By NetSmartz

There are several ways to learn what websites your child has visited and what he or she has downloaded from the Internet. Here are suggestions to help you review Internet activities on your computer without purchasing a software monitoring program. It is also important to keep in mind:

It is possible that your child may have already deleted the browsing history, temporary Internet files, or a record of the download history.

• A child may have access to a computer at the library, school, or a friend's home. It is important to talk to your children about Internet safety, since they also have Internet access outside of your home and supervision.
• Even though you may not use different types of browsers, your child might. It is not uncommon for a computer to have Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Netscape Navigator installed, and for all three to be in use. These software packages are sometimes installed on a computer before you buy it, and can be easily downloaded online, often for free. Remember to check all the software on the computer that is used to surf the Internet.

To view the documents that may have been recently saved on computers using Windows XP:

• Click on "My Computer"
• Go to your computer's "C drive"
• Click on "Documents and Settings"
• Click on "My Recent Documents"

To see a list of Web pages recently visited on Internet Explorer:

• Click on "My Computer"
• Go to your computer's "C drive"
• Click on "Documents and Settings"
• Click on your username
• Click on "Local Settings"
• Click on "Temporary Internet Files"

To view recent downloads on Mozilla Firefox:

• Click on the "Tools" tab (found at the top of your browser after it is open)
• Click on "Options"
• Click on "Privacy"
• Click on "Download History"
• Click on "View download history"

To see the websites recently visited on Mozilla Firefox:

• Press the "CTRL" and "H" keys at the same time.

To view the list of websites recently visited on Netscape Navigator:

• Click on the "Go" tab (found at the top of the page after your browser is opened).
• Click on "History"
• A list of websites visited on the computer will be displayed.

To see the files recently downloaded on Netscape Navigator:

• Go to the "Tools" tab
• Click on "Download Manager"
• A list of downloaded files willbe displayed.