Temporary Internet Files

[Al]

Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem. Thanks

[AnhViet]

>-----Original Message-----
>Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
>entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
>wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem. Thanks
>.
>You try to setup Window98 Power Toys: Tweak UI. After
setup, it will run from Control Panel. Study it and you'll
find many interesting things. Good luck!

[LuckyStrike]

Yes it is safe to delete them. First re-boot your PC before starting the
delete process. If you've just installed something and the install "info"
has been placed into the Temporary Internet files, you should definitely
re-boot. Then Start>Settings>Control Panel>Internet Options>General
Tab>Delete Files>Delete all Off-Line content>OK>OK out.

As for the Shutdown freezing problem, it depends. Look into the Msconfig
utility. Start>Run> (type) Msconfig>OK>General tab>look for "Fast shutdown".
If that is checked, un-check it. I don't remember if this option is directly
on the General tab page of Msconfig, or if you must click "advanced" to see
it. This was an option which existed in W98, but was removed after applying
a certain Windows Update. Anyway, if it is present and checked, un-check
it>Apply>OK out. See if that fixes it. By now it should be unlikely that you
have "fast shutdown" if you've kept up to date with Windows Updates though.

Lastly, look into running anti-spyware applications (if you aren't doing so
already) such as Ad-Aware, CWShredder, and Spybot Search and Destroy, in
that order of appearance.
Ad-Aware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
CWShredder
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4086.html
Spybot Search and Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/
Tutorial for Spybot (must read)
http://tomcoyote.com/SPYBOT/index1.php
http://tomcoyote.com/SPYBOT/index2.php

Install, and run internal update immediately after the install. Read the
help files for better understanding of the programs. With Ad-Aware you may
generally have it Fix everything it finds. Same with CWShredder. With Spybot
S & D have it clean items which are displayed in *RED ONLY*. DO NOT clean
any Black or Green entries at this time.
--
LuckyStrike
m
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Al" > wrote in message
...
> Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
> entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
> wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem. Thanks

[AL]

Sorry if I sound a bit lost but what is Windows98 Power
Toyds and Tweak UI and how do I go about setting it up?

>-----Original Message-----
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
>>entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
>>wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem. Thanks
>>.
>>You try to setup Window98 Power Toys: Tweak UI. After
>setup, it will run from Control Panel. Study it and
you'll
>find many interesting things. Good luck!
>
>.
>

[Gary S. Terhune]

No, it is not safe to delete those files directly. Use the button provided
for this purpose in Internet Settings, General tab. When prompted, also
include "Offline Content" in the deletion.

What is your "shutdown/freezing problem"? I can see TIF files having
something to do with some kinds of these problems, but if so simply deleting
TIFs won't likely help. May require a DOS level deletion of the entire TIF
folder (can't be done in Windows), or it may be due to the presence of
malicious parasites. But until you explain in detail the symptoms of your
problem, I can't say for sure.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

"Al" > wrote in message
...
> Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
> entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
> wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem. Thanks

[Greg]

Yes it can all be deleted only 1 file and that
is the index.dat file in the Content.IE5 that
can not and it will not let you get rid if it.
Get rid of it all I do on a daily basis with
no problems.
Sorry to conflict with you Gary but this is
something that I started doing as per one of
Nutcases post.
>-----Original Message-----
>Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
>entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
>wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem. Thanks
>.
>

[Brian A.]

"LuckyStrike" m> wrote in message
...

> Look into the Msconfig
> utility. Start>Run> (type) Msconfig>OK>General tab>look for "Fast shutdown".
> If that is checked, un-check it. I don't remember if this option is directly
> on the General tab page of Msconfig, or if you must click "advanced" to see
> it

General > Advanced


--
Brian A.

Jack of all trades, Master of none.
One can never truly be a master as there is always more to learn.

[Gary S. Terhune]

I'll argue the case with Rick if he wants, but you are the one posting it
here, now. Deleting the files directly, using Windows Explorer or a DOS
command (from a batch file, for instance), leaves the TIF system more prone
to errors. Period. It does not clear the records of files kept in Index.dat,
nor does it perform a few other chores whose precise natures have slipped my
mind at the moment. It makes it more likely that in the future you will need
to use a DELTREE procedure to reset the entire thing.

