A cache is intermediate information that is stored on the computer. With the help of a cache, any information launches much faster, be it a website or a program.
Over time, the cache builds up, which can cause freezes and errors. Therefore, experts recommend sometimes clearing the computer from the cache, both in the browser and other components. These actions are mandatory.
In this article you will learn how to clear the cache on windows computer 7 completely, using utilities or manually.
Clearing cache memory in DNS Windows 7
To clear the Windows 7 DNS cache, which is responsible for setting the correspondence between the IP address and the site name, you need to use the command line.
- To do this, open the command line through the program list in Start or by entering the “cmd” command in the “Run” function.
- In the command line that opens, enter the following: ipconfig /flushdns. And activate it by pressing Enter.
- The process of clearing the DNS cache will take a few seconds, and upon completion the system will issue a success notification.
Clearing the browser cache
The browser cache performs a very important function, reducing the time it takes to re-enable sites. You need to clear your browser cache about once every two months, depending, of course, on how often you access the Internet. Luckily, compared to other caches, this can be cleared using a built-in feature in any browser.
- To do this, open the browser you are using and go to History. This happens differently in each browser, for example in Google Chrome you need to click on the three dots on the right top corner and select the appropriate line.
- Next, find the “clear history” button and check the boxes next to the “and cache” line.
- Clearing history occurs in a matter of seconds, and you can also completely clear your browser history, but because of this you will have to re-enter passwords on all accounts and save links to sites.
Clearing the RAM cache in Windows 7
To delete the cache random access memory you need to use a special utility that is built into the system. To do this, go to the folder System32, by the address C:\Windows and find the file there rundll32.exe(you will see without “exe”). Next, open it as an administrator and wait for the utility to finish clearing the cache. Ready!
How to clean RAM on a computer.
Clearing your computer's hard drive cache
The cache that accumulates on the hard drive does speed things up, but sometimes it needs to be cleared to prevent possible errors. You can open the cache clearing utility through the function "Run" by entering the command "cleanmgr.exe". Next, the utility will begin checking the disk for temporary files and, upon completion, will display a window in which you can select what needs to be deleted and what not.
Clearing the cache using computer programs
Now you know how to clear the cache on a Windows 7 computer. You can also make your work a little easier and use a special program called CCleaner. Using it, you can clear the cache of both DNS and other components, including error correction. Good luck!
Even the intermediate results of a program must be stored somewhere in order to be used. The most necessary ones are in RAM, from where they quickly enter the program cycle wheel and are used for further calculations. RAM is limited, there is little of it, and it is needed constantly, so it is constantly cleared. And some of the information that is still needed in the future is saved in files and stored on the computer’s hard drive. Such files are called temporary. They accumulate, take up space, and need to be removed so they don't interfere with your computer's operation. So what are the best ways to clear the cache in Windows 7?
What is cache memory on a computer?
The cache memory stores the most important temporary files that may be needed in the near future. For example, when you watch a video on the Internet, it is gradually downloaded and stored in the browser's cache until you finish. Then the video is deleted as unnecessary. So, in essence, even if you include a movie on the Internet, you still download it to your computer and delete it after watching it.
Cache memory is also used in Windows. Usually the results of program calculations are stored there. Usually the cache is deleted in a timely manner, but there are types that accumulate and clutter the system because the computer cannot determine whether this information is still needed or no longer needed. There are four types of cache that need to be cleared regularly.
- DNS cache, which stores the computer's requests to other servers on the network. Necessary in order not to waste time on repeated calls, all necessary information is stored in cache memory. When you need to completely update the data from the server, then the DNS cache also changes. Accordingly, the data is not deleted by itself, so even unnecessary data is stored there.
- Thumbnail cache. Thumbnail literally translates as “thumbnail”, and figuratively means English language thumbnail pictures, previews or sketches. The computer stores icons of pictures, video files or program icons in cache memory, so it loads the thumbnails the second time much faster. But if the pictures themselves have already been deleted, their thumbnails do not disappear from the cache.
- RAM cache. The RAM itself also stores temporary files using cache technology. And some files are not cleaned due to errors or bugs.
- Browser cache. We've already mentioned caching videos for online viewing, but that's not all. Every picture, design element, and animation on websites is saved in cache memory. Some web pages are stored entirely in temporary memory to reduce loading time. All this accumulates, and even sites that are no longer used continue to take up space.
