c:\windows\Installer, etc.

[Dick]

While cruising through C:\Windows I find a file named 'Installer.' In my
case there are 131MB tied up with 76 different files, and some are huge.
They are mostly .msi files and when I chose a large one and told it to
'install' it opened the installation window for one of my larger photo
handling programs. I don't need that and probably don't need the rest. Can
these files be safely deleted? Is there a purpose for these?

In another partition I have a folder for "Temporary Internet Files" that
contains a subfolder "Content.IE5" which contains 4 subfolders with titles
such as "OATLDE6Y" etc. Are these hundreds of files necessary? Do I need
to keep anything related to IE5? Can I delete of all of these?

I am running XP Home and IE6. Many thanks, Dick

 

[CWatters]

In another partition I have a folder for "Temporary Internet Files" that
contains a subfolder "Content.IE5" which contains 4 subfolders with titles
such as "OATLDE6Y" etc. Are these hundreds of files necessary? Do I need
to keep anything related to IE5? Can I delete of all of these?

Best think to do is run disc clean up...

My Computer -> right click on C: and select "Properties" -> General tab ->
disk clean up.

 

[Dick]

Disk Cleanup was run with no effect on the "Installer" files or the
"Temporary Internet Files". Thanks for the suggestion. Dick

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Dick,

Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) will *not* clean:
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5

To delete *all* Temporary Internet Files...

1) Start | Run | Type: inetcpl.cpl | OK
Or right click the Internet Explorer icon on your Desktop.
Or: Start | Settings | Control Panel | Internet Options.
Best to do this with all instances of Internet Explorer closed. Especially
if there are a large number of files.
2) On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Delete Files
3) Check the box Delete all offline content {This cleans >>
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
AND
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5
and \Content.MSO (Created by an MS Office program)}
4) Click on OK and wait for the hourglass icon to stop after it deletes the
temporary internet files
5) You can now click on Delete Cookies and click OK to delete cookies that
websites have placed on your hard drive.
-----

If you want, try this: Open IE | Tools | Internet Options | Advanced tab |
scroll down to the bottom | check: Empty Temporary Internet Files folder
when browser is closed | click Apply | OK. Entirely up to you, but if you
want to be rid of this, it is done automatically. Deletes the content of
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files but not the Content.IE5 or Content.MSO folders.
-----

To avoid all kinds of errors with applications such as MS Office, leave the
C:\WINDOWS\Installer folder alone.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Dick]

Many thanks Wes! Dick

 

[Wesley Vogel]

You bet, Dick.

By the way, it is customary to show replies in messages.

So people know who/what you're replying to...

When replying to a message, include enough original material to be
understood.

Because...

It is possible to see a response to a message before seeing the original.

It is possible to see a response to a message without seeing the
original.

Giving context helps everyone.

OE | Tools | Options | Send tab | Select Include message with reply |
Apply | OK

Include message with reply
[[Specifies whether to include the text of the original message when you
reply to a message. You can edit or cut any of the text. If you clear this
check box, the body of your message contains only the text you type or
paste.]]


--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Dick]

Hi Wes,

I followed these instructions that you gave to me previously:

" To delete *all* Temporary Internet Files...

1) Start | Run | Type: inetcpl.cpl | OK
Or right click the Internet Explorer icon on your Desktop.
Or: Start | Settings | Control Panel | Internet Options.
Best to do this with all instances of Internet Explorer closed.
Especially
if there are a large number of files.
2) On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Delete Files
3) Check the box Delete all offline content {This cleans >>
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
AND
%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5
and \Content.MSO (Created by an MS Office program)}
4) Click on OK and wait for the hourglass icon to stop after it deletes
the
temporary internet files"

And after so doing I checked the Content.IE5 file and it was unchanged with
all of the hundreds of files remaining. Many are 0 bytes, but others
aren't. I read at one site, while searching for a method of deleting the
Folder and all its files, that the purpose of the Content folder if for the
use of Microsoft. I have no idea if that is true or not and maybe you can
shed some light on this as well as helping get rid of the folder and its
files. I'm just trying to clean my computer of access baggage.

