Taking out the Trash - Temporary Internet Files

[CMonster]

For those of you who do not know this, there are hidden files in your Windows/Temporary Internet Files folder that can give a very graphic, and sometimes embarassing clue to everywhere you have been on the net. You may also want to do a properties check of your Windows/Temporary Internet Files folder and see if you have a lot of MB of wasted hard disk space there.

Take for example a young man's computer on which I found 150MB Temporary Internet Folder - and hundreds of nudie.jpg's - these files did not show up by double-click opening the folder, but by viewing the sub folders in "Explore." I had no trouble deleting the files on his Win98 system, but Windows95 may be a little stubborn and not give you access to the cached files at all; in that case perhaps the best way to remove these files is to "deltree" from the windows directory at a DOS prompt. i.e. "C:\windows>deltree tempor~1"

The folder will be recreated the nest time you boot into windows - clean and empty.

DRAWBACKS= some frequently visited webpages may load slower the next time you visit them,but only once. AND cookies like the one that puts your "UserName" and "Password" for the Sysopt's board will be gone.

[Brushfire]

Actually, you can see these files if you go into any folder, and then go to the view menu, then down to folder options. Once there, go to the view tab, and go to the hidden files section of the list, then make sure "Show all files" is checked.

Brushfire

[dawgtuff]

Same thing goes for Netscape Communicator.It's under Netscape/Users/cache.Just make a shortcut on your desktop to this and delete the contents whenever you want to.Keep in mind it sends it to your Windows "trash can",so,you'll have to delete it out of there also.

[CMonster]

"Actually" I did have the "Show all files" checked under View/Options, and I included the DOS extensions as well. If this had been a simple matter I would not have posted the note about Win95.

I have 5 systems here, 2)Win95B, 2)Win95C, and 1)Win98.

I have seen the cached files in Win95 in the past, but that was when they were quite full. This time however, the "Properties" check showed 7MB worth of files but I could not view them - they deleted though without problem, and after restart of Windows the properties check showed 32.3KB (the folder and it's subfolders).

Win98, I should say Win98-Lite, did not give any trouble showing or deleting the files or in "Explore." www.98lite.net (http://www.98lite.net)

Also I could view the 95' files using Linux.

Anyway, my point is not to allow these files to biuild up.

edited~
..and thanks to dawgtuff for the tip about Netscape!!!

[This message has been edited by CMonster (edited 04-18-99).]

[Bill Kunert]

IE5 allows you to delete all those temporary
files every time you leave explorer-tools/internet options.
Bill

[ridefree]

You ain't a kiddin they build up and you can't see 'em.

I had not quite as many as you found, but about 90mb worth. View all files: checked.
Display full msdos title: checked.

Hey these WILL NOT show up in Win95 with IE3 or IE4. Don't know about Win98 yet.

I found them after having deleted all temporary internet files from within IE4. I double checked under Windows Explorer and it showed empty. Nothing in the recycle bin.
I was using Cleansweep 3.0 do do a little maintenance prior to running scandisk and defrag and lo and behold....90mb of temporary internet files. Wait a minute here. I just got rid of those. So back to Windows Explorer....nope not there! So I went back to Cleansweep and had to go through some 1000 files checking them off one at a time. Got my 90mb back.

Think some of you may want to check on this further if there is any chance your computer is where you don't want anyone else to see whats there. I think you are in for a rude awakening.

[jgarreto]

Guys: Use Windows washer 2.5 www.webroot.com (30 bucks) and don´t bother anymore about these temp files in win&internet.
Luck

[CMonster]

shutdown into DOS mode or start F8 into command prompt only:

c:\windows>deltree tempor~1

press enter, and you will have to wait a a few minutes while while it does it's thing...

it's free

If you are using 95 and have a Linux partition, you can access your Windows partition and view the hidden cache files using any number of programs (I used Netscape) ...I was surprized at the image quality of some of these files...saucy

[This message has been edited by CMonster (edited 04-23-99).]