How to clear cache memory?
DNS
DNS (Domain Name System, literally - domain name system) is a kind of Internet address book. The fact is that the computer will not be able to find using symbolic addresses (such as yandex.ru) required server, to which he must contact. The computer only understands the language of IP addresses. DNS servers, of which, by the way, there are a lot, store the correspondence between IP and letter address. A user entering a query into a search engine or address bar, sends a signal first to the DNS server, which finds the corresponding IP address and sends it to the computer so that it can load the desired web page.
The DNS cache is cleared using the command line. To open it, press Win + R (Run program) and enter cmd in the field. Or open Start, go to Accessories and launch Command Prompt.
At the command prompt, enter: ipconfig /flushdns
The line “Successfully reset the DNS resolver cache” will appear. DNS cache cleared.
Enter the command ipconfig /flushdns Video: how to clear the DNS cache on Windows 7 and XP
Cleaning Thumbnail
Thumbnail cache can be cleared standard utility"Disk Cleanup". To run it, open “Control Panel” -> “System and Security” -> “Administrative Tools” -> “Disk Cleanup”.
In the program, select the disk that needs cleaning. To remove Thumbnails, check system disk(usually C:\). Then check the boxes next to the files you want to delete (look for the Thumbnails item in the list to delete thumbnails). Click "OK" and wait for a while. Thumbnail cache cleared.
Check "Thumbnail" to delete Thumbnail cache In Windows, it is possible to disable the thumbnail cache, then the icons will not be saved to temporary memory and their loading will take longer, but this will save you invaluable space in the cache memory.
Open Control Panel, under Appearance and Personalization, select Folder Options (or Folder Options). In the “View” tab there will be a list of options. Find among them the item “Do not cache thumbnails” and check the box.
Check the box "Do not cache thumbnails" Nuances for RAM
Since the RAM cache should be cleared regularly, it makes sense to make the process easier. Let's create a shortcut that will send us to a program that cleans temporary files. So click right click mouse on an empty space on the desktop and select “Create” from the menu, then “Shortcut”. Now find out the bitness of your system version (open “Computer”, right-click on free space, select “System Properties”, and it will indicate: 32- or 64-bit system).
Enter a line depending on the bit depth of your OS Depending on your version, enter one of the following lines in the field:
- For a 32-bit system: %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
- For 64-bit: %windir%\SysWOW64\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
Click Next, name the shortcut as you wish, and save it. Now, every time you run this shortcut, the system will analyze the software processes and delete the unused part of the RAM. In the long run, regular cleaning will help improve the performance of your computer.
Launch the created shortcut How to clean your browser?
The cache of each browser is cleared separately. Let's look at the steps using Google Chrome as an example.
Open Settings Open the menu by clicking the button in the upper right corner (☰). Open Settings. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and open additional settings. In “Personal Data”, find the “Clear History” button. A window will open with a list of options. Check "Clear"<…>, saved in the cache." Click Clear. After some time, all temporary files will be deleted.
Clear cache How to delete all temporary files using programs?
To avoid fiddling with each type of cache memory separately, use special programs. A great example is CCleaner.
We all face big amount problems when working with a computer, one of these problems is slowdown when performing different tasks or programs. Most often the reason for this is cache overfilled.
Cache is a system storage temporary data, an intermediate area that has quick access to information that is most likely to be requested. Data from the cache is accessed faster than fetching from a remote source or main memory, one of the disadvantages is the limited amount of data storage.
Why should you clear the cache on your PC? If you do not clean this memory in a timely manner, the accumulation of temporary files will turn into garbage, slowing down the system. Consequently performance will decrease operation of the entire computer.
Method to clear DNS cache
DNS cache is a special system designed to determine the correspondence of IP addresses and text names when used Internet. This is a domain name system, these names are data stored on your PC and provide maximum fast access upon further use, while reducing the load on ourselves DNS server. How to clear the DNS cache? Everything is very simple, despite the complex name and definition. Below are instructions for everyone Windows versions, step by step.
Thumbnails cache - clearing
This type of cache stores thumbnails of pictures on your computer, and when you reopen folders with pictures, they load much faster. To clear this memory you need:
Clearing the RAM cache
Clearing your computer's memory cache is one of our most important checks. It is cleaned with built-in system programs. There are two options.
