i notice i have two temp folders - one in the windows folder and one in my c:\Documents and Settings\Bill Bailey\Local Settings\Temp the local settings folder contains megabytes of files including a setup file for Microsoft Visual Studio Windows Installer Bootstrapper (71k) and.... Perflib_Perfdata_1cc.dat (16k) Twunk001.MTX and Twunk002.MTX $$$reghive vmpremov.exe desktopsearchupdateinfo.scuf (what's a scuf file?) Twain001.mtx IMT10C.xml (there are a lot of xml files) 194_appcompat.txt (there are a lot of appcompat txt files) gtb49.tmp.cab (what's a cabinet file?) AQ3Dduninstall.exe created 02/05/2004 (my computer is only 4 months old from new??) does anyone know if it's 100% safe to delete all this junk or am i suddenly going to find my system crashes like when i allowed a well known registry cleaner to clean up my registry.... Priority Message from Windows - "hey some dimwit just deleted a critical file in the local temp folder - what a klutz!! - Windows is now closing down and will REFUSE to restart - when are you going to learn NOT TO DELETE TEMP FILES!!" - signed yours sincerely Windows why is it i don't trust either windows or half the cleaners to do the job properly? (yes i know - 21st century post modern paranoia - the machines are taking over - do not tamper with us earthling or we will refuse to work!)
of course it's not just temp files that are the problem.... trojan cleaner elite has detected a trojan in your veryimportant.dat file recommended action remove!! remove Priority Windows Message - "veryimportant.dat file has gone missing -windows error 456 - user stupidity!!" HIPSMON has detected an unknown exe file called criticalwindowsprocess.exe that is trying to execute - do you allow or block? block Priority Windows Message - "criticalwindowsprocess.exe failed - windows BSOD - hope you have a backupppppppppppppppppppppppp" Congratulations you have successfully backed up all your critical data - if you need to restore press the red button marked "sucker" press restore failed - critical error in backup file (this is fixed in the next version)
delete and let in in the recycle bin, to see what happens, then you can restore if you're unsure; but they should be safely deleted, if they're all in the temp folder
hi nico - thanks - i'm thinking of deleting them 1 by 1 starting with what i consider to be the most harmless (that will be my first mistake) i'm just amazed that there is so much stuff in there that i don't have the faintest idea what it is or how it got there. it's like landing on an alien planet where the laws of physics have been rewritten by a drunk on speed and then a passing robot tells you you are on planet earth - how? when? where? why? - the mind reels under the impact of a million improbabilities all jostling for the next reality slot in your unfolding conciousness (version 1.2.4.1)
while we are on the subject of recycle bins - has anyone heard of the one that allows you to throw stuff into it like a basket ball - is it called magic bin or something like that? - do you think it's safe to replace the windows version of the recycle bin with a third party bin?
lol . Hi toploader, I think you can save time and delete everything in the same time safely, provided you'll still have a copy in the recycle bin. I delete "heartily" all sorts of temp files regularly (with Ace Utilities), and there have never been problems here: It's even good to clean in front of his door, instead to keep all sorts of temp/useless install files, etc. The same goes for the registry, if you use a *good* cleaner making backups before deleting the entries: you can still go back.
hi nico - i am a bit timid when it come to using file cleaners as some can be very aggressive in their cleaning - the one that screwed my registry did take a backup automatically fortunately (but it didn't tell me this at the time) my computer came without the xp install disks - just a restore partition which has already been tampered with by ewido when it said it found a possible trojan there. so if my system crashes i'm not very confident i will ever get it back.
The %SystemRoot%\System32\Perflib_Perfdataxxx.dat files are created by the System Monitor. When you shutdown normally, the file should be deleted. If you have an abormal shutdown, these files can become orphaned, and accumulate on your computer. Under some yet to be determined circumstances, these files can become orphaned during normal operation. The best way to remove these files is to add a command in a logon script: del /q %SystemRoot%\System32\Perflib_Perfdata*.dat Hi, Toploader, Found some info on this one above, hope this helps. T
thanks t772 - one good way to learn about the operating system is to look in the temp folder - cheers
Hya top, There could be several areas called "Temp" in a PC to investigate. Temp/Tmp/TEMP/TMP As well as ones created by Apps etc. The two programs below should find all these for you, but just run a Windows Search for and in ALL the Temp variations to double check the're cleaned. MRUBlaster is very good and i use it along with CCleaner daily. RegSeeker is excellent, and if you delete only the Green entries it's safe. The RED ones should be clicked on which launches RegEdit to the Exact location for further checking to make sure before you also delete these. Ensure that the Backup is ticked in the bottom left and you can always then replace anything that may be amiss. I've been using V 1.35 for several years and run it weekly with never any problems. I only deltete the INVALDID entries in RED though and everything in GREEN. StevieO
thanks for the info StevieO - i never had half this hassle with my old Atari STE (but then again it was a floppy driven thing)
installed regseeker 1.45 it found 1424 invalid entries - about 60% red 40% green there is select all - unselect all - and invert selection options - it don't say anything about red or green selections. but anyway backup or no backup there is no way i'm gonna let it delete 1424 entries - all i will have left of my system is a smouldering stickman blowing a raspberry a lot of the red ones are invalid ActiveX/COM
Hi Top, Trust me you can Safely delete ALL the Green ones, these are harmless remnants ! You have to manually select the entries you want. Click on a colour and then hold Shift and scroll down. If you have that many i would do it in batches. Anyway as you have to stop the selections when you hit a different colour you need to do repeat selections and deletes. I would leave the Red ones apart from the invalid ActiveX ones. These are usually left behind after Installing and then Uninstalling software etc, and you've done a lot of that i know lol. I have been doing all of the above for several years with no probs. Use the backup feature just in case you make an error, and you can revert any easily. It all becomes second nature in no time, and it really will make a difference. StevieO
thanks Stevieo - i wish i had your confidence when it comes to playing with the most important file on the computer (the last time i tried to select entries using another reg cleaner it deleted the lot) i like crap cleaner cos it gives you a lot of control over what you select and delete using tick boxes and you can delete one at a time.
i just noticed that select all can select all the green or all the red - i selected all the green and deleted em all - aaaagh what have i done!!!
Do not worry . It is only at first usage that you are likely to find this many entries . As a matter of fact on my computer I have been regularly deleting all entries of both the colours .No problems till date. However what StevieO says is the right way.
Hya Top, What have you done with the Greens ? Only eliminated a ton of useless rubbish, that's all lol ! It won't do any harm at all, in fact just the opposite, and should make your PC should boot a bit faster too. You might even be brave enough to delete the RED Invalid ActiveX ones, now you know you havn't been trashed etc ? StevieO
i think i will stick on green for the time being StevieO, i may get overconfident thanks for your help btw.
