Re: The plot thickens - 51,000 files missing

From: Wesley Vogel (123WVogel955_at_comcast.net)
Date: 07/26/04 

Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 03:06:09 GMT

Ron,

I actually use Disk Cleaner to clean out the TIFs and other temp stuff. I
have it set to do this automatically at boot and then I run it once in a
while manually. The only way I can tell when it runs at boot is to watch
the Recycle bin suddenly become empty. ;-)

It's free and cool.

[[Easy to use one-click cleaning
Cleaning Presets
Quiet mode , i.e. for cleaning when booting ('/q')
Extendibility by plug-ins ]]

Disk Cleaner
http://www.xs4all.nl/~mp2004/ 

----
Microsoft, for whatever possible reasons, intended for these folders to be
super hidden.  Shrug.
----
Jeez, I snipped a bunch of this message and it's still 9 KB.
-----
Maybe an interesting side note on hidden stuff...
I don't remember if you have Home or Pro or if you even mentioned which.
If Home, paste this in the Run box, click OK and see what opens.
C:\WINDOWS\DOWNLO~1\
Is it the same folder that opens from..
IE | Tools | Internet Options | General tab |
Settings button | View Objects ????
C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files
Or is it different??
If different, does it show any *.dll files???
-----
Something to consider is how file/folder size is taken in to account.
Size, size on disk, slack and other variables.  And nominal size which I do
not completely understand, but like a wooden 2x4, it's not 2x4, really.
C:\DOCUME~1\WESLEY~1.VOG\LOCALS~1\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5
Right click Content.IE5 | Properties |
Size: 160 KB (163,907 bytes)
Size on disk: 164 KB (167,936 bytes)
It actually contains 2 files right now:
desktop.ini
Size: 67 bytes (67 bytes)
Size on disk: 4.00 KB (4,096 bytes)
index.dat
Size: 160 KB (163,840 bytes)
Size on disk: 160 KB (163,840 bytes)
It looks like it adds up one way, but not the other.
-----
I just started this morning, trying to put all my TIF, History, index.dat
and desktop.ini information into one uesable document.  Instead of this info
being the electronic equivalant of notes written on matchbooks and bar
knapkins.  :-)
I still have plenty of matchbooks and bar knapkins.
Short version......
Anything related to Temporary Internet Files is smoke and mirrors.
Temporary Internet Files folders are Special Folders, like My Documents, My
Music, My Computer, Recycle Bin, et cetera.  Part of what makes them special
is the GUID or Globally Unique Identifier.  These are found in the registry,
where the GUID is the identifier for the special folder.  They are found
here: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID.  The GUID for Temporary Internet Files is
{7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}.
<snippage>
Desktop.ini for Temporary Internet Files:
desktop.ini
[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
Desktop.ini for C:\DOCUME~1\WESLEY~1.VOG\LOCALS~1\History\History.IE5:
desktop.ini
[.ShellClassInfo]
UICLSID={7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933}
CLSID={FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
The UICLSID line hides the folder in Windows Explorer. The CLSID line
disables the Search utility from searching through the folder.
If you delete the desktop.ini then the folders are no longer special and
become visible.  However, they will be recreated at next boot.  You can fool
Windows by editing the desktop.ini leaving only the [.ShellClassInfo] line.
<a lot of snippage>
With a combination of registry settings (attributes) and desktop.ini
files....
Smoke and mirrors.
-- 
Hope this helps.  Let us know.
Wes
In news:LXWMc.16251$Qu5.13945@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net,
Ron Patterson <a.baba@mindspring.com>  hunted and pecked:
> Wes,
>
>     Thank you very much for your interest in educating me about these
> matters.  You have earned the
> title of 'CleanUp Man'.
>
>     Firstly, let me assure you I have configured Folder Options\View
> to see all hidden files and folders and
> protected system files.
>
>     Here is what piqued my interest in this area.  Until recently
> when I used Norton AntiVirus to scan my
> C drive it said it had scanned @ 88,000 files.  Suddenly I noted it
> was scanning @ 144,000 files.  I
> decided to find out where these additional files suddenly appeared
> from in a weeks time.
>
>     If I individually count my C drive I find 'C' plus 20
> Directories.  If I do 'Properties' individually on each directory, I
> find I have a total of 2,963 folders containing only 31,564 files in
