Disk Cleanup doesn't scan disk

[Nightowl]

When I run Disk Cleanup, it says it is scanning the disk, and I hear
disk working noises, but in just a couple of seconds it presents me with
its list of proposed files to delete.

It *never* offers to compress old files, though I certainly have files
that qualify. Just to test it, I clicked on the Options button and
changed the default "age" of files to compress to 7 days instead of 50.
Disk Cleanup *still* didn't find any to offer me.

And it *always* finds the same 32KB of WebClient/Publisher temporary
files. It claims to delete these and a progress bar is shown, but run
the program again and there they are, back again.

The program fails to find over 1MB in Downloaded Program Files,
temporary files and temporary internet files.

I have Googled but can't find anything except problems with the program
hanging, which isn't happening here. I downloaded a new copy of
Cleanmgr.exe from Kelly's Korner, line 84, and ran it from my download
folder, but its behaviour was exactly the same, which makes me think the
problem must be with my computer. I've also tried disabling my
anti-virus monitor (AMON, Nod32) while running it, but it made no
difference.

I looked in the Registry and found
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MyComputer\cleanuppath
which reads:
Default REG_EXPAND_SZ %SystemRoot%\system32\cleanmgr.exe /D %c
which looks okay.

Has anybody any ideas on what could be wrong, please?

 

[David Candy]

Prove you have files older than 7 days

dir c:\*.* /a /s /ta

 

[Nightowl]

David Candy wrote on Thu, 21 Jul 2005:

Prove you have files older than 7 days

dir c:\*.* /a /s /ta

I had to add /p so I could actually read it as it whizzed by But
you're right, David; all the folders had today's date.

Then I looked at my Work folder tree, where the old files I was thinking
of are. Again you're right -- the files, even ones I know I haven't
opened for several years, are all dated 18/07/2005. Looking at the time
displayed, the only thing I can match it with that can have "accessed"
them is an anti-virus scan with Nod32.

I clicked on the parent Work folder in Explorer then ran the command
again. I noticed this updated the timestamp on the folder and
sub-folders, but not the files inside. However, repeating this didn't
make the time update further; strange.

So -- is this "last access" date what the Cleanmgr looks at? And is that
date changed every time we open a folder in Explorer or run a virus
scan? I am totally puzzled because it runs perfectly on my friend's
computer and regularly compresses old files, though he runs a virus scan
daily with the same program I use.

 

[David Candy]

Windows updates the date (last access time has a 24hr resolution so it's date only) when ever the file is opened. AV and similar programs (like search) that open a file not on a users express instructions are supposed to save the last access and fix it when they finish looking (windows can't tell if a file is opened purposefully or incidently by a program).

It sounds like something, maybe NOD, doesn't obey the rules.

The other issues you report are normal. Web Client always shows 32K. Only internet files that are known to IE are deleted. EG, Outlook Express uses temp internet files for attachment. IE knows nothing about it so doesn't delete it.

 

[Nightowl]

David Candy wrote on Thu, 21 Jul 2005:

Windows updates the date (last access time has a 24hr resolution so
it's date only) when ever the file is opened. AV and similar programs
(like search) that open a file not on a users express instructions are
supposed to save the last access and fix it when they finish looking
(windows can't tell if a file is opened purposefully or incidently by a
program).

It sounds like something, maybe NOD, doesn't obey the rules.

I just checked by running another virus scan and yes, it is NOD doing
it. The files in my Work folder now have a last accessed date/time of
21/07/2005 0306 PM :-( I will email NOD tech support and see what they
have to say about it.

The other issues you report are normal. Web Client always shows 32K.
Only internet files that are known to IE are deleted. EG, Outlook
Express uses temp internet files for attachment. IE knows nothing about
it so doesn't delete it.

Thank you very much for the information, David, and the method to check
my files. Much appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[... et al.]

David Candy wrote on Thu, 21 Jul 2005:



I just checked by running another virus scan and yes, it is NOD doing
it. The files in my Work folder now have a last accessed date/time of
21/07/2005 0306 PM :-( I will email NOD tech support and see what they
have to say about it.

Remember, you wrote you had a friend also using the same AV software
(NOD), but that on that machine compression took place, meaning files
accessed dates weren't constanly updated there.

¿Different versions of NOD?, else something else is also contributing to
it on your machine.

 

[Nightowl]

.... et al. wrote on Fri, 22 Jul 2005:

Remember, you wrote you had a friend also using the same AV software
(NOD), but that on that machine compression took place, meaning files
accessed dates weren't constanly updated there.

¿Different versions of NOD?, else something else is also contributing
to it on your machine.

Thanks for the reply, et al.

My friend is using the same version of NOD as me (2.5). I asked him
yesterday if Disk Cleanup compressed old files on his machine and he
said it did. But he has only switched to NOD in the last two weeks (on
my recommendation) and I don't think he has run the utility since. I
will check, though, thanks for pointing that out.

I am certain it is NOD changing the files' access dates because I
checked them before and after running a scan this afternoon. No other
program was running at the time.

 

[Kelly]

Great info, David. )

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com



"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
Prove you have files older than 7 days

dir c:\*.* /a /s /ta

 

[Nightowl]

Kelly wrote on Sun, 24 Jul 2005:

Great info, David. )

Indeed it was

Just as a follow-up: yesterday I downloaded and tried a trial version of
Kaspersky Antivirus Personal, and found that it also alters the "last
accessed" date of files.

Is there any AV that doesn't do this?