After that, we name the shortcut as it is convenient for us and use it.
Cleaning with CCleaner
To make life easier simple user Special programs have long been invented to clear the cache in automatic mode. One of these programs is - CCleaner. It's fast and multifunctional program, which is designed to quickly delete All unnecessary files from a computer, clear folders and optimize work. The work process is very simple.
In the screen that opens, we can choose which elements to clean and which not to touch, all this can be left default.
How often should you clear the cache on your computer?
The cache on your computer needs to be cleared depending on its gradual filling, it is not necessary to do this every day, do not let files accumulate. It is better if you carry out preventive cleaning of cache files once a month, this is the optimal period when you can accumulate a sufficient number of outdated files.
All this is not individual, you can clear the cache based on your personal feelings about using your PC, if you see a loss of performance, then you should think about clearing it.
Surely you have often heard the phrase - clear the cache. Allegedly, this will increase the speed of the computer. This is true to some extent, but what is the Windows Cache and where can I find it? The word itself comes from the English verb cacher, that is, “to hide.”
Therefore, we are talking about files that are securely hidden from the user’s eyes. That’s right, you need to go through a lot of folders to clear the entire cache of a computer running under Windows control 7, XP or other version. But there are simpler ways.
General concepts
There are at least 4 types of cache:
- browser-based;
- file thumbnails;
- RAM (random access memory).
In addition, some programs may create their own temporary files during their operation. To remove them, just clear the RAM CACHE.
Before we begin to consider cleaning methods, it is worth answering the question - what does removing these invisible files? In most cases, the browser cache, for example, is a huge number of small files that accumulate during computer operation.
We looked at the online video and it is already in the cache and will be there until a reboot or manual clearing. We launched the game and it took up most of the RAM. But when you leave the game, part of it may remain occupied. It's the same with some programs. In this case, the RAM may not be enough for other tasks. And on the hard drive, temporary files without cleaning begin to take up gigabytes of memory for a long time.
Why endure this when you can clear the cache quickly and easily?
Browser methods
In this case, there is no single recipe. Various programs offer their own variations. You can clear temporary files in your browser by going to its settings. In Google Chrome, the necessary item is called “Clear history”.
Be careful: you can choose to clear only the CACHE or simultaneously delete saved passwords, browsing history, settings for sites, and so on.
U Internet Explorer This option is called “Delete browsing history”, and in Firefox it is called “Delete recent history”.
Method for clearing memory
To unload RAM from excess junk and speed up your computer, first look at: Start - Computer (right mouse button) - Properties. If your Windows is 32-bit, open Start again and run the Run program.
Copy the command into a new window:
%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
and execute. Memory cleared! For 64-bit Windows, use this command:
%windir%\SysWOW64\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
Methods for DNS cache
We are talking about stored data regarding computer requests to Internet servers. If you want to completely clear this history, follow these simple steps:
- Open Start.
- Go to All Programs - Accessories.
- Run Command line as administrator (right mouse button).
- In the window, type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter. Ready!
Instructions
Right-click on the “My Computer” icon on your desktop and select “Properties.” Go to the “Advanced” tab and click on the button to change system performance parameters. On the “Advanced” tab, enable the “Optimize the operation of services in background" and "Optimize the system cache." After applying the settings, the capabilities of the system cache will be increased, this will help reduce memory load and speed up the launch and operation of some applications.
Change the paging file value on the same “Advanced” tab in “Performance Options”. This is the current size of the system cache, which stores information about the operation of applications. By default, the system automatically specifies the appropriate paging file value, but if your computer has weak RAM, you can increase this parameter doubled. At large quantities RAM, the paging file can be completely disabled. This will speed up the work system applications.
Increase the cache in your Internet browser, which stores information about previously loaded pages and other elements, which leads to faster opening of them later. For example, in Internet Explorer you need to go to Internet Options, then to Browsing History and click Options. Set the appropriate cache size in the Temporary Files and Logs Options window. In the Firefox browser, select the “Advanced” tab, then “Network”. Select "Disable automatic cache management" and set the options as desired. In Opera, cache settings are edited in the History window on the Advanced tab in the browser settings.
note
Sometimes the browser cache becomes full of unnecessary information, causing the application to slow down. Clear the data before closing the program by clicking the appropriate button in the cache settings.
