Temporary Internet Files

hangwaiter,

Unfortunately, those images conveniently saved for you will get deleted over time. Let me explain...

Windows (and other OSs for that matter) keeps a list of temporary directories; one of their purposes--like the TEMP folders maintained by Internet Explorer--are to speed up access times on frequently accessed files (like images). The TEMP folder acts as a cache, allowing images on webpages to be saved to your hard drive so they do not need to be downloaded each time you view them (after all, loading from your hard-disk is nearly instant compared to downloading from the internet).

Any files in these temp directories are not essential and can be safely removed, so Windows will periodically remove files from the directory. In the case of temporary internet files, they are removed based on the date they were last viewed by you, on a webpage; this happens automatically.

When you run a cleaning program, or use the cleaning functions provided in IE Internet Options, you actually remove all files in the temp directories.

However, if you would like to save these images permanently, you can do so by backing up the TEMP directory the images are in. One way to do this automatically is using that Backup feature in Windows, which will backup any directories you want every day, once a week, or what ever interval you pick. This program is in

Start Menu >> Programs >> Accessories >> System Tools >> Backup

More information on that can be found here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx (Sorry, link no longer available.)

Good luck!

The temporary internet files are stored in a location with a fixed size, as set in:Tools>>internet options>>general>temporary internet files>settings>>temporary internet folder size.

Since it is used as a cache, when it is full it will delete the oldest file to put in the newest ones. Also as coonj said it can be cleared by disk clean-up operations, or selecting delete files in the internet options.

Also the temporary internet files may come with a built in expiry

Your system only stores those files for a specific period of time that you have the power to adjust.

You want to empty your temp folder periodically because it clutters your cache and slows your system down. You can do that under "Tools" on your browser and select "Internet Options" and select Delete Temporary Internet Files.