What's the difference....

[tourerfogey]

Tourerfogey the Technophobe here again!

What's the difference between viewing a web page and downloading a web page?

[Simon]

Viewing it is as you do most days. The page itself stays on the webserver and you just look at it. Downloading it means you actually save a copy if it on your computer - for example if you want to view it when you're not connected to the internet.

[tourerfogey]

That's what I thought - so I can't retrieve pages that I looked at if I didn't consciously save them then?

[GreyGhost]

When viewing a web page it has actually been downloaded to your computer and is held in a cache file. You can then save the web page rather than have it disappear altogether when you close your browser, this is often referred to as downloading.
Other than that, files, pictures. movies, music that you may save from the web are considered to have been downloaded to your computer.

[tourerfogey]

Right, so having cleared my browser cache on a regular basis, the pages I viewed (and wanted to look at again!) have gone then. Which is a pain because I can't find the website again.
:(

[Simon]

Most of the time, you're internet browser will store pages for a number of days/weeks in a tempory area on your harddrive. How much information is stored is dependant on you're browsers settings. Sometimes no information is stored or the information is erased when you close your browser.

If you're tyring to find a page you viewed a while back then something called the "History" may be more usefull. Again this information may not be stored for very long or even erased when you close you're browser but when it does exist it does list every page you visited. If you can remember the pages name or the URL then look through the history (often organised by date) to see if you can see it. If you do see it in the history, you're browser will reload any nescery data so you can view the page again.

EDIT: damn... typed too slow! (beat me to it GG)

[GreyGhost]

Your cache is only of a limited size it is continually updated as you browse, so the the likelyhood of you page still being there is limited. You could try the history, that keeps a track of where you have been, that is also finite so may already have disappeared from there. I keep my history set at 1 year and 1 Gigabyte of cache, don't know whether that is possible on IE or Firefox on Windows.

[GreyGhost]

It's all useful info Simon. :) It's good to explain things in different ways as that may make it easier to understand. :)

[tourerfogey]

Right - thanks guys.

I can't find it in my history and I do clear my Browser Cache on a regular basis because I was advised it was best to do so (?)

I originally went to the site from a link , I think, on a thread on another forum but that particular thread has been deleted by the mods.

[Simon]

If you can remember the thread then GG can (most likely) clarify it has been removed.

[GreyGhost]

If you can remember the thread then GG can (most likely) clarify it has been removed.

That sounded like another forum, so no help can be had from me. Google may be your best bet if you have any words or phrases from the original text.

[tourerfogey]

It wasn't a thread on these forums :(

Thanks anyway guys.

[Simon]

That sounded like another forum, so no help can be had from me
It wasn't a thread on these forums

Ah yes.... :getmecoat:

Note to self: read ALL the words in peoples posts... :twonk:

[BMC123]

maybe i am missing something here, but surely if you visit a page somewhere and you want to go back you simply add it to your favourites? ;)

[JohnDotCom]

If you actually download the page you can view it off line as it was at the time of viewing originally.
You can put it into your Favourites, but you go to the page as it is when you connect, which may of course be completely different if not a static reference page.
As long as you keep a check on your Virus Definitions, keep your OS up to date, and scan for Spyware and AdWare you don't need to delete everything, your History files can be stored for longer if you wish by altering the Properties in Internet options page on IE.
Unless you are really removing all the Cookies, Registry entries etc. information is still there on your Computer and can be recovered if it is needed.
Just don't respond to unknown links, open attachments etc. and never say you don't want to receive further EMails, it just confirms its a live address, and the deletion of Cache etc is not required IMHO.
It is nearly always possible to do an Audit trail and see where someone has been, we as a company have to do that fairly often!!

[tourerfogey]

maybe i am missing something here, but surely if you visit a page somewhere and you want to go back you simply add it to your favourites? ;)

Yes, yes, but at the time I visited it I didn't know I'd want to go back to it again...............