Checking your PC's Internet access . . .

[Erikus4@aol.com]

I've received a couple responses about checking what your PC has accessed on 
the Internet.  I don't use a Macintosh, so I don't know how applicable this 
is to a Mac.

Basically, all web browsers that I know of reserve an amount of space on the 
hard drive as a "cache" for text and graphics.  By accessing that directory 
you can view bits and pieces of the info that has come across your computer.

Locating the directory depends on the web browser you are using:

Netscape 4.X:
- Start Navigator.
- Click EDIT, then click PREFERENCES
- On the left side of the windows that comes up there should be a selection 
called ADVANCED.  Either click the + sign or double-click ADVANCED
- Click on CACHE
- The box next to "Disk Cache Folder" is the directory that is used to cache 
your  Internet access
- Write this down, even though it is rather long, memorize it, whatever.  
You'll need it next.

Netscape 3.X:
- Start Navigator
- Click OPTIONS, click NETWORK PREFERENCES
- Click the CACHE tab
- The box next to "Disk Cache Directory" is the directory that is used to 
cache your Internet access
- Write this down, even though it is rather long, memorize it, whatever.  
You'll need it next.

Internet Explorer:
- Start Explorer
- Click VIEW, click INTERNET OPTIONS
- Click the GENERAL tab
- Find the section called "Temporary Internet Files" and click the SETTINGS 
button
- Look for the text "Current Folder"
- The directory listed to the right of that is the cache directory.
- Write this down, even though it is rather long, memorize it, whatever.  
You'll need it next.

Checking the Files:

- Using Windows Explorer, navigate to that directory.  Navigating is done by 
"opening" drives and folders by clicking on the + sign next to the directory 
or drive.  A single click on a drive or directory will "select" that drive or 
directory and list its contents in the right window.
- It really helps if you click VIEW and click DETAILS.  (This will list lots 
of info about the files in the directory.)
- You should now have a list of files in the right-side window.  You can 
click the various column headings to "sort" the files.  One click sorts them 
in either ascending or descending order, a second click will reverse the 
order.
- Personally, sorting the files by size seems the most beneficial.  Click 
size to get the largest numbers at the top of the list.  

The basics:

All of these files represent the stuff that comes across your computer from 
the Internet.  The names are likely just gibberish since the computer is just 
indexing them.  File extensions include:

GIF - graphics
JPG - graphics
HTM - Hypertext pages
TXT - text documents
DB - the index file used by the computer - ignore it
(there could be other files in there)

Pornographic graphics should likely be larger files.  The majority of the 
graphics files will be very small - buttons and such from web pages.  There 
is no dividing line, however.

Viewing Graphics:

Select a GIF or JPG file by clicking on its name.  Double-clicking will open 
the file, if a default opener has been specified.  (It's quite likely your 
web browser is the default viewer.)  Your viewer should have opened and you 
should be viewing the graphic.  Go back to Windows Explorer and double-click 
the next graphic you wish to view.

Viewing Text:

Text is more difficult, but you should likely search for it also.  
- In Windows Explorer, with the cache directory selected, click TOOLS, then 
FIND, then FILES OR FOLDERS.
- Click in the box called "containing text" and type in whatever you are 
searching for.
- The finder will return all the applicable files from the directory which 
containt the text you specified.
- You can double-click these HTM files just like graphics files and your web 
browser should open them.

Some Guidance:

- This is not an absolute solution.  If your kid is bright enough he can get 
around this by deleting the cache files after he uses the PC.  However, he 
may not know about this.
- This does NOTHING to prevent access to problem web pages, but allows you to 
audit what he is doing.
- Pornographic sites are often indexed in search engines with false 
descriptions.  Your kid could be doing a report on "Russia" or some other 
country and get a link to a web site with pictures of Russian women.  
- Site names also get messed up.  Compare www.whitehouse.gov and 
www.whitehouse.com.  whitehouse.com IS a pornographic site.  A kid looking 
for american government info could EASILY run into that site.  
- I would suggest that a racy picture or two might be a simple accident.  A 
whole directory of pornography is another matter...
- Text searches on these files can easily turn up valid info.  My cache 
directory has a bunch of hits on "bomb" - because of the recent shooting and 
my viewing of news sites and their coverage.  The fact that some files 
contain a certain word is not an indication that the files are related to 
making bombs or something.  You must look at the files.
- This does not deal with chat rooms or e-mail, or any of a number of other 
things that can be dangerous.

This whole process is rather convoluted - but it's better than nothing.  It's 
probably better for spotting pornography on your computer than finding text 
files about making bombs.  (But the web pages that teach how to make a bomb 
likely also contain diagrams as graphics...)

Another solution is to keep the PC in a "public" area of your home.  A kid 
with a computer in his room can get away with all kinds of things.

Unless you know more about computers than your kids, they are likely to be 
able to get away with stuff.  But if you have a kid and a computer with 
Internet access, you should do SOMETHING.

Feel free to e-mail me directly with questions.

E. O'Daniel