-=PCTechTalk=- Re: Temp files
- From: Gman <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 15:19:00 -0400
Sammi,
Windows Temp folder is just as much an annoyance under XP as it was in
98. I always recommend having this folder as empty as it will allow
(folders and files alike), but I suppose I haven't stated that over this
list for a while. The best approach is to do it immediately following a
reboot, so that there will be as few as possible 'file in use' issues. You
can also try Disk Cleanup, which handles much more than just Temp files.
The reason I suggest getting rid of Temp files is twofold (is that
REALLY a real word?). First, they take up space that could be put to use
elsewhere. Secondly, and of much more significance, if a process calls a
file into play and there is already a file by that name in the Temp folder,
the process will try using the old temp version instead of copying a fresh
version into it. If the older temp version has experienced any corruption
(happens much more often than most realize), the process will most likely
have problems and you, the user, will have no idea why. Clearing the Temp
folder will immediately clear up these issues.
Since the default locations for the various Temp folders (there is one
for every user on the computer and another used exclusively for special
Windows processes)doesn't make it easy to do any of this 'housecleaning', I
create a new one just inside the volume's root (C:\Temp) and then direct
Windows to use that one instead of the defaults. If this makes sense to
you, feel free to do the same to yours. In XP, the control for telling it
to use the new one can be accessed by right clicking on My Computer and
selecting Properties. Go to the Advanced tab and click on Environment
Variables. There are two listings in the top section and two in the bottom
section. Double click on the first line that shows the path as
"%USERPROFILE%\Temp" and a new box will come up. Replace what's already
there with "C:\Temp" (without the quotes) and click OK. You'll now see that
it points to the new location. Repeat this for the remaining three entries
(both top and bottom areas), click OK to close all open Property sheets and
reboot when you're finished. It's a simple tweak that makes my life so much
easier on the systems I service. I highly suspect it will do the same for
you. :O)
Peace,
G
"The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask!"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sammi" <sammi@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 1:23 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Temp files
> Looking in Documents and Settings\Sammi\Local Settings\Temp, I see 222
> folders and 14,055 files for a total of 694 MBs. This seems excessive to
> me.
> In W98, I kept my temp folder empty, but in W XP I am unsure if that is
> safe.
>
> I have trouble believing that a program would stash anything of importance
> in a temp folder if it was necessary to keep. On the other hand, I'm
> having
> trouble believing in anything computer-wise right now.
>
> Should I dump everything that is loose, that is files that are not in a
> folder? What about the folders?
>
> AGAIN...TIA,
> Sammi
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