Sources:
- how to increase cache memory in browser
Increase cache browser allows you to achieve faster page opening speeds, which can partially solve the problem of a slow Internet connection. But only some browsers allow you to control the size cache.
Instructions
If your Internet connection speed is not too high, then the size cache browser will have great importance. Cache browser– this is temporary storage on your hard drive where all the pages you visit are recorded, including videos you watched, photos, and so on. Thanks to this storage, repeated pages load much faster. If there is not much space allocated for the caching function, the cache will be updated frequently, which may affect the usability of the network. To increase the size cache browser, you need to configure it.
Instructions
If you use Firefox browser, open the settings window, go to the “Advanced” tab, then “Network”. Check the box “Disable automatic cache management” and set the number of megabytes to be used for cache.
If you are an Opera user, then in the settings window you need to go to the “Advanced” tab, select “History” in the menu on the left and set cache spaces. Here you can also check the “Clear on exit” checkbox. This is useful for clearing the cache folder of old, unused ones, but implies a new one the next time you start it browser.
Sources:
- how to expand cache
Web browsers store files from the pages you view in their cache memory on your hard drive. If you visit the same page again, the data will be loaded not from the Internet, but from the cache, which will save both page loading time and traffic. You can change the settings for saving files in the cache at your discretion. Including expanding the size of the cache folder.
Instructions
Internet Explorer
Run Internet browser Explorer on your computer. Click on the button with a drawn gear located at the top of the program window on the right, the “Service” menu section will open. In the window that appears, click on the “Internet Options” line.
Select the “General” tab in the window that opens. In the “Browsing History” section of the tab, click on the “Options” button. Enter the desired value in the field provided for this in the “Used disk space” line. If you want, designate your own folder for saving files - to do this, use the “Move” button.
Click on the OK button to save the settings and you can continue browsing the Internet from using the Internet Explorer.
Run Mozilla browser Firefox on your computer. Click on the orange button labeled Firefox in the upper left corner of the program window, and in the menu that opens, select the “Settings” section.
In the settings window that appears, open the “Advanced” section, and in it, open the “Network” tab. Check the box “Disable automatic cache management” and set your usage options disk space to save files.
Click to save changes made on the OK button and you can continue browsing the Internet using Mozilla Firefox.
Run Opera browser on your computer. Click on the button with the big red letter “O” in the upper left corner of the program window. In the menu that appears, select “Settings” - “ General settings" You can also open the settings window using the key combination Ctrl+F12.
Open the “Advanced” tab in the browser settings window that appears. Select the “History” section from the list in the left area of the window. Set the desired value in the drop-down list in the “Disk cache” line. If you wish, you can also adjust other available file saving options.
Click OK to save the settings and you can continue browsing the Internet using Opera.
Video on the topic
A cache is a specially allocated part of the hard drive space that speeds up the operation of a program by storing already downloaded information. Most often we are talking about a means of viewing Internet pages. This parameter is of particular importance for those who are interested in online games or watching videos online. But keep in mind that if there is a shortage free space on the disk, the overall performance of the system may decrease.
Instructions
Launch the program you use for your game or to view . The most popular today are Google Chrome, Opera, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. There are many others, but usually developers focus on the most used ones.
OperaClick the Opera logo button with the left mouse button. Select “Settings”, submenu “General settings”. Activate the “Advanced” tab and click “History” in the left column. A page with settings will appear in the main part of the window, one of which is called: “Disk cache” and “Memory cache”. Select the values you want from the drop-down lists, then click the OK button at the bottom and close the browser. The changes will take effect the next time you start the program.
Mozilla Firefox Click the "Tools" button on the top bar and left-click "Options" to open the options window. Select the “Advanced” tab and the “Network” submenu. The default setting is automatic size cache. Check the box next to “Disable automatic cache management” and specify the desired size below. After that, save the settings by clicking the OK button in the lower half of the window. The next time you launch Firefox, the cache will be no larger than the value you specified.
Internet Explorer Press the Alt button on your keyboard to open a menu in Internet Explorer. Select the Tools menu, Internet Options submenu. On the “General” tab, click “Options” in the “Browsing History” section. In the middle part of the window you will see a field in which you indicate the desired amount of disk space used by the browser. You can also select a specific folder for this. Click OK and then Apply. This will save your changes.