Using the proper button in Internet Settings avoids these problems. And I
can't see how that could *possibly* be a more objectionable procedure than
using Windows Explorer to perform the same task. Just the opposite if your
goal is economy of time.

For the heck of it, what are the precise steps you use to perform this
procedure?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

"Greg" > wrote in message
...
> Yes it can all be deleted only 1 file and that
> is the index.dat file in the Content.IE5 that
> can not and it will not let you get rid if it.
> Get rid of it all I do on a daily basis with
> no problems.
> Sorry to conflict with you Gary but this is
> something that I started doing as per one of
> Nutcases post.
> >-----Original Message-----
> >Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
> >entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
> >wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem. Thanks
> >.
> >

[LuckyStrike]

Thanks Brian. ;-)
"Brian A." wrote:
> "LuckyStrike" wrote:
>
> > Look into the Msconfig
> > utility. Start>Run> (type) Msconfig>OK>General tab>look for "Fast
shutdown".
> > If that is checked, un-check it. I don't remember if this option is
directly
> > on the General tab page of Msconfig, or if you must click "advanced" to
see
> > it
>
> General > Advanced
>
> --
> Brian A.
>
> Jack of all trades, Master of none.
> One can never truly be a master as there is always more to learn.
>

My shutdown problem is that the "windows is shutting down"
page is freezing ever since updating with microsoft
critical downloads. It happens 99% of the time.

>-----Original Message-----
>No, it is not safe to delete those files directly. Use
the button provided
>for this purpose in Internet Settings, General tab. When
prompted, also
>include "Offline Content" in the deletion.
>
>What is your "shutdown/freezing problem"? I can see TIF
files having
>something to do with some kinds of these problems, but if
so simply deleting
>TIFs won't likely help. May require a DOS level deletion
of the entire TIF
>folder (can't be done in Windows), or it may be due to
the presence of
>malicious parasites. But until you explain in detail the
symptoms of your
>problem, I can't say for sure.
>
>--
>Gary S. Terhune
>MS MVP for Win9x
>
>"Al" > wrote in
message
...
>> Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
>> entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
>> wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem.
Thanks
>
>.
>

[Gary S. Terhune]

Do you know which CUs? Was it many or a few? Any drivers included?

Try this: First, manually disconnect your machine from the internet and use
the Options or Preferences on whatever antivirus you are using to disable
any background or startup scanning. Then go to Start => Run => type in
MSCONFIG <enter>.

Choose Selective Startup, then uncheck everything below that *except* the
ones having to do with WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI. Click OK and restart when
prompted. When Windows comes back up, restart immediately. Any problems?

Test again, only this time run IE. Cancel any warnings that will pop up due
to not being connected. Close IE, restart. Any problems?

Test again, only this time use some other major app, like Word, etc. And
test again with Outlook Express if you use that.

Reconnect to the internet and test again, using Microsoft.com as your test
page. If no problem, then test again after re-enabling your antivirus
software. If still no problem, use MSCONFIG to begin re-enabling items
there, one by one, testing a startup and shutdown sequence with each one
(these things you re-enable won't actually launch until the next time you
restart, so it's restart, shut down, see if there's a problem, then restart.

See also, Jim Eshelman's Shutdown Troubleshooter at
http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/shutdown.htm

I haven't heard anything, nor does my experience suggest that TIFs would
have any bearing on this issue. Updates might, but it would really help if
you could narrow down the list. IE Repair (Tools menu of MSINFO32) might
also fix it. But if it was a driver, or any fix related to hardware, then
*that* is probably the one to focus on.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

> wrote in message
...
> My shutdown problem is that the "windows is shutting down"
> page is freezing ever since updating with microsoft
> critical downloads. It happens 99% of the time.
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >No, it is not safe to delete those files directly. Use
> the button provided
> >for this purpose in Internet Settings, General tab. When
> prompted, also
> >include "Offline Content" in the deletion.
> >
> >What is your "shutdown/freezing problem"? I can see TIF
> files having
> >something to do with some kinds of these problems, but if
> so simply deleting
> >TIFs won't likely help. May require a DOS level deletion
> of the entire TIF
> >folder (can't be done in Windows), or it may be due to
> the presence of
> >malicious parasites. But until you explain in detail the
> symptoms of your
> >problem, I can't say for sure.
> >
> >--
> >Gary S. Terhune
> >MS MVP for Win9x
> >
> >"Al" > wrote in
> message
> ...
> >> Can someone tell me whether it is safe to delete the
> >> entries in this folder. I have over 4,500 of them and
> >> wonder if it causing my shutdown freezing probem.
> Thanks
> >
> >.
> >