Many thanks, Dick

 

[pcbutts1]

Log in as a different user with admin rights, navigate to those folders and
manually delete them.

--


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[Wesley Vogel]

Hi Dick,

Was Outlook Express open?

OE creates the zero byte files. Closing OE will delete most of those files.

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/ietips.htm

http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/CA.htm

%homepath%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5

%homepath% is a variable that refers to the logged in user.

If you paste %homepath% in the Start | Run box and click OK, Windows
Explorer will open to
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here

Is the Content.IE5 folder that your looking at
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files\Content.IE5
or is it another Content.IE5 folder?
----

I use Disk Cleaner to delete the files, it's easier.

I have Disk Cleaner set to run quiet at startup. Runs for 5 seconds or so
and exits. I also like the fact that, after you set it up, it cleans all
the following with one click (and/or automatically at boot). Makes XP's
Disk Cleanup look like a piker. XP's Disk Cleanup will *not* clean
Content.IE5.

Disk Cleaner will Clean:
Temporary Internet Files {Including the contents of the Content.IE5 folder}
Internet Cookies
Internet History
System Temporary Folder
Recent Documents
Run... Dialog List
Find Document List
Find Computer List
URLs in IE Address Bar
URLs in Shell Address Bar
Media Player Recent URLs
WinZip Recent Files
WinZip Extract To Folders
Paint Recent Files
WordPad Recent Files
Cleans Recycle Bin (what else?)
Opera Cache
Opera Cookies
Opera History
Opera Visited links
Opera Download History and Download folder
Firefox Cache
Firefox Cookies
Firefox History

Disk Cleaner
http://www.xs4all.nl/~mp2004/

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Dick]

Hi Wes. Thanks to you and others for your interest and help.

You had asked the following:

" Is the Content.IE5 folder that your looking at
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files\Content.IE5
or is it another Content.IE5 folder?"

No. I had reclocated my Temp Int Files to partition D where I keep other
temp files, so they are no longer where you describe. I had moved them
there some time ago using Control Panel|Internet Options|Internet
Properties|Settings. No reference to them if shown in C: Docs, etc.

I'll follow your advice and get Disk Cleaner and let it do its job as you
describe. Again, thanks for the assist. Dick

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Hi Dick,

Aha!

I have no first hand experience with Temporary Internet Files that have
been redirected to another drive.

But that may be why Delete Files | Delete all offline content doesn't
clean the files. <shrug>

You can clean the contents of Content.IE5 folder manually, but let's see if
we can figure out why this is happening.

I am curious about a couple of things.

TMP and TEMP are variables that show where your Temporary files are located.

Open a command prompt...
Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
When the command prompt opens type:

set

Hit your Enter key.

Towards the bottom are two items:

TEMP and TMP

What do the show?

Mine shows this...
TEMP=C:\DOCUME~1\WESLEY~1.VOG\LOCALS~1\Temp
TMP=C:\DOCUME~1\WESLEY~1.VOG\LOCALS~1\Temp

Another way to tell is to...

Start | Run | Type: %tmp% | Click OK and see what opens.

Start | Run | Type: %temp% | Click OK and see what opens.
-----

Open the Registry Editor...
Start | Run | Type: regedit | Click OK |
Navigate to...
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\ShellFolders

In the right hand pane, under the Name column is Cache. What does Cache
show under the Data column?

Mine shows....
C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Local Settings\
Temporary Internet Files

Navigate to...
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

In the right hand pane, under the Name column is Cache. What does Cache
show under the Data column?

Mine shows....
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Dick]

Hi Wes. My answers to your questions are preceeded with *******. Simply,
all are the same as yours with the exception of our names.
I deleted the files on my D Drive and the sky didn't fall. It is good to
know that. Thanks for all of the help. Dick

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Glad you got it worked out, Dick. Keep having fun.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In