Google Chrome does not have the option to specify parameters cache through the menu. But if necessary, right-click the browser shortcut on your desktop and select the Properties menu. A window will open in which find the line “Object”. Click on the text and press the End key to go to the end of the line. Put a space and add the following text: --disk-cache-size=300000000. Everything is written without spaces. Numbers mean size cache in bytes, so you can specify any value you want. Be sure to click the “Apply” button and OK for the settings to be saved.
Video on the topic
Buffering (from English buffer) is the organization of data exchange, in particular input/output of information in computers and other computing devices. This implies the use of temporary storage of clipboard data. When entering data, some processes/devices write data to the buffer, while others read it. When outputting, everything is the other way around, respectively. The issue of increasing buffering directly comes down to increasing the buffer size.
Instructions
The clipboard is a place in the RAM (random access memory) of the computer where data is copied for temporary storage, for example, when working in the Explorer application or text editor. The buffer can be increased by expanding the paging file or by installing programs that expand the buffer's capabilities.
Increase the swap file. To do this, right-click on the “My Computer” shortcut on the desktop or in the “Start” menu. Select "Properties" from the drop-down menu. Next, go to the tab called “Advanced”, left-click on the “Performance Options” tab and click on “Change” in the “Virtual Memory” tab.
Select the one you need from the list local disk, enter the required values in megabytes in the “Original size” and “Maximum size” fields, click on “Install”. Then restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
Use special programs to expand the capabilities of the buffer. For example, you can download from the Internet and install M8 Free Clipboard. This program allows you to store on the clipboard Various types data. Its interface is a table that includes 25 cells.
Once you have installed the application, launch it. Now, when copying data to the clipboard, it will sound sound signal. Inserting data from the buffer occurs by selecting a cell and the “Insert” command. It is also possible to set an association for each cell with a selected letter of the Latin alphabet. The link to download the M8 Free Clipboard program from the official website is in the “Additional Resources” section at the end of the article.
You can install another program. It's called Clipboard Recorder. Download link in the “Additional Sources” section. When running, it will be located in the system tray and will remember all cut or copied text fragments.
To paste a copied fragment, expand the program window from the tray and select the fragment you need. In addition to text fragments, application icons from where they were inserted are displayed here. The text format - font, size, etc. - remains unchanged when inserting text fragments. You can also transfer data and increase the buffer for networking.
Internet Explorer
To increase the cache in Internet Explorer, you need to open the browser menu, which is represented by a gear icon in the upper right corner and go to the “Internet Options” tab. It has a “General” section, in which you need to find the “Browsing History” tab and click on the “Options” button. Then in the window opposite the inscription “Used disk space”, set the required value in megabytes and click the “OK” button.
Mozilla Firefox
To increase the cache in Mozilla Firefox, you should go to the browser menu and select tabs in the following sequence: “Settings” - “Advanced” - “Network”. Then you need to find the item “Disable automatic cache management” and check the box next to it. After which you can set the desired size in megabytes, which will subsequently be used for the cache.
You can increase the cache in Opera by opening the tabs in the following order: “Menu” - “Settings” - “General settings” - “Advanced”. Then select “History” in the left side menu. Then in the "Disk Cache" section you can select from the drop-down list optimal size cache.
Google Chrome and Yandex
Increase cache size by Google browser There is no need for Chrome and Yandex on their own, since such a function is not listed in its settings. However, you shouldn’t get upset and change them to others, since the caches of these browsers are dynamic, that is, they expand as needed. For this reason, users do not have to worry about traffic, and if the Internet speed has recently decreased significantly, it is recommended that they contact their provider with this issue.
If you still need to increase the cache in Google Chrome or Yandex, then you should select the “Properties” item, go to the “Shortcut” tab, then to the “Object” field, where after the word browser.exe you need to put a space and insert the following content into this line : -disk-cache-dir=”C:\YandexCache” -disk-cache-size=1073741824. For Google Chrome, the inscription will be like this: -disk-cache-dir=”c:\chromeсache” -disk-cache-size=1073741824. Then you need to click the “OK” button. Thus, it will be possible to increase the cache size to 1GB.