[Greg]

I only follow this procedure after a fresh
reboot and have never had any problem. Maby
it is not the correct way, but I have never
shut the internet down to defrag and it only
takes about 12 min.

Easy steps to clean your computer.
Right click My Computer, left Explore,
left on +C, left on +Windows, clean out
Applog, Cookies, Temp, and Temporary
Internet Files. Right click on Task bar,
left on Properties, Start Menu Programs
and clear.
Now go Start, Programs, Accessories,
System Tools, and Maintenance Wizard.

>-----Original Message-----
>For the heck of it, what are the precise steps you use to
perform this
>procedure?

[Gary S. Terhune]

Well, I have to admit that I disagree with nearly all of those suggestions,
<s>.

APPLOG is best left alone unless it's causing problems. It is where the
system keeps track of applications usage, which information is then used by
DEFRAG to Optimize system files for faster loading. If you aren't interested
in Optimization, permanently remove TASKMON from the Registry Run key where
it resides, empty APPLOG, and it will never be necessary again.

Cookies aren't necessarily bad things, and if managed correctly, say by
using IE6 Advanced Cookie Management, there's no reason to regularly delete
them.

TEMP, as noted, should be done regularly as part of maintenance, but only
under the conditions mentioned and with the considerations for the
possibility that files you might want to save may be contained within

TIF should be emptied using the proper button in Internet Settings and no
other way. If nothing else, since IE 5.5 or earlier, the deletion also
prompts to delete Offline Content and this is usually desirable (IOW,
deleting them directly in Explorer is a no-no because of the lack of
attention to Index.dat, and using any other app to do so is unlikely to do
the whole job even *if* it deals with Index.dat properly.)

I see no reason to Clear Recent, History, or any of that as part of regular
maintenance unless you are in a paranoid mode.

Maintenance Wizard is not an app I trust, either. For one thing, it's
obsolete in relation to an Updated Windows system. After performing all of
the above, it's also rather superfluous. What can possibly be gained using
it?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

"Greg" > wrote in message
...
> I only follow this procedure after a fresh
> reboot and have never had any problem. Maby
> it is not the correct way, but I have never
> shut the internet down to defrag and it only
> takes about 12 min.
>
> Easy steps to clean your computer.
> Right click My Computer, left Explore,
> left on +C, left on +Windows, clean out
> Applog, Cookies, Temp, and Temporary
> Internet Files. Right click on Task bar,
> left on Properties, Start Menu Programs
> and clear.
> Now go Start, Programs, Accessories,
> System Tools, and Maintenance Wizard.
>
> >-----Original Message-----
> >For the heck of it, what are the precise steps you use to
> perform this
> >procedure?
>

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

On Mon, 7 Jun 2004 16:57:51 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune"

>APPLOG is best left alone unless it's causing problems.

Suspect such problems if Defrag refuses to work because of "disk
errors", but Scandisk never finds anything wrong.

>If you aren't interested in Optimization, permanently remove
>TASKMON from the Registry Run key where it resides,
>empty APPLOG, and it will never be necessary again.

AFAIK there's a front-door setting for this in Win98 at least, within
the Defrag dialog. Not sure if that suppresses TaskMon though.

>Cookies aren't necessarily bad things

Hm. By design, MS "supports" scripts hidden within cookies, which
makes our "don't worry, they are only harmless text" off the mark.

>TIF should be emptied using the proper button in Internet Settings and no
>other way.

Sometimes this is not effective, and then what I'd do is rename away
the whole of TIF subtree from outside of Windows. If problems, rename
it back in the same way; if not problems, delete it later.

I agree that clearing some content from TIF (e.g. loose files but
keeping the Index.dat) would be ungood.



