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I have noticed the same thing. I may go for weeks without using IE, and the "use" is due to the fact that some dingbat page opens in IE, rather than in my default browser, which is Firefox. Looking at the content of Temp and Trmporary Internet Files, I would say that they are in Windows, and IE is part of Windows.
Firefox and SeaMonkey do not store cookies in the Windows Cookies directory. IE does not run on Linux. FF cookies are stored in a sqllite database file, Seamonkey still uses the older Mozilla method of storing cookies in the <profile>/cookies.txt file.
The Windows Cookies folder can accumulate files because some applications may place cookies there, as when updating antivirus programs or updates for other software. They may invoke instances of an iexplore.exe process when connecting to their update servers. Also, another person can use the comp, launch IE and get cookies & temp internet files.
You wrote: "The Windows Cookies folder can accumulate files because some applications may place cookies there <snip> [and] may invoke instances of an iexplore.exe process when connecting to their update servers."
OK, I'll buy that. However, it happens when I'm just surfing and not updating. So, some websites invoke an iexplore.exe process regardless of the browser?
It's not crucial, just annoying that I have to clean IE cookies, but is there a way to stop this?
No, a Web site cannot invoke any program on your comp, except browser addons and extensions.
Some websites will not invoke Firefox, which is my default, opening IE, instead. This is very common when I am asked to fill a survey after uninstalling a program.
And, there will be no foreign cookies in Firefox (or Seamonkey), but the reverse will be true. I, never, implied, that IE cookies would be in Seamonkey, and did not imply that that Seamonkey cookies would be in IE. I find them in Local Settings|Temporary Internet Files.
Some websites will not invoke Firefox, which is my default, opening IE, instead. This is very common when I am asked to fill a survey after uninstalling a program.
And, there will be no foreign cookies in Firefox (or Seamonkey), but the reverse will be true. I, never, implied, that IE cookies would be in Seamonkey, and did not imply that that Seamonkey cookies would be in IE. I find them in Local Settings|Temporary Internet Files.
Understood, but when uninstalling a program and it prompts to fill in a survey...the use of IE is hard coded into the uninstaller for the program, the Web site doesn't invoke IE. Uninstallers will use IE rather than environment variables (default browser) because (1) they know their survey script on the server works in IE and they know (2) all Windows computers have IE installed (specifically MSHTML.dll, .
