Deleting Cookies (Cookies vs. Temporary Internet File folders)

B

Blithe

OS= W2k (SP4)

Unless I'm just plain mistaken - when I choose to delete cookies in my
Temporary Internet File (Using Internet Properties icon & using the default
folder that resides in the user's 'Local Settings' folder) I discover that
the 'Cookies' folder that resides in the user's 'Application Data' folder is
also cleared of all cookies.

Am I correct? If so, please explain if that is by design? Why is there
such a connection between the two separate folders?

NOTE: I have been experimenting with cookie management software. I
discovered my particular software is designed to delete cookies in the
Cookies folder only - not the Temporary Internet File. So how does one
verify a deleted cookie is no longer on your system when the same cookie may
reside in both folders? And how does one keep from deleting desired cookies
when clearing the Temp. Internet File?

Thanks for your help.
 
J

Jan Il

Hi Blithe :)

Check the information here and see if this helps to explain the best way to
clear both the cookies and TIF files. You should not delete cookies or TIF
files from the folders, as there are some files that should not be deleted.
By deleting files and cookies via the Internet Options, the necessary files
are not deleted.

How to Empty IE Cache

Description of the Internet Explorer Cache
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers3.htm#Cache

To empty your Temporary Internet Files cache
1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab, click Delete Files.

or .........................................

Clear the IE cache. I.E./Tools/Options/General/Delete files (and delete
offline content.) It's often recommended that the Temporary Internet Files
(folder) be kept at

If still no joy then have a look at this page for other issues.
http://www.generation.net/~hleboeuf/ieimage.htm

Hope this helps.

Jan :)

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that's why they're so contagious.

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B

Blithe

Thanks Jan but my confusion still dominates:

1. I read your linked article on IE 'cache' & it tells me I'm not crazy when
I suspected a connection between TIF & Cookies folder. I tried running the
winfile command but on W2K that produces a path error.
2. I take your warnings about deleting TIF/Cookies folders at face value but
that does not help me to understand my OS from an experienced user's
standpoint.

Suppose I limit my inquiry and focus on just one issue - the strange
connection between TIF & Cookies folders? I've used Windows since 3.0 &
this programming connection issue simply breaks all the rules for how
folders are supposed to function. It's like I've discovered an unwanted
'Easter Egg' in Windows logic.

Is there a MS Knowledge Base article that will explain? Also, please verify
my following conclusions thus far:

For Windows 2000 Pro (1) Deleting cookies from the Internet Properties
icon - that says it will clear the TIF only - will clear BOTH the TIF &
Cookies folders (2) If I want to clear the TIF folder AND NOT the Cookies
folder, then I have to do so as a user in 'administrator capacity' and
access the folder directly using Explorer to make the deletions.

Thanks (I think) - Blithe

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
 
J

Jan Il

Hi Blithe :)
Thanks Jan but my confusion still dominates:

1. I read your linked article on IE 'cache' & it tells me I'm not
crazy when I suspected a connection between TIF & Cookies folder. I
tried running the winfile command but on W2K that produces a path
error.
2. I take your warnings about deleting TIF/Cookies folders at face
value but that does not help me to understand my OS from an
experienced user's standpoint.

Suppose I limit my inquiry and focus on just one issue - the strange
connection between TIF & Cookies folders? I've used Windows since
3.0 & this programming connection issue simply breaks all the rules
for how folders are supposed to function. It's like I've discovered
an unwanted 'Easter Egg' in Windows logic.

Is there a MS Knowledge Base article that will explain? Also, please
verify my following conclusions thus far:

For Windows 2000 Pro (1) Deleting cookies from the Internet Properties
icon - that says it will clear the TIF only - will clear BOTH the
TIF & Cookies folders (2) If I want to clear the TIF folder AND NOT
the Cookies folder, then I have to do so as a user in 'administrator
capacity' and access the folder directly using Explorer to make the
deletions.

Here is a little more on the two items, hopefully, they will provide the
information you are looking for. Don't let the titles sway you, the
information is pretty good, I think.

