Windows/Temp "Ron Patterson" <a.baba[ at ]mindspring.com> 11/27/2008 7:43:17 PM Is it safe to delete all files I find in C:\Windows\Temp ? How about the Corecomp.ini files that are in several folders named similarily to _ISTMP1.DIR ? I have almost eighty folders named with a ten digit number starting with 121 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ example: 1214071708 There are no files in these folders. Can they be deleted? As a general rule - is it always safe to delete a folder or directory with no files in it? Thanks Ron Patterson

Re: Windows/Temp JD <JD[ at ]example.invalid> 11/27/2008 8:37:24 PM Ron Patterson wrote: [Quoted Text] > Is it safe to delete all files I find in C:\Windows\Temp ? > > How about the Corecomp.ini files that are in several folders named > similarily to _ISTMP1.DIR ? > > I have almost eighty folders named with a ten digit number starting with 121 > _ _ _ _ _ _ _ > example: 1214071708 > There are no files in these folders. Can they be deleted? > > As a general rule - is it always safe to delete a folder or directory with > no files in it? > > Thanks > Ron Patterson > > Generally speaking, anything in a Temp folder is supposed to be Temporary? That said, I notice my C:\Windows\Temp contains two files that appear to be created by my ZoneAlarm program and they have today's date. When I tried to delete one of them I got the following error: "Cannot delete; It is being used by another person or program. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again. OK" Have you used Disk Cleanup? My computer, right click on C drive and select Properties, then Disk Cleanup under the General tab. As far as deleting empty folders, if some program has created them in a Temp folder then generally if the program needs that folder later, it should re-create the folder. Hopefully. ;) -- JD..

Re: Windows/Temp "Ron Patterson" <a.baba[ at ]mindspring.com> 11/27/2008 9:14:24 PM Thanks for the response JD. Naturally I was hoping for something more definitive. Ron "JD" <JD[ at ]example.invalid> wrote in message news:%238f3y$MUJHA.6044[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... [Quoted Text] > Ron Patterson wrote: >> Is it safe to delete all files I find in C:\Windows\Temp ? >> >> How about the Corecomp.ini files that are in several folders named >> similarily to _ISTMP1.DIR ? >> >> I have almost eighty folders named with a ten digit number starting with >> 121 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ >> example: 1214071708 >> There are no files in these folders. Can they be deleted? >> >> As a general rule - is it always safe to delete a folder or directory >> with no files in it? >> >> Thanks >> Ron Patterson >> >> > > Generally speaking, anything in a Temp folder is supposed to be Temporary? > That said, I notice my C:\Windows\Temp contains two files that appear to > be created by my ZoneAlarm program and they have today's date. When I > tried to delete one of them I got the following error: > > "Cannot delete; It is being used by another person or program. Close any > programs that might be using the file and try again. OK" > > Have you used Disk Cleanup? My computer, right click on C drive and select > Properties, then Disk Cleanup under the General tab. > > As far as deleting empty folders, if some program has created them in a > Temp folder then generally if the program needs that folder later, it > should re-create the folder. Hopefully. ;) > > -- > JD..

Re: Windows/Temp "Twayne" <nobody[ at ]devnull.spamcop.net> 11/28/2008 12:07:19 AM Hi Ron, [Quoted Text] > Is it safe to delete all files I find in C:\Windows\Temp ? Yes. Some may be ' in use ' however, and that will prevent them from being deleted. In theory, all files there except in use one will be automatically deleted but obviously many things can happen to prevent that; freeze, improper shutdown, bugs, corruption, etc.. Immediately after a Restart if often the opportune time to delete them; before they can be pulled into use. Sometimes programs don't release those files & thus they remain "in use" once used once, until a restart happens. > > How about the Corecomp.ini files that are in several folders named > similarily to _ISTMP1.DIR ? Definitel if they are in a temp folder. If not: I'm not positive though I think yes, but what you could try is: Rename them and see if any problem develops. If not, delete them. If so, put them back. I think those afe often leftover installation files and aren't needed after the install completes. Do a Restart before deleting them, since that may cause the not in use ones to be deleted. > > I have almost eighty folders named with a ten digit number starting > with 121 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ > example: 1214071708 > There are no files in these folders. Can they be deleted? If those are in/under a temp folder, then almost certainly yes, they can be deleted. If in doubt, try renaming the folder that contains them and do a Restart; if all still works, they can be deleted. If anything goes wrong, you may need to rename them back to get the problem/s to go away. > > As a general rule - is it always safe to delete a folder or > directory with no files in it? Yes. The reason for calling them temp is just that: They are temporary. In theory once the program is closed and those files are no longer used, they should be automatically deleted. Restarting the computer should do the same for any temp file anywhere on the disk unless something has gone wrong somewhere. Which does happen. If a temp file is in use, window will not let you delete it anyway, so; it becomes a moot point. The best time to delete temp files is right after a bootup; before any program manages to get hold of them. A temp file is like a scratchpad you might use while doing your taxes or something. Once the math for line xx is finished and entered in line 21, say, it's no longer needed, so the program sets it aside for deletion when the program ends. Only sometimes things happen and they don't get deleted. And then you have the kinds that aren't needed "right now" but maybe later: In those cases, if you delete it, the program just recreates it again the next time it runs. So if you delete one and it's back again, that's usually why. Nothing went wrong and no problem happens; the program just wanted its scratchpad back to use. HTH Twayne > > Thanks > Ron Patterson

