The browser cache provides temporary storage on the hard disk of information viewed on the Internet, including web pages, sound files, videos, pictures, etc. This means that, if necessary, these files can be retrieved from the cache.
Instructions
Step 1
Thanks to the cache, the loading of websites that you visit more than once is faster, since images, sound and other information are not loaded from the Internet, but directly from the cache. Thus, the speed of the browser is increased, and the traffic is saved. By re-accessing a web page, the browser checks which elements of the page have been updated since the last visit, and only downloads them. In fact, the cache is an area on the hard drive where temporary Internet files are stored. If you listened to a song on the Internet or watched a video, you can find them in the cache and save for later listening or viewing. This is especially useful when the usual saving of a track or video is not available on the site.
Step 2
The cache folder is usually stored in the browser folder on the system drive, and the directory looks like this: C: / Documents and Settings / Username / Local Settings / Application Data / Mozilla / Firefox / Profiles / 3858427p.default / Cache. Mozilla Firefox in this case is the name of the browser, it can also be Opera, Internet Explorer, etc.
Step 3
In the cache folder, files are stored with names of letters and numbers and without extensions (.htm,.avi,.mp3), among them it can be difficult to find the file you need. To find your way, look for the file by the date it was saved and its size. To display this information, in Windows, set the icon display type to Table. Video files have the largest size and can reach several gigabytes, followed by sound files and images (usually several megabytes), then text files. If you think you have found the file you want, rename it and set the appropriate extension (for example,.mp3 for music). Then try to play it in the player. Now you can copy the found file anywhere on the hard drive and refer to it as needed. Streaming video often has the.flv extension (but special codecs are needed to play it).
Step 4
There are also utilities for reading cache folders that are specific to specific browsers or universal. An example of such a versatile program is VideoCacheView. Run the program, it will start scanning your browser cache folders and give you a list of found files. Information about the type and size of the file, the date of the last access to it is available. By clicking on the line with the file with the right mouse button, you can select the desired action from the menu: view the file, save it, or open the link from which it was downloaded in the browser.
