Deleting temporary files

[Guest]

What are the consequences of deleting all the file (and folders) from
"WINDOWS\Temp" and from my "Document and Settings\Jess\Local Settings\Temp"
directories? Are they definitely files which no program ought to be using?

 

[johnf]

Delete them. If any are in use, XP won't allow you to delete them anyway.

 

[Raymond J. Johnson Jr.]

Delete them. If any are in use, XP won't allow you to delete them anyway.

The exception would be temp file being used by a program installation
which needs to be read at the next boot, for which reason it's a good
idea to reboot prior to deleting temp files, just in case.

 

[Guest]

i just found there were 11,426 files(200MB) in my Temporary Internet Files
folder. i've come across it before, but was never able to find it again. i've
just now traced backwards to the MY COMPUTER file, but cannot go FORWARDS
to it. the trail just ends...also, there's another file called TEMP that
seems to be somewhere under the LOCAL SETTINGS file which seems to have a lot
of junk it in also, and what should i do with that??

 

[Patrick Keenan]

i just found there were 11,426 files(200MB) in my Temporary Internet Files
folder. i've come across it before, but was never able to find it again. i've
just now traced backwards to the MY COMPUTER file, but cannot go FORWARDS
to it. the trail just ends...also, there's another file called TEMP that
seems to be somewhere under the LOCAL SETTINGS file which seems to have a lot
of junk it in also, and what should i do with that??

The Temporary Internet Files themselves are in a hidden folder named
Content.ie5 under documents and settings\accountname\local
settings\temporary internet files.

By definition, anything in the TEMP or temporary internet files folders is
supposed to be temporary and can - and should - be regularly removed.
Unfortunately, the tools supplied with XP, the disk cleanup and the IE cache
clearing don't really work very well at all.

What does work well is a little program named ccleaner. www.ccleaner.com

Download it, install it (de-select the Yahoo toolbar if you don't need it)
and open it after installing. Set the options as you wish - for example,
leave the cookies behind if you wish to, and don't clear the Explorer MRUs
etc. Let it run and it will remove a remarkable amount of debris. The
first time it is run, it can appear to have hung as the progress bar goes
round and round. It hasn't hung, there's just a lot of stuff.

Once you've set it up and run it, you can quickly run it again by clicking
on the Recycle bin and choosing the new option, "run ccleaner'. This will
run it without the UI - you'll see the hourglass for a moment and that's it.
Very quick and easy.

Also, by default the IE cache can be very large. In IE, go to Tools,
Internet Options, and in the temporary Internet Files section choose
Settings. You may see the "amount of disk space to use" is set to hundreds
of megabytes or even a couple of gigabytes. I usually set it to around
20 - 30 meg, and regularly clear it as described above.

These things often produce a noticeable improvement in system response.

HTH
-pk

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Clearing Temporary Internet Files (TIF):
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm

Also, lower the TIF cache size. Max of 40 MB will suffice.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


i just found there were 11,426 files(200MB) in my Temporary Internet Files
folder. i've come across it before, but was never able to find it again.
i've
just now traced backwards to the MY COMPUTER file, but cannot go FORWARDS
to it. the trail just ends...also, there's another file called TEMP that
seems to be somewhere under the LOCAL SETTINGS file which seems to have a
lot
of junk it in also, and what should i do with that??

 

[Guest]

Actually the best way to clean-out unnecessary files is run the WinXP Disk
Cleanup utility. The cleanup includes Temp, Temporary Internet, Offline
content, etc., and you will be asked (checkbox list) which class of files to
delete, and confirm (Yes/No) deletion.

Highly suggest you do NOT clean-out Compressed old files nor Office Setup
files.

By default it's in: \Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\System Tools

Clearing Temporary Internet Files (TIF):
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm

Also, lower the TIF cache size. Max of 40 MB will suffice.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


i just found there were 11,426 files(200MB) in my Temporary Internet Files
folder. i've come across it before, but was never able to find it again.
i've
just now traced backwards to the MY COMPUTER file, but cannot go FORWARDS
to it. the trail just ends...also, there's another file called TEMP that
seems to be somewhere under the LOCAL SETTINGS file which seems to have a
lot
of junk it in also, and what should i do with that??

What are the consequences of deleting all the file (and folders) from
"WINDOWS\Temp" and from my "Document and Settings\Jess\Local
Settings\Temp"
directories? Are they definitely files which no program ought to be
using?