Seeing where my kids have been online

Question

We use Firefox and Safari for browsers. I'm having trouble with my computer being sluggish. I delete the cache and cookies etc, but still am sure there is garbage on my computer I havnt gotten rid of. Is there a way to see where people have been other than the preferences, because I go there and get rid of what I see.

Answer 1

Welcome to Apple Discussions
What type of computer are you using? iBook? iMac? Intel machine etc.?
Have a look at this recent thread. Two options are mentioned. The second may require a call to your Internet Provider depending on your Network setup.
Sluggish Computer isn't necessarily a function of Internet use. Here's some guidance about speeding things up:
In Safari:
- Each day, go to the Safari Menu and "empty cache".
- In your User Library>Safari folder, you'll find a file called "bookmarks.pilst". This file holds your Bookmarks. Single-click on the file, then command key + D to make a duplicate copy. Do this every few weeks or whenever you add a lot of bookmarks. This way, if anything weird happened to your bookmark file (corruption), then you have a back-up to revert to.
- keep the cookies file clean of unnecessary items - you can see the Cookies file in your Safari Preferences>Security panel - click on the "cookies" button. Remove any items you don't use regularly. The one's you want to retain are those for banking and credit card sites, Apple, and any other sites requiring passwords. The rest can go simply by single-click and then "remove".
Routine System Maintenance - This is so important. Otherwise, little problems that go unnoticed can become bigger ones, slowing down the system, or even corrupting the hard drive. For routine maintenance I use OnyX. There is no charge for the software, but I believe the developer asks for a donation.
It's very easy to use. I run it twice a month. Once it is installed, you would double click on the OnyX icon in your application folder (or drag an icon to your dock for quick access) to open the application. After entering your administrator password, you would select "automation". The panel looks like this:
Select the same items I have checked, also check the System box in the "Clear Cache" section this one time, and then select "execute". The program takes about 5 to 10 minutes to run. Leave your computer alone, that is, don't use it for anything else until OnyX is finished. Once complete, restart the computer and you're good to go. On the restart the computer may take a little longer to start up because it is resetting the System Cache, Ordinarily, it's best to leave the System Cache alone.
Message was edited by: Hawaiian_Starman