[Kronix]

How do you delete the unseen files in the temporary internet folder with Windows98. When I right-click on the temp folder and hit Explore, I only get the most recent files, but there's still 4.5mb that don't show up even with show all files enabled. I would like to delete them without using c\windows>deltree tempor~1.

[CMonster]

4.5MB isn't much and having the cached files really does speed up your internet experience for frequently visited pages; however, you can easily delete the files from Win98 by using explore. Open each cache folder (they are inside the Temporary Internet folder), under "edit" choose "select all, and then right click the files and choose "delete". In fact you can even view the files in Win98, to see what they are.

As for the "deltree" option, it works well in Win95 and 98 - the folder is recreated when you reboot into windows again.

[Bleeding Edge]

CM. These folders your referring to are in the Content.EI5 folder, correct?

There's about a dozen folders with different names such as, 7h28o78q, 8dbx48ra,Ajuz69et and similar names.

The contents of these folders are all the same, correct?

If we delete the contents out of one of these folders, the contents of the other folders are also deleted, as well as the viewable contents of the Temp Internet folder, correct?

But if we delete the viewable contents normally (not thru Explorer and as mentioned in the other replies) The contents of the other folders remain, correct?

Have you deleted the folder themselves? Then are the folders re-created? I sort of remember deleting similar folders in IE4 without re-creation and moving the Temp folder elsewhere.

What are these folders? Is each folder for individual MS affiliates to track?

[socalgal]

I noticed at work that deleting the contents of a single IE5.0 subfolder (those dozen or so with number) did not automatically delete the contents of the other similar subfolders. There also remained a system .dat file. I assume this is because of sys admin policies and/or perhaps connected to the servers or network. (?)

But here at home (no network), it is as Bleeding Edge said: delete one subfolders' contents, the rest go too (and no .dat file).

I am afraid to think of the answer to that last question, Bleeding Edge.

[MadMax]

Umm....Edit autoexec.bat>
deltree c:\windows\tempor~1 or the appropriate dir for your browser. Cleans cache files @ every boot. I would rather wait 10 more secs than have "the man" know where I've been, ha ha. 8)

[800XL]

If you want to make it truly automated and not have to hit "Y" at every boot:

c:\windows>deltree /y tempor~1

Personally, I actually use the cache. The "man" knowing where I've been has long ago been taken care of by the wonderful addition of cookies. 50% of all websites don't function correctly at all now without them enabled so I've given up fighting it. The cache or "temporary internet files" as it they call it in Redmond go clear back to Mosiac. If you cache all the bloated graphics on the sites you visit frequently, you don't download them again every visit. Why choke the already stuffed bandwidth of your link, ISP, and the Internet downloading the same megabyte of animated gifs 7 times a week?

FYI, if you are using this 'trick' at work to keep the boss from finding out about the porno sites you visit, think again. 90% of businesses connected to the internet have some form of web proxy these days and that keeps better track of your movements than your cache files could ever do. Believe me, I've seen the log files and you'd be amazed at the detail. Best bet is just don't go doing things on the internet you don't want anyone to know about. Either that or quit worrying what others think and deal with it. This paranoia is just ruining the whole purpose of cache files which is to keep traffic lower and make the internet faster for everyone.

"Difficult to tell, always in motion is the future."

[CMonster]

Wow! More response than I expected.

Bleeding Edge, I HAVE deleted the entire cache folder(s) in both Win95 and Win98, and each time the folders are recreated when I reboot into Windows - recreated empty. Also I read that if you use IE40 options to move the Temporary Internet Files folder then they all get deleted anyway.

800XL - I agree that cached files are faster and better than downloading them again each time you visit a site. I just have noticed that some people do not realize how much disk space they are wasting as these files accumulate. As far as privacy goes, I'm saying it for the home user...and just as a little reminder that you can get cought with your pants down. I work for the LAPD (not a cop)and if you want to talk about computer use being monitored that is really the place - every key stroke! And I should remind everyone that once deleted they are not yet truely gone - the disk area has got to be written over a few times before they are truely unrecoverable. BUT if you don't wnat your mother or your girlfriend looking at those .jpg's by mistake I suggest dumping them. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

PEACE to ALL!!!!!