delete

I have an iMac running Mountain Lion. As any Macoid knows, you can either delete something from the Trash folder the usual way, or you can use "Secure Empty Trash", which permanently removes files that cannot be recovered. I like my Trash folder tidy, so I never have more than a dozen or so...

Basically, what are these things and can I delete them? HD space is getting low and I have some that are very sizable......also they appear to be in .ZIP format FYI.

eg my ESPN icon is a big red "E" vs the IE globe, which is what I want all of them to be. The unique ones make my favorites look too "busy" and frankly it's just plain annoying. Anyone?

I have Windows XP. My Recycle Bin has 19 files that do not actually show up as icons or anything. But say I send a document file to the recycle bin, and then go to the recycle bin and click on "Empty Recycle Bin." The usual window pops up asking me if I am sure I want to do this, but instead...