Expert: Kevin - 6/10/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello

3 days ago after I did Search *.TMP  and deleted all the temp files that were not deleted by XP Home Clean Disk and Advanced System Optimizer,
All programs ran good and only when I wanted to turn off to computer, I could not as well as Restart it.   I powered it off, and then half of the programs did not work.  I tried to do Windows Repair, but it did not help.   I had to reformat the hard drive and reinstall all again.

The reason I wanted to delete these files is that one program, Info Select, a PIM program is delaying on searches.  After I deleted all the files from the Search, Info Select worked perfectly !!

Now, I am not sure what to do -
The files are all Temp.  in Folders :  Fonts,  Windows System 32 ,  Common files/system, AppPatch, Program files messenger , C:\windows,

1 Is it safe to delete all the temp files (some are from 2001 and 2004...)    ?  If no, which ones ARE safe to delete?

2  If I delete them, can I for sure restore them from the Recycle bin if something went wrong?

Thank you very much,   Gabe

XP Home
Pentume 4     2 Ghtz
2 Gig of   DDR  RAM

ANSWER: Hi Gabe,

1. I would say it's almost 100% safe to remove .tmp files. They are temp files for a reason and should not be needed again once a program is done using it. Since you said you ran into problems when you deleted them, let's try using another approach. Use the below program to do this instead and see if the problem is still there:

Download ATF Cleaner at http://www.atribune.org/ccount/click.php?id=1
Double-click ATF-Cleaner.exe to run the program. Under Main choose Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.

If you use the Firefox browser click Firefox at the top and choose Select All
Click the Empty Selected button.
NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt.

If you use the Opera browser click 'Opera' at the top and choose 'Select All'
Click the Empty Selected button.
NOTE: If you would like to keep your saved passwords, please click No at the prompt.

Click Exit on the Main menu to close the program.

2. Depending on how you deleted the items, you may be able to restore them. If you just did a regular delete, then it should still be in the recycle bin. Keep in mind that ATF Cleaner will not send the deleted files to the recycle bin. They will be removed directly.

Let me know if there are any other issues.

Kevin.
Kevin's Resource Center - http://www.greyknight17.com
KRC Forum - http://www.greyknight17.com/bb

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again and thank you for such a nice answer!

Last one, please,  the %temp%  - are these different than the *.tmp and is it completely safe to delete them ?

Thanks again,  Gabe

Answer
That folder (%temp% - usually will be your c:\temp folder) should be safe to empty. It's most likely the location of most of your *.tmp files also. Some files in there can not be deleted as there may be a program that's currently running and using it. But yes, you may empty that folder from time to time without worrying much (as long as you don't save anything there by mistake). Some users just save their files randomly and I have seen cases where they saved it in these temp folders, which I don't recommend doing.

Kevin.
Kevin's Resource Center - http://www.greyknight17.com
KRC Forum - http://www.greyknight17.com/bb