Re: Disk cleanup, Search Results, Deleting .tmp files... UGH!

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From: Phil (I.fix.probs_at_for.you)
Date: 05/10/04 

Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 14:24:01 -0400

Steve Nielsen wrote:
> These have been problems in previous Windows versions. It seems such
> an obvious boneheaded thing that I am astonished why M$ while
> deciding what is best for us users has not fixed or changed these
> very simple things. No, instead of fixing some long-standing, real
> problems with the OS they decided to make it into a cartoon instead.
> But I digress...
>
> 1. Disk cleanup does not. Period. Never has. Half-hearted attempts at
> best. It niether deletes all temporary Internet files nor all unneeded
> .tmp files as it is supposed to do. And why should I care if it
> compresses unused files or not and why should it take it a half an
> hour of MY TIME to do so? Other files systems that use compression do
> so on the fly during idle times.

Yes, I have noticed it does not clean it all like you'd expect it to do.

>
> 2. Because Disk cleanup does not work correctly one must manually
> delete .tmp files that accumulate over time in order to avoid/correct
> application malfunctions caused by the existence of certain .tmp
> files. Which begs another question - why would a properly designed OS
> leave these little "droppings" behind in the first place?

The only reason to delete the temp files would be to gain space. I've never
seen left over temp files cause application malfunctions. A properly written
app would have no prob with temp files and folders.

> 3. To find these .tmp files one must use the Search tool. No problem.
> At least that works... IF you change some default settings, such as
> file viewing (show hidden files, many .tmp files that cause problems
> are hidden) and WHERE to start looking. My Documents? Why would
> anyone want to start searching for ANYTHING in My Documents? If what
> I wanted was in My Documents I'd probably know it was there already,
> since *I* put it there, and I wouldn't need the Search tool to find
> it.

You don't have to search for them. They are located here:
C:\Documents and Settings\your user name here\Local Settings\Temp
This folder is a hidden folder so you have to have explorer set to show
hidden files.

> 4. Once the .tmp files are found and selected some will not delete as
> they are in use by the system. Ok, I understand. No problem there. BUT
> the rest of the selected files won't go ahead and delete either after
> one of the files in use is hit. Now how stupid is that?

When you highlight all the files in the temp folder and try to delete them,
it may find one in use, then it stops deleting. All you have to do at this
point is hold the ctrl key down to un-highlight the file in use(xp told you
what it was) by holding the cursor over the file with ctrl held down. Once
the file in un-highlighted hit delete and all the previous files that are
still highlighted get deleted.

> 5. To make matters worse, the Search results window does NOT refresh
> automatically nor reliably even when done manually - it ALWAYS
> continues to display files that HAVE BEEN ALREADY DELETED. What's the
> point in that? So, you have to repeat the search over again and
> delete more files until it hits one in use, repeat the search over
> again and delete more files until it hits another one in use, etc.,
> ad nauseum.

Do not delete the files from the search window. Just browse to the correct
temp folder in explorer (as listed above) and delete the files from there.

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