Location of Temporary Internet Files; advise requested.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have XP. I have spotted several locations for Temporary Internet Files and hope someone can advise me on which ones the system uses and when:

FIRSTLY
C:\Documents and Settings\Myname\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files

The above seems to be where the cache is set to point to (in IE Options and because it is populated with files from this site now).

SECONDLY
C:\Documents and Settings\Myname\Local Settings\Temp\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5

The above seems to be redundant because the internet cache files do not seem to be there although it contains four folders with names like "B1ZLQUJ0" which the first location does not have.

Does anyone know A) why the folders are in two places and B) what all the files in the \Temp\ directory are actually for?

Finally, as my profile "Myname" is also "Administrator" I have all the same Temporary Internet Files folders in the Administrator folders but they don't seem to be populated. How is XP chosing which profile to log my internet activity under?

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5

Because I have two drives (one with only 1Gb free space) I want to move all my Temporary Internet Files locations to this drive so when I erase free space it does 1Gb overwrite instead of 34Gb overwrite (my primary drive is larger!). So I am trying to make sure I move everything I should do.

Can I delete the contents of "C:\Documents and Settings\Myname\Local Settings\Temp"; i.e. is it rubbish?

Help and advise very much appreciated.

Regards, Rob

 

[Anonymous]

temp internet files

Hi Rob,

Much of what you asked depends on how you initially setup XP and with what permissions. I can give you a blanket answer that there is no reason not to erase all temporary internet file locations. Your main folder should be your primary (which looks like 'myname'), but adding the others won't hurt anything.

As opposed to moving your TIF to another drive if freespace wipe time is an issue, have you ever thought about partioning the large drive with a partition for OS and Programs only with all related files in another partition? This is a nice way to keep your OS partition small and makes for a fast freespace wipe.

You asked another question about the temp file - Can I delete the contents of "C:\Documents and Settings\Myname\Local Settings\Temp"; i.e. is it rubbish?

Usually. However, it depends again on how your default download settings are set. Some people have their downloads go into the temp file which is a bad idea. Usually the temp file should be for programs that unpack files for setup purposes, various cleanups, etc. But, as long as you don't actually have main setup files from downloaded programs in your temp file - erase it! But DO take a look at how it is being used first. Again, mainly you just want to make sure it is being used for its intended purpose as outlined above.

Good luck...[/b]