I get an error saying my browser is not set to accept cookies, but it is!
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers.htm#cookies

Recreating the cache, history and cookie folders when corrupted
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers_8.htm#deltree

Hope this helps.

Jan :)

Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Please reply to the newsgroup so others may benefit.
Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other readers.

How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/post.html
 
R

Robert Aldwinckle

(interleaved reply)
Blithe said:
OS= W2k (SP4)

Unless I'm just plain mistaken - when I choose to delete cookies in my
Temporary Internet File (Using Internet Properties icon & using the default
folder that resides in the user's 'Local Settings' folder) I discover that
the 'Cookies' folder that resides in the user's 'Application Data' folder is
also cleared of all cookies.

Am I correct? If so, please explain if that is by design? Why is there
such a connection between the two separate folders?

Actually the illusion is in the TIF viewer. It displays both Cookies and
Temporary Internet Files at the same time when in fact the display is
based on the index.dat files from the two folders. You can delete
Cookies selectively using the TIF viewer.

BTW if you are sceptical you can prove it is an illusion as follows.
1. Open the TIF viewer (e.g. Alt-T,O,Alt-S,V)
2. Copy the Path to Clipboard (Alt-D,Ctrl-c)
3. Switch to a command window (or enter Win-R,cmd)
4. Begin typing a change directory command (cd /d )
(Note the trailing space.)
5. Paste in the path from 2 and press Enter (Alt-Space,E,P)
6. Enter: dir/s *.txt
7. (I see File Not Found yet the Viewer is showing all kinds of Cookies
whose Properties show that their cache name ends with .txt)
8. Compare with the Cookies folder. (Enter: cd ..\..\Cookies and
dir *.txt -- dir/p *.txt if you really want to see them. ;)

NOTE: I have been experimenting with cookie management software. I
discovered my particular software is designed to delete cookies in the
Cookies folder only - not the Temporary Internet File. So how does one
verify a deleted cookie is no longer on your system when the same cookie may
reside in both folders?

It is probably just a problem of residual information in the display.
You would probably see the same effect from having two TIF viewers
open and using one to delete files with. Try pressing F5 to see if
that gets the display back in synch.

And how does one keep from deleting desired cookies
when clearing the Temp. Internet File?

Don't use the Delete Cookies... button? ;)

I agree that the wording on the checkbox is ambiguous
but I think what they are getting at is rather than delete all Cookies
selectively (e.g. via the TIF viewer) would like you to delete them all
at once? Again I would be surprised if the TIF viewer was automatically
updated and would expect to have to use F5 to get a previous view
back in synch.

BTW it would not be sufficient just to delete the Cookie files in the Cookies
folder to try to simulate that command because you wouldn't be updating
the information in the Cookie folder's index.dat file. Deleting the entire
folder's contents including the index.dat file is awkward on some OS.
There is no Desktop.ini file in the Cookies folder so I wouldn't expect
any special processing by Deletes done there. It looks to me as if all
the special processing is done as I indicated above by the TIF Viewer.

Thanks for your help.


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
---
 
B

Blithe

OK, Jan, I forgot the import/export feature - a technique that might prove
useful.

FYI - I cleared my TIP folder by accessing it thru Explorer. Guess what!
THAT ALSO CLEARED MY Cookies folder!!!

How's that for Windows folder logic? I'm backed up & can restore my Cookies
folder. Otherwise, goodbye cookies.

I consider this issue a Windows BUG. I'm amazed there's no MS Knowledge
Base info or complaints like mine considering all the years it's been out
there for users to stumble over.

If you have any other comment I'll look under this thread. I'm done with
the issue on this newsgroup. Thanks

Blithe
 
J

Jan Il

Hi Blithe :)

I have gone to the big guns for a bit more on this issue, which may be of
some interest: (From MS MVP's for IE.OE and Windows 95-XP). I was not sure
exactly what information you were wanting too well, so, I just covered all
bases

Here is one that I think will interest you based upon your comment here, as
it depends on how you want to delete, both or separately:

FYI - I cleared my TIP folder by accessing it thru Explorer. Guess
what! THAT ALSO CLEARED MY Cookies folder!!!

