Temp files

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dave
  • Start date Start date
D

Dave

Hi,
I'm running Windows XP. I have several Temp folders in the "local disk
(C:)" directory. Some are full of what seem to be junk folders and files.
How do I know which are safe to delete? Thanks.
 
Dave said:
Hi,
I'm running Windows XP. I have several Temp folders in the "local disk
(C:)" directory. Some are full of what seem to be junk folders and files.
How do I know which are safe to delete? Thanks.
Click to expand...

They are supposed to be temporary, hence the name. So nothing should
complain if they go away. First make sure you are doing nothing and
you've closed all the applications and tray items. Then go crazy with
the delete key in explorer. If an application is using that directory
or file it will not let you delete them (access violation or sharing
violation will be reported).

Alex
 
Dave said:
Hi,
I'm running Windows XP. I have several Temp folders in the "local disk
(C:)" directory. Some are full of what seem to be junk folders and files.
How do I know which are safe to delete? Thanks.
Click to expand...

If the computer has just been booted up then everything in the TEMP
folder(s) should be safe to delete. However if the computer has been
running for any length of time then it is safest to shutdown, restart,
and then "clean house".

The reason is that new application installs and updates often place
files into the TEMP folder pending a restart when they will be moved
to their intended final destination. While this is not as major a
concern with Windows XP as it was with Windows 95/98/Me it is still
best to err on the side of caution. Otherwise you could cause
complications and probable crashes or other errors with anything that
was recently installed or updated.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
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