Disk space gone, tmp files?

[Guest]

Recently upgraded to Vista and noticed today that I have only 4 GB left of
144 GB. I am pretty computer illiterate but I did find lots and lots of
files in the Windows folder that look like this: "DUMP2d66.tmp" that is about
121 MB. There are 995 of these for a total of 114 GB and are created
multiple times during the night, 1-2 days a month since July. What are they,
can I get rid of them and how do I stop them from being created? Any help
would be greatly appreciated!

 

[AJR]

Usually temp files are created when an application (Word, Excel, etc.) has
not been exited properly of two or more applications are open at the same
time.
Windows does not send all file you delete to the Recycle Bin - if it
determines you have deleted a file that you may want to use again it treats
it as a temp file - after a period of time (?) sends it to the Recycle Bin

Do the following: Start>Run>Type %temp%>OK. You will get a listing of all
temp files on the computer - these can be deleted - you may receive note
that a file may be use and will not be deleted.

 

[Ken Blake]

Usually temp files are created when an application (Word, Excel, etc.) has
not been exited properly of two or more applications are open at the same
time.

No, temp files are created all the time by most applications. Applications
are supposed to delete those temp files when they close, but for various
reasons, that doesn't always happen. One such reason (and that is probably
what you are thinking of) is that if the application (or Windows itself)
crashes, the application never reaches the point at which it would clean up
after itself, so they get left over.