How's that for Windows folder logic? I'm backed up & can restore my
Cookies folder. Otherwise, goodbye cookies.

I consider this issue a Windows BUG. I'm amazed there's no MS
Knowledge Base info or complaints like mine considering all the years
it's been out there for users to stumble over.

Alex Nichol
TIF and Cookies are in quite separate physical folders.

But in XP if you open TIF either direct in Explorer or via the TIF
Settings button - 'view files' in Internet Options, the contents of
Cookies is included. They are not deleted though if you use the
'Delete files' in Internet Options - there is a separate Delete
Cookies button.

(Aside - the above Delete Files and Delete Cookies buttons are also in the
IE6 and IE SP1 on the Tools | Internet Options | General tab)

Mike Maltby
For those using Outlook Express it is however essential that the Temporary
Internet Files, including "All offline content" be periodically emptied as
OE
dumps two files in TIF for each message displayed regardless of whether it
is
html or plain text. For those working newsgroups the number of these files
can rapidly build up. This behaviour started with IE5.5 and remains in the
latest RC2 version of IE6.

Alex Nichol
I don't usually use outlook express. But have just experimented,
emptying TIF and then using OE (XP SP2 RC2) to get in the daily SPAM
on my spam trap address, look at one or two in plain text and connect
to the BING newsgroups and look at a few messages there (both preview
and launch into their own windows), and I could not find any
indication of any new file when I went back to look in TIF after
closing OE

Wesley Vogel
[[When you empty the Temporary Internet Files folder in Internet
Explorer, files that start with the word "Cookie" may remain in the
folder.]]

[[These files are pointers to the actual cookies that are located in
the Windows\Cookies folder. To retain the association between these
pointers and the actual cookie files, they are not deleted when you
empty the Temporary Internet Files folder. However, if you manually
delete a cookie file from the Temporary Internet Files folder, both
the pointer to the Cookies folder and the cookie file located in the
Cookies folder are deleted.]]

Sandi Hardmeier
This may help explain...
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers3.htm#Cache

Wesley Vogel
Safely Delete the Temporary Internet Files
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm
clear out temporary files and delete cookies.
http://www.pchell.com/support/privacy.shtml
Computer Health
http://www.aumha.org/a/health.php#tip6

Alex Nichol
Temporary means Temporary. Ones in the regular TEMP environmental
variable folders can be cleaned out as soon as the program that uses
them exits. It is advisable not to do this automatically at the
'autoexec' level, because some software installs leave some files
there for use when the system reboots. But I have a 'clean it up'
batch file that I run in the registry HKLM Run key

Ones in Temp Files are only needed should you be likely to go back to
the page. In Internet Options - Settings button I suggest cutting the
space allowed down - say 50 MB is plenty - and leave it to its own
devices.

I hope this will give you a bit more insight as to how the two separate
folders work. :)

Jan :)

Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Please reply to the newsgroup so others may benefit.
Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other readers.

How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/post.html
 
B

Blithe

Thanks for your contribution to this discussion, Robert, particularly for
your attempt to explain the 'illusion' that I will have to put off to check
out at another time. I consider this belated discovery as just another
example of inexcusably sloppy Microsoft programming and utter failure to
either document or disclose to the user. (Gates calls that 'INNOVATION?')

Blithe
 
J

Jan Il

Hi Blithe :)

Here is another bit of information that might be of interest to those using
OE

Per Wesley Vogel:

You can get....
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files
to delete automatically by...
Open IE | Tools | Internet Options | Advanced tab |
CHECK:
 Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed
[[Specifies whether to clear the Temporary Internet Files folder when you
close the browser.]]
Apply | OK

But that will not clean
C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files\Content.IE5

And Disk Cleanup won't clean Content.IE5 either.
You have to use Delete all offline content, a 3rd party tool or...
A couple a different ways to do this.
The proper way is: Delete all offline content


Hope this helps.

Jan :)

Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Please reply to the newsgroup so others may benefit.
Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other readers.

How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/post.html
 

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