Windows Temp Files

TEMP Files, Discussion and Deleting


Many programs, as you install them, create temporary files on the
hard drive, storing them in the Temp folder or in subfolders that the setup 
process creates for the occasion. 

When you use some programs, they, too, create temporary files. 

Ideally, setup routines and programs you use should clean up after 
themselves and delete the temp files they created. 

But of course, that which is ideal is elusive. 
That's why you have all those files in your Temp folders. 

And that accumulation is far from good for the computer.
It takes up space you could use for storing files and
installing programs. 

Beyond that, undeleted temporary files can cause a heck of a lot of trouble. 

Is the computer slowing down? 
The detritus in the Temp folders might be taking up so much space 
that Windows cannot create an adequate swap file -
the file it uses as temporary memory. 

Do you get "Access denied" messages? Look to an overloaded 
Temp directory as the culprit. 

It is astonishing how many computer blowups can be traced 
right to the Temp folder. 
Thus, the general rule is that you should delete all files in the temp folder 
and its subdirectories, including files that do not end in the tmp extension. 

There are two caveats, however. 

Some programs, as part of their installation process, need to reboot the 

computer. So, if you have installed a program, 
do not clean out your Temp folders until after the requisite reboot. 

Second, close all programs before you clean out your 
Temp folders, lest you confuse the programs currently using temp files. 


Removing TMP files is fairly simple: 
Open the TEMP folder under C:\Windows. 
All the tmp files are listed in the right pane. 
Click on the first one (just once so it is highlighted.) 
Scroll down to the last one. Holding down the shift key, 
click on the last tmp file. 
All the files are now within a blue field. 
Right-click anywhere on the blue field. 
From the pop up menu choose Delete. 
Then go to your Reycle Bin and right click on it. 
Choose Delete from the popup menu 

Like everything else, there are other ways to delete these files

1 Open Internet Explorer and click on Tools
2 Click on Internet Options
3 On the General Tab, in the middle of the screen, click on Delete Files
4 You may also want to check the box "Delete all offline content"
5 Click on OK and wait for the hourglass icon to stop after it deletes the 
temporary internet files
6 You can now click on Delete Cookies and click OK to delete cookies that 
websites have placed on your hard drive. 
Computer Tips