at 458,815kb. How can this be? It seems as if the size of the content I’m browsing is getting artificially bloated in these stats. I can clear out the AOL browser cache, visit just one site, and already have a current cache size that exceeds 30,720kb. You think this can be the reason why only the most recent content is being seen in the temporary internet files folder?

I am not having this problem with Netscape 4.7. Of course AOL’s support has been of no help. I have even reinstalled AOL, and ran the IE repair utility with no luck. Before all of this happened, I had noticed that whenever I was connected through AOL, using IE or Netscape would frequently take longer (sometimes on the order of three times as long) to load a page vs. the AOL browser. With a different ISP, however, IE and Netscape had loaded pages at a faster, more normal dialup speed. Is AOL 7 just not compatible? Any bit of help would be greatly appreciated!

[spaceman_333]

Hi mittene,

This is a "natural" state of affairs with IE6.0 by itself or AOL's version. Nothing to do but routine maintenance----Delete Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, History, and Temp files.
Run Scandisk and Defrag.

In the Content.IE.5 folders, you can delete all the files in there and Windows will just rebuild them at your next startup. Reduce your cache from 30MB to 10MB and there will not be as many.

Good luck,

spaceman

AOL's compatibility is another subject altogether.

[mittene]

Originally posted by spaceman_333
AOL's compatibility is another subject altogether.

I can only imagine!

I'll give it a go and see what happens. Thanks!

[mittene]

Here's an update on the situation. I tried what you suggested, spaceman, but unfortunately with no improvement.

Originally posted by me
I suspect this might have something to do with AOL’s browser cache. You can see the stats on this cache by checking out Start->Programs->AOL->AOL System Information, then clicking on the utilities tab. It shows the maximum cache size, which in my case is 30,720kb and the current cache size, which currently is at 458,815kb. How can this be? It seems as if the size of the content I’m browsing is getting artificially bloated in these stats. I can clear out the AOL browser cache, visit just one site, and already have a current cache size that exceeds 30,720kb. You think this can be the reason why only the most recent content is being seen in the temporary internet files folder?

AOL version 7 was definitely part, if not all of the problem. I installed version 6 and got rid of 7. I also set my cache back to 30 mb. After browing one site, the cache only increases by around a 100 kb, which to me is what it is supposed to be doing. More of jpgs & gifs, etc. are remaining in the Temporary Internet Files folder, and therefore those images within the previously-viewed sites are reloading at a normal quick rate.

Originally posted by me
Before all of this happened, I had noticed that whenever I was connected through AOL, using IE or Netscape would frequently take longer (sometimes on the order of three times as long) to load a page vs. the AOL browser. With a different ISP, however, IE and Netscape had loaded pages at a faster, more normal dialup speed.

AOL 6 did not change this, however. Netscape's relative speed did noticeably improve, but still overall slower than the AOL 6 browser. IE 6 was at about the same relative slowness as compared to its performance when connected with AOL 7.