Have you ever tried to log on to AHIMA’s Web site using your normal ID and password, and been denied access?  Or have you ever tried to access a page on the site and received error messages, or a page you did not expect?

If so, we can help.  Your computer may be having a problem handling "cookies."

A "cookie" is a small amount of information a Web site copies to your hard disk. A cookie can help a Web site identify you the next time you visit. For instance, if you shop for books online, the bookstore's Web site might use a cookie to store information about your favorite subjects, and later use that information to recommend particular books.  The cookie also acts as a "snapshot" of the site layout for your computer.  However, if changes have taken place on the Web site since your last visit, your computer may be storing an outdated cookie, and you may not be able to properly access some or all parts of the site as a result.

To solve this problem, you should clear the cookies from your browser cache.  As discussed in our last Tech Tip, two types of browser software are fully compatible with AHIMA’s Web site, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator/Communicator. Included below are instructions for the cache-clearing procedure for both.

Internet Explorer

Deleting Cookies

To delete all cookies from your Windows machine running Internet Explorer:

1. From the top menu bar, go to Tools -> Internet Options.
2. In the Temporary Internet Files section of the General tab, select Delete Cookies, then click OK to the question of whether you wish to delete all cookies in the Temporary Internet Files folder
3. Click OK at the bottom of the Internet Options window.

Note: for older versions of Internet Explorer (IE 5.5 or older) , you may not have the Delete Cookies button. In those situations, do the following

1. Follow step 1 above.
2. Click the General tab.
3. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete Files button, then click OK when prompted with the question of whether you wish to delete all temporary internet files.
4. Now in the Temporary Internet Files section, click on the Settings button.
5. Click View Files. This will open a window that displays all cookies currently loaded on your machine.
6. Hit CTRL-A on your keyboard to select all files.
7. Once all files are selected, hit the delete key on your keyboard.
8. This will remove all the cookies installed on your PC.
9. Close your browser and then launch again.

Microsoft's web site has more information deleting cookies for different versions of Internet Explorer.

Accepting Cookies

Because we use cookies for logins, you will need to make sure your browser "accepts" cookies. Newer browser have higher default security settings, so you may need to alter these settings to allow cookies to be set for your browser.

1. On your top menu bar, click on Tools -> Internet Options.
2. Select the Privacy tab. Note: if you do not have a Privacy tab, these functions may be under a Security tab.
3. Move the slider to the appropriate setting. The Medium setting should allow setting of cookies.
4. Click OK.

Netscape

Deleting Cookies

For Netscape 6.x and 7.x versions:

1. On the top menu bar, click Edit -> Preferences.
2. Double-click on the Privacy & Security category, then click on Cookies.
3. Click on the Managed Stored Cookies button. A new window will appear listing all of your cookies. You can either manually delete specific cookies, or click the Remove All Cookies button near the bottom of the box, then click Close.
4. Click OK in the Preferences box.

Accepting Cookies

1. From the top menu bar, click Edit -> Preferences.
2. Select the Privacy & Security category, then click on Cookies.
3. Press one of the radio buttons that enables cookies.
   
   Note: In most cases, "Enable all cookies" is the best choice. The second button means that your computer will not send a cookie to a server that did not originate it.
   
4. If you want to be notified when Netscape accepts a cookie, check "Ask me before storing a cookie."
5. Click OK.

*Note: for older versions of Netscape, the instructions may be different. Netscapes site contains more help.

Changing Cache Settings

Your computer stores copies of frequently accessed pages in the memory cache or disk cache. This way, the computer doesn't have to retrieve the page from the network each time you view it.

• To set the size of the memory cache or to clear it (Windows and Unix only):
• From the Edit menu, choose “Preferences.”
• Select the “Advanced” category, then choose “Cache”.
• Enter a number in the “Memory Cache” field to specify the size of the memory cache. 1024K to 2000K is a good size.
• To clear the memory cache immediately, choose “Clear Memory Cache.”

*Please note: A larger memory cache allows more data to be quickly retrieved, but unless you have a lot of extra memory on your computer, 1024K is large enough.

To set the size of the disk cache or to clear it:

• From the Edit menu, choose “Preferences.”
• Open the Advanced category, then select “Cache.”
• Enter a number in the “Disk Cache” field to specify the size of the disk cache. 7680K (5000K on Unix) is a good size.
• (Optional) To specify where the disk cache should be stored, select “Choose Folder”, find the folder you want, and select it.
• To clear the disk cache immediately, press the button for “Clear Disk Cache.”

*Please Note: A larger disk cache allows more pages to be quickly retrieved, but more of your hard disk space is used.

When you quit Communicator, it performs cache maintenance. If maintenance takes longer than you wish, try reducing the size of the disk cache.

To specify how often Navigator checks the network for page revisions (so you don't keep "stale" pages in the cache too long):

• From the Edit menu, choose “Preferences.”
• Select the “Advanced” category, then choose  “Cache.”
• Select “Once Per Session”, “Every Time”, or “Never.” "Every Time" ensures the page you see is always the latest, at the cost of slower performance. "Never" is fastest, but the page you see might be stale.

To refresh a page at any time, press the “Reload” button in the toolbar at the top of your Netscape Navigator/Communicator window.  The computer checks the network to make sure you have the latest version of the page. To retrieve a fresh copy of a page regardless of what's in the cache, hold down the Shift key (Option key on Mac OS) and click Reload.

If pages in the cache are taking longer to appear than they should, make sure the preference is not set to Every Time, because the verification requires a network connection that takes time.

As always, if you have questions or encounter issues, please feel free to email us at Info@ahima.org, or contact our Customer Relations area at (800) 335-5535.

AHIMA respects its members' and nonmembers' Internet privacy and right to choose which communications they want to receive. If you prefer not to receive AHIMA product and services e-mails, faxes, or postal mailings, go to http://imis.ahima.org/preferences and you will be taken to the log-in page. You will need your ID and password. If you don't know your password you can use your e-mail address of record to have it sent to you. Refer to the type of e-mail message received to update your communication preferences.