Re: Windows/Temp JD <JD[ at ]example.invalid> 11/28/2008 1:56:04 AM Why not run Disk Cleanup and let it delete the Temporary files and see what's left? Close as many programs as you can before you run it. As Twayne and I stated, the files in are Temp folders. They should be temporary. If they are in use you won't be able to delete them. Sneak up on it! Ron Patterson wrote: [Quoted Text] > Thanks for the response JD. Naturally I was hoping for something more > definitive. > Ron > > > "JD" <JD[ at ]example.invalid> wrote in message > news:%238f3y$MUJHA.6044[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >> Ron Patterson wrote: >>> Is it safe to delete all files I find in C:\Windows\Temp ? >>> >>> How about the Corecomp.ini files that are in several folders named >>> similarily to _ISTMP1.DIR ? >>> >>> I have almost eighty folders named with a ten digit number starting with >>> 121 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ >>> example: 1214071708 >>> There are no files in these folders. Can they be deleted? >>> >>> As a general rule - is it always safe to delete a folder or directory >>> with no files in it? >>> >>> Thanks >>> Ron Patterson >>> >>> >> Generally speaking, anything in a Temp folder is supposed to be Temporary? >> That said, I notice my C:\Windows\Temp contains two files that appear to >> be created by my ZoneAlarm program and they have today's date. When I >> tried to delete one of them I got the following error: >> >> "Cannot delete; It is being used by another person or program. Close any >> programs that might be using the file and try again. OK" >> >> Have you used Disk Cleanup? My computer, right click on C drive and select >> Properties, then Disk Cleanup under the General tab. >> >> As far as deleting empty folders, if some program has created them in a >> Temp folder then generally if the program needs that folder later, it >> should re-create the folder. Hopefully. ;) >> >> -- >> JD.. > > -- JD..

Re: Windows/Temp "Gerry" <gerry[ at ]nospam.com> 11/28/2008 5:45:22 PM JD I think you should only delete Temporary Files from a previous session and not the current one. Disk CleanUp only works for the User Profile it is run from. If there is a second user it will have to be run from that User Profile as well. cCleaner works to clear all User Profiles. -- Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JD wrote: [Quoted Text] > Why not run Disk Cleanup and let it delete the Temporary files and see > what's left? Close as many programs as you can before you run it. > > As Twayne and I stated, the files in are Temp folders. They should be > temporary. If they are in use you won't be able to delete them. > > Sneak up on it! > > Ron Patterson wrote: >> Thanks for the response JD. Naturally I was hoping for something >> more definitive. >> Ron >> >> >> "JD" <JD[ at ]example.invalid> wrote in message >> news:%238f3y$MUJHA.6044[ at ]TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl... >>> Ron Patterson wrote: >>>> Is it safe to delete all files I find in C:\Windows\Temp ? >>>> >>>> How about the Corecomp.ini files that are in several folders named >>>> similarily to _ISTMP1.DIR ? >>>> >>>> I have almost eighty folders named with a ten digit number >>>> starting with 121 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ >>>> example: 1214071708 >>>> There are no files in these folders. Can they be deleted? >>>> >>>> As a general rule - is it always safe to delete a folder or >>>> directory with no files in it? >>>> >>>> Thanks >>>> Ron Patterson >>>> >>>> >>> Generally speaking, anything in a Temp folder is supposed to be >>> Temporary? That said, I notice my C:\Windows\Temp contains two >>> files that appear to be created by my ZoneAlarm program and they >>> have today's date. When I tried to delete one of them I got the >>> following error: "Cannot delete; It is being used by another person >>> or program. >>> Close any programs that might be using the file and try again. OK" >>> >>> Have you used Disk Cleanup? My computer, right click on C drive and >>> select Properties, then Disk Cleanup under the General tab. >>> >>> As far as deleting empty folders, if some program has created them >>> in a Temp folder then generally if the program needs that folder >>> later, it should re-create the folder. Hopefully. ;) >>> >>> -- >>> JD..

Re: Windows/Temp JD <JD[ at ]example.invalid> 11/28/2008 6:00:43 PM Thanks Gerry.. Learn something new every day! Gerry wrote: [Quoted Text] > JD > > I think you should only delete Temporary Files from a previous session > and not the current one. Disk CleanUp only works for the User Profile it > is run from. If there is a second user it will have to be run from that > User Profile as well. cCleaner works to clear all User Profiles. > -- JD..