automatic creation of unwanted files

[Decoder]

We are suddenly finding new files in Word folders with names like
~WRL1464.tmp. There are lots of them and they are taking up a lot of drive
space. Where are they coming from and how can we get rid of them and keep
them from coming back?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

See “Description of how Word creates temporary files†at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=211632. If you're "suddenly" seeing them,
it's probably because you've only recently told Windows to display hidden
and system files.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix on news.microsoft.com]

And considering that most tempory files of this type are usually only 1-2KB,
it's doubtful that they're taking up all that much disk space - unless you
have a _very small_ hard drive (like less than 1MB)...

BTW, if the temp files are still around after you close Word, then you
should probably look into this a bit closer. Word's pretty good about
cleaning up after itself. Orphaned temp files are an indication that Word has
crashed. If all instances of Word are closed - including Outlook if Word is
configured as the email editor - and you still have temp files hanging about,
it's generally safe to just delete them.
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups - no
membership required!

See “Description of how Word creates temporary files†at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=211632. If you're "suddenly" seeing them,
it's probably because you've only recently told Windows to display hidden
and system files.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Actually, the ~wrl files are the same size as the document itself, as they
are actually previous versions.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Gordon Bentley-Mix on news.microsoft.com"

And considering that most tempory files of this type are usually only
1-2KB,
it's doubtful that they're taking up all that much disk space - unless you
have a _very small_ hard drive (like less than 1MB)...

BTW, if the temp files are still around after you close Word, then you
should probably look into this a bit closer. Word's pretty good about
cleaning up after itself. Orphaned temp files are an indication that Word
has
crashed. If all instances of Word are closed - including Outlook if Word
is
configured as the email editor - and you still have temp files hanging
about,
it's generally safe to just delete them.
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups -
no
membership required!

 

[Decoder]

These tmp files are pretty big -- as Suzanne says, same size as the documents
themselves.

They DO show up when Word is closed. But Word is otherwise behaving well.

How would I tell Windows to not display hidden and system files?

 

[Graham Mayor]

If you use Word as e-mail editor in Outlook you would need to close Outlook
also (and press CTRL+ALT+DEL > Processes to ensure that you have no unwanted
Winword.exe process still running) before Word is truly closed. If the
temporary fiels still remain, then delete them - see
http://www.gmayor.com/what_to_do_when_word_crashes.htm

You can tell Windows not to display hidden files via Windows Explorer's
options, but that would only hide the problem, not eliminate it. It is
always better to know exactly what files you have lying around as unwanted
temporary files can impair the smooth running of the system.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[JR Hester]

Check the properties of the folder in which these files reside. We experieced
a similar situation because IT had set the folder to prevent users from
deleting files from a shared drive. That setting then prevented Word and
Excel from deleting the temporary work files as well.

HTH

 

[Decoder]

None of the anti-sharing boxes were checked in properties.

 

[Decoder]

I haven't been using Word as e-mail editor. I use Outlook Express exclusively.