Are temporary file cleaners safe to use?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joe
  • Start date Start date
J

Joe

I recently started using a a well known program called Your Uninstaller Pro
and its an excellent device for assisting with preventing problems with XP,
but I wondered if it is safe practice to delete all the temporary files.

Since reading this forum I've become quite wary of using third party
software that interferes with XP such as Registry cleaners which I now no
longer use.
 
Joe said:
I recently started using a a well known program called Your
Uninstaller Pro and its an excellent device for assisting with
preventing problems with XP, but I wondered if it is safe practice to
delete all the temporary files.

Since reading this forum I've become quite wary of using third party
software that interferes with XP such as Registry cleaners which I
now no longer use.
Click to expand...

I've never used that app (I've really never had a need for any such thing
and am not sure of their value), but if they're temp files (in temp
directories) they should be safe to delete. Try using the disk cleanup
wizard (in accessories\system tools) - it can do this for you pretty easily.
 
Hi

Reboot your system, to make sure none of the temp. files are in use, then
you can delete them.

--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups
 
Will Denny said:
Hi

Reboot your system, to make sure none of the temp. files are in use, then
you can delete them.

--


Thanks, I have heard that sometimes the temp files can cause system
problems/corruption.
Click to expand...
 
Hi

Some of those files are put there by X program's installation, but then
aren't deleted after the program has been installed.


--


Will Denny
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups
 
Reboot your system, to make sure none of the temp. files are in use, then
you can delete them.
Click to expand...

You can't delete temporary files when they are in use anyway, so
no problem with this. The only danger is when you install a new
program, and delete all temp files before rebooting. Sometimes a
program will place files in the temp folder, to be run immediately
after the next reboot, to complete the software installation. It's
safe to delete temp files after you do a reboot, because at that
point, anything in the temp folder that needs to be installed will
have been installed.
 
Disk Cleanup waits till the file has not been accessed for 7 days before deleting.

Also buying a program??????????? To delete files???????????????

Make your own cleaners for Disk Cleanup to run.

Each item in the cleaner is a seperate com program. The list of cleaners is stored here
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches

StateFlags<n> where n is the sageset number

Make your own cleaners.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches\CustomDeleter]
@="{C0E13E61-0CC6-11d1-BBB6-0060978B2AE6}"
"FileList"="*.fred"
"Folder"=hex(2):63,00,3a,00,5c,00,64,00,65,00,73,00,6b,00,74,00,6f,00,70,00,00,\
00
"Flags"=dword:00000000
"LastAccess"=dword:00000002
"StateFlags"=dword:00000001
"Display"="Custom"
"Description"="Clears a custom folder"

To make multiple cleaners just change the last key name (CustomDeleter)

Seperate multiple filetypes like so (pipe)
*.fred|*.horse

Seperate multiple directories the same way.
c:\desktop|C:\games

Use this syntax for directories
?:\recycled

Which will do all drives or the specified drive (depending on how cleanup is being used)

Last Access can be set to 0 for instant deleting.
 
Ditto!

--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

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


"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
Disk Cleanup waits till the file has not been accessed for 7 days before
deleting.

Also buying a program??????????? To delete files???????????????

Make your own cleaners for Disk Cleanup to run.

Each item in the cleaner is a seperate com program. The list of cleaners is
stored here
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches

StateFlags<n> where n is the sageset number

Make your own cleaners.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches\CustomDeleter]
@="{C0E13E61-0CC6-11d1-BBB6-0060978B2AE6}"
"FileList"="*.fred"
"Folder"=hex(2):63,00,3a,00,5c,00,64,00,65,00,73,00,6b,00,74,00,6f,00,70,00,00,\
00
"Flags"=dword:00000000
"LastAccess"=dword:00000002
"StateFlags"=dword:00000001
"Display"="Custom"
"Description"="Clears a custom folder"

To make multiple cleaners just change the last key name (CustomDeleter)

Seperate multiple filetypes like so (pipe)
*.fred|*.horse

Seperate multiple directories the same way.
c:\desktop|C:\games

Use this syntax for directories
?:\recycled

Which will do all drives or the specified drive (depending on how cleanup is
being used)

Last Access can be set to 0 for instant deleting.
 
On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 02:51:11 -0000, "Joe"

|I recently started using a a well known program called Your Uninstaller Pro
|and its an excellent device for assisting with preventing problems with XP,
|but I wondered if it is safe practice to delete all the temporary files.
|
|Since reading this forum I've become quite wary of using third party
|software that interferes with XP such as Registry cleaners which I now no
|longer use.
|
I use free
http://www.danish-shareware.dk/soft/emptemp/index.html
but mostly to find bad shortcuts. Lots of features so u
can change what it really does. It is safe tho during 1
yr of my use.

HTH-Larry
Any advise is my attempt to contribute more than I have received but I can only assure you that it works on my PC. GOOD LUCK.
 
I'll bet MS spywear doesn't check these keys as a vector.

CleanupString
REG_SZ
Command line specifying an executable file and optional command line parameters. This command line is run at the completion of the disk cleanup.

--
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.uscricket.com
Kelly said:
Ditto!

--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

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


"David Candy" <.> wrote in message
Disk Cleanup waits till the file has not been accessed for 7 days before
deleting.

Also buying a program??????????? To delete files???????????????

Make your own cleaners for Disk Cleanup to run.

Each item in the cleaner is a seperate com program. The list of cleaners is
stored here
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches

StateFlags<n> where n is the sageset number

Make your own cleaners.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches\CustomDeleter]
@="{C0E13E61-0CC6-11d1-BBB6-0060978B2AE6}"
"FileList"="*.fred"
"Folder"=hex(2):63,00,3a,00,5c,00,64,00,65,00,73,00,6b,00,74,00,6f,00,70,00,00,\
00
"Flags"=dword:00000000
"LastAccess"=dword:00000002
"StateFlags"=dword:00000001
"Display"="Custom"
"Description"="Clears a custom folder"

To make multiple cleaners just change the last key name (CustomDeleter)

Seperate multiple filetypes like so (pipe)
*.fred|*.horse

Seperate multiple directories the same way.
c:\desktop|C:\games

Use this syntax for directories
?:\recycled

Which will do all drives or the specified drive (depending on how cleanup is
being used)

Last Access can be set to 0 for instant deleting.




--
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.uscricket.com
"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
I've never used that app (I've really never had a need for any such thing
and am not sure of their value), but if they're temp files (in temp
directories) they should be safe to delete. Try using the disk cleanup
wizard (in accessories\system tools) - it can do this for you pretty
easily.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Joe said:
I recently started using a a well known program called Your Uninstaller Pro
and its an excellent device for assisting with preventing problems with XP,
but I wondered if it is safe practice to delete all the temporary files.
Click to expand...

Files in the Temporary folder (usually Documents and
Settings\yourname\Local Settings\Temp) can be deleted; if they are in
use you will not be allowed to. Best done straight after a normal boot
(not a restart set up by a software install, which *may* have parked
files there)
 

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