Re: Cookie Removal

Tim:

I don't mean to be obsessed with Temp Int Files.

The point of my previous reply was that "%USERPROFILE%\Cookies" is
empty except for index.dat. Since it is empty, I am asking what is
the point of the index files in Temp Int Files?

CONTENT.IE5 has normally been viewable. For some reason I can no
longer see it, even with hidden/system option checked - unless I type
\CONTENT.IE5 onto the end of the path in the address bar - as you
suggested. Then, I can see CONTENT.IE5. This is strange as in the
past CONTENT.IE5 has always been viewable so long as I've checked
hidden/system viewable options.

You gave me a command to run in a command window to determine the
location of the Cookies folder on my PC. I did this. The results are
exactly the same as the sample run you gave me from your PC. - My
cookies directory is: %USERPROFILE%\Cookies

The overall goal of this discussion has been to keep undesireable
cookies out of my PC. Since the Cookies directory is always empty and
because Temp Int Files contains index files (not cookies), have I
achieved my overall goal?


David


On Thu, 28 May 2009 17:41:53 +0100, "Tim Med***"
<timmed***@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

David,
please STOP being obsessed with the 'Temp Inet Files' folder, as
I said earlier, cookies are NOT actually stored there. No, look in a folder
called:

"%USERPROFILE%\Cookies"

type this into a 'Command Prompt' window:


dir "%USERPROFILE%\Cookies"


....and you should be presented with a long list of [.txt] files named with
your 'username' @ 'a website' .txt

These are your 'cookie' files.

If, for some reason, the folder is not there, type out the following command
in a 'Command prompt' window, to find the location of your 'cookies' folder:

reg QUERY "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders" /v Cookies


(*note - the preceding command should be all on one line but may not appear
so due to line-wrap. Please ensure the command begins with 'reg' and ends
with 'Cookies')

...executing this command will not change anything but give you an output of
the location of where your 'Cookies' folder has been specified to be on your
machine.

(e.g. on my machine the output of the above command is:

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders
Cookies REG_EXPAND_SZ %USERPROFILE%\Cookies

...or "%USERPROFILE%\Cookies"

)


Please stop trying to find cookies in the 'Temporary Internet Files' folder,
as I before said, they only appear to be there but what your seeing is an
indexed list of lots of files in varying locations.

Also, the folder 'Content.IE5' ALWAYS exists within the 'Temp Inet Files'
folder, but has the 'hidden' file attribute set so you will only see it if
you:

a). checkmark the box 'Show hidden files and folders' in the 'Folder
Options' control.

b). because the viewable contents of the 'Temp Inet Files' folder is only an
'indexed list' you have to get past it because the 'Content.IE5 folder will
not be in the list so you have to type it into the address bar. That is;
when in the 'Temp Inet Files' folder type: \Content.IE5 on to the end of
the path in the address bar.

i.e: "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5"

...or type:


dir /a "%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5"


...in a 'Command Prompt' window to see the contents of this folder, which
will be a variety of sub-folders with alphanumerical names that contain the
*real* temporary internet files that are listed in the 'Temporary Internet
Files' folder.

==


Cheers, Tim Med***, Peckham, London. :-)


<David> wrote in message news:b70q15dko6q90spqlpf2tfialafrq2v0u0@xxxxxxxxxx
On Tue, 26 May 2009 18:37:47 -0600, "Doug W." <stand@attention> wrote:


<David> wrote in message
news:dvno151aecq1cr6mteb1rvogi0uqherqbv@xxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 25 May 2009 23:04:43 +0100, "Tim Med***"
<timmed***@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

David,
Cookies are NOT located in the 'Temporary Internet
Files' folder,
although they do 'appear' to be but what you are seeing is an
indexed list
made up of files that are in other locations.

The Temporary Internet Files are actually located in
alphanumerically named
sub-directories within the folder:
"%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet
Files\Content.IE5"

The Cookies are actually stored in folder:
"%USERPROFILE%\Cookies"

...so your batch file should point to this folder. e.g.


@echo off
del "%USERPROFILE%\Cookies\*.txt"


However, though the cookies are actually gone they may
well still show
up in the 'Temporary Internet Files' folder as I said - it's
only an indexed
list.

But you can double check what I've said. If you delete
the cookies out
of the "%USERPROFILE%\Cookies" folder and then try to open one
in the Temp
Inet Files folder it won't open.


==


Cheers, Tim Med***, Peckham, London. :-)

Tim:
I currently have IE7 installed. As I use Firefox exclusively,
I have
gone into Internet Options and totally disabled cookies in IE.
"%USERPROFILE%\Cookies" is empty except for index.dat

As you suggested, I tried to open a file in Temporary Internet
Files.
XP responded by giving me a message saying that it might be
dangerous
to run a system command on the file I was trying to open.
Being the
cautious type, I canceled the command to open the file.

I have assumed %USERPROFILE% expands to C:\Documents and
Settings\David where David is the current user. Correct?

The Content.IE5 directory and its sub-directories do not
exist. They
have been gone for as long as I can remember. Since cookies
can not
be stored in a directory that does not exist, the indexed list
in
Temporary Internet Files seemes to me meaningless.

I don't know where Firefox stores its cookies. but I don't
think its
in "%USERPROFILE%\Cookies". The only time I really recall the
indexed
entries showing up is after I have been using EUDORA (my email
client).

Since the real purpose for this discussion is to rid my PC of
cookies
& Temp Internet files, it seems that I have nothing to be
concerned
about because the CONTENT.IE5 directory & its sub-dirs are
missing.

David

=================================
They will be re-created the next time you use IE.
=================================

I tested your suggestion by cranking up IE. I visited a web site I
knew would try to store cookies. Its one site where I've specifically
allowed IE to store cookies. Here is what I found:

No CONTENT.IE5 was created
As I mentioned previously, this has been gone for a long time. XP
still appears to function normally except for no CONTENT.IE5 - that
is, if I access a web site that will not function w/o cookies (and one
for which I've specifically allowed cookies), the site works.
Internet Options->Privacy->Advanced has 1st & 3rd party cookies
blocked. Internet Options->Privacy->Sites has the web site I used set
to Always Allow.
The Temporary Internet Files directory had one entry labeled Cookie
(document type text) & 4 more entries ofdocument type icon.
All these entries are different from normal entries in a Windows
Explorer window as they have an Internet Address instead of a file
size shown.
The Temporary Internet Files Directory had R/O & Hidden attributes
set - XP will not allow changes even with admin privledges.

.