> these 20 Directories.  Yet Norton scan shows 144,000 files.
> Investigating further I find a great discrepancy when I highlight a
> directory and click properties as opposed to running Norton scan on
> that directory.  For example, Program Files\Properties indicates
> 10,665 files while Norton scans 63,567 files. Windows\Properties
> shows 11,750 files while Norton scans 56,758 files.
>
>     Also, when adding bytes by clicking properties in each of the 20
> Directories, I total
> 6,096,886,495 bytes.  However, when I do C\Properties I find
> 9,190,223,872 bytes (unfortunately Properties does not give a folder
> or file count in 'C').   So, how is the whole 50% greater than the
> sum of its parts since I am configured to view all files.
>
> This huge discrepancy in the number of files scanned by Norton
> (144,000) versus my detailed count
> (31,564) can be explained by someone more knowledgeable than myself
> and would not be of great concern if I suddenly had not noticed an
> increase in files scanned by Norton from 88,000 to 144,000.
> This makes me believe I have a lot of files suddenly installed
> someplace that are not needed.  And that is what drives this issue.
> Comments?
>
> Regards and thanks for all your kind assistance,
> Ron Patterson
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wesley Vogel" <123WVogel955@comcast.net>
> Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics
> Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2004 9:11 PM
> Subject: Re: The plot thickens - 51,000 files missing
>
>
>> Ron,
>>
>> Yep.  It is *very* confusing.  And offline content may or may not
>> mean anything.  I do not use any offline files.  What it really
>> means is >> the Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5 folder.  And if
>> you use Outlook Express and Internet Explorer, it really gets filled
>> up.
>>
>> I think that feature is left over from older versions of IE, when
>> internet connections were slower and more expensive.  And offline
>> files meant something.  Not today with always connected DSL and
>> cable.
>>
>> Even Content.IE5 and History.IE5 or holdovers from, well, IE5.
>>
>> As with most things in Windows, there's usually more than one way to
>> do things.
>>
>> You didn't read my whole post.  It explains how to view Temporary
>> Internet Files, Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5 and Temporary
>> Internet Files\ Content.MSO
>>
>> No need for third party tools to view the folders/files.
>>
>> I have a shortcut to:
>> C:\DOCUME~1\WESLEY~1.VOG\LOCALS~1\Temporary Internet
>> Files\Content.IE5
>> On my Desktop.
>>
>> If you don't check:  Delete all offline content, only the Temporary
>> Internet Files will be cleaned.  If you check the box, Temporary
>> Internet Files *and* Content.IE5 will be cleaned.
>>
>> However your
>> C:\Documents and Settings\YourNameHere\Local Settings\Temporary
>> Internet Files\Content.IE5\Index.dat file is probably still pretty
>> large.
>>
>> This morning mine was 32 KB.  Right now it's 560 KB (573,440 bytes),
>> but tomorrow it will be back to 32 KB ready to grow huge again.
>> That's another chapter.  Along with C:\Documents and
>> Settings\YourNameHere\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\Index.dat
>>
>> As a side note.
>>
>> Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) *will* clean:
>> C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Local Settings\Temporary
>> Internet Files
>>
>> Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) will *not* clean:
>> C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Local Settings\Temporary
>> Internet Files\Content.IE5
>>
>> As a fellow once said, "Smoke and mirrors."
>>
>> There are an awful lot of folks that do not understand the Temporary
>> Internet Files.  I do not know everything, but I can clean 'em out.
>> ;-)
>>
>> I have not found a single definitive article on the subject, you
>> really have to read many sources.
>>
>> Here's a fairly good one.
>>
>> Safely Delete the Temporary Internet Files
>> http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm
>>
>> Don't foget to clean out the Cookies folders and the History folders.
>>
>> --
>> Hope this helps.  Let us know.
>> Wes
>>
>> In news:hVAMc.13811$Qu5.8657@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net,
>> Ron Patterson <a.baba@mindspring.com>  hunted and pecked:
>>> OMG  !!!   They are gone  - @51,000 files in .......\Local Settings\
>>> .... are now down to 51.
<SNIP>
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