What is Cache?

The word 'Cache' refers to the temporary storage area in memory or on disk that computer components and various programs use to quickly access data.

Browser Cache

A web browser saves the pages you view on the internet to your pc's hard disk. When a browser is installed a subdirectory is created under the main program directory to cache visited pages. Caching is a quick way to speed up your Web surfing by storing the pages on your hard disk. By having the page data stored locally, your browser can access the page right from your PC rather than waiting for it to download from the web. This means the next time you access the same page on the internet, it loads quickly from your hard disk. This makes information appear much quicker.

There are several problems associated with cached pages.

1. After a lot of browsing, your hard disk can become loaded with thousands of files. Caching makes for faster browsing but depending on your computer it can slow down your hard drive.

2. One of the most common problems reported to us by site visitors is that they are not looking at information that is up to date. This is normally due to users looking at old 'cached pages' or 'temporary internet files' stored on their own computer—therefore the user may not be seeing the latest published information from our web server. Ensure your browser settings are showing you the latest information by following the Recommend Browser Settings below.

Recommended Browser Settings

MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER
Look for 'Internet Options' under 'Edit' or 'Tools'
Under the General Tab, you will see a 'Temporary Internet Files' section.
Select 'Settings'.
Look underneath 'Check for newer versions of stored pages'
Select 'Every Visit to the page'.
Under the same section (General Tab) select 'Delete Files'. This will remove any currently stored pages from your computer.
Click 'OK'.
To make these changes take effect you will need to close and then restart your browser.

NETSCAPE USERS
Select 'Edit' at the top bar of your browser then 'Preferences'
In the 'Preferences' menu open up 'Advanced' then select 'Cache'.
On the Cache Page under 'Document in cache is compared to document on network',
Select 'Every Time'.
To make these changes take effect you will need to close and then restart your browser.

Tips

Try these steps to clear 'cached pages' or 'temporary internet files' that may be stored on your computer. 'Right click' over the offending page and select 'refresh' (Microsoft Internet Explorer) or 'reload' (Netscape) in case your browser is giving you a previously cached copy of our page.

You can reduce percentage of disk space used by Internet Explorer for its cache by sliding the "Amount of disk space to use" gauge.

Although it's not required by all browsers, restarting your browser after clearing the cache is a good idea.

Clearing the browser's cache will slow down the time it takes to load sites you've been to before, but it will speed up the time it takes for your browser to load when you launch it.

Proxy Servers at Internet Service Providers

Please be aware Internet Service Providers may use proxy caches to reduce their latency and traffic. This is beyond our control and may also be the cause of your browser showing older versions of pages

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