>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Trsut me, I won't make a mistake!
>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

[Gary S. Terhune]

"cquirke (MVP Win9x)" > wrote in message
...
> >Cookies aren't necessarily bad things
>
> Hm. By design, MS "supports" scripts hidden within cookies, which
> makes our "don't worry, they are only harmless text" off the mark.

I did not say "don't worry, they are only harmless text". I said that they
aren't *necessarily* a bad thing. Clearly, allowing Cookies in an
indiscriminate manner is a *bad* thing. But in my case, proper Cookie
management via IE Advanced settings (First-party: Prompt, Third-party:
Block, and Per-session: Allow) makes "clearing Cookies" as part of
maintenance unnecessary and defeats the purpose of those few I allow.

I do a *lot* of online purchasing, research and just plain surfing. In the
two months since this installation was born, I've accumulated fewer than 100
cookies, most of which are from manufacturers' Support sites, a few of which
are from major shopping sites (not advertisers, just the "Remember who I am"
and purchase processing kind that make daily purchasing easier) and the rest
are services like FedEx, UPS, USPS, my online TV listings site, Weather,
Foreign Exchange, etc. I have 55 sites set to permanently Allow, and over
300 set to Block. (IIRC, total Cookies set was under 200 just before the
sytem crashed from a failed disk in my RAID array, after nearly two years
without ever clearing Cookies. I've manually deleted a couple or three on
occasion, for various reasons, but that's it.)

>
> >TIF should be emptied using the proper button in Internet Settings and no
> >other way.
>
> Sometimes this is not effective, and then what I'd do is rename away
> the whole of TIF subtree from outside of Windows. If problems, rename
> it back in the same way; if not problems, delete it later.
>
> I agree that clearing some content from TIF (e.g. loose files but
> keeping the Index.dat) would be ungood.
>

Don't know if this was taken out of context or I failed to provide it (the
context), but my intent was to speak to "normal" maintenance procedures. Any
hint of TIF problems and refreshing the entire structure via DOS is of
course called for. I used to be religious about installing CacheSentry on
all the machines I'm responsible for, setting it to run at Startup (and/or
daily, depending on the machine) and then exiting. But IE6 seems to have
made CacheSentry relatively superfluous. Not completely so, but enough that
I don't get jittery about neglecting CS.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 07:00:42 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune"
>"cquirke (MVP Win9x)" > wrote

>> >Cookies aren't necessarily bad things

>> Hm. By design, MS "supports" scripts hidden within cookies, which
>> makes our "don't worry, they are only harmless text" off the mark.

>I did not say "don't worry, they are only harmless text".

I used to :-(

>I said that they aren't *necessarily* a bad thing.

True. Handy to save you logging into some sites, etc. I also don't
nuke mine automatically, but might if struggling with difficult
commercial malware esp. if toxic site was suspected as source.

>management via IE Advanced settings (First-party: Prompt, Third-party:
>Block, and Per-session: Allow) makes "clearing Cookies" as part of
>maintenance unnecessary and defeats the purpose of those few I allow.

OK, but that's still orientated towards normal cookie implications. I
don't see "strip scripts out of cookies, no matter who they are from"
as a management option, unfortunately. That design is so damned
broken, it makes me re-consider allowing cookies at all.

What's interesting is that you can, via raw registry settings,
allocate how much HD is specifically alloxcated for cookies, history,
and other sub-items of the TIF concept.

>> >TIF should be emptied using the proper button in Internet Settings and no
>> >other way.

>> Sometimes this is not effective, and then what I'd do is rename away
>> whole TIF subtree from outside of Windows. If not problems, delete.

>> I agree that clearing some content from TIF (e.g. loose files but
>> keeping the Index.dat) would be ungood.

>Don't know if this was taken out of context or I failed to provide it (the
>context), but my intent was to speak to "normal" maintenance procedures. Any
>hint of TIF problems and refreshing the entire structure via DOS is of
>course called for.

I really wanted to warn against in-between approaches, e.g. deleting
some content from outside Windows while leaving Index.dat



>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
Trsut me, I won't make a mistake!
>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

[Gary S. Terhune]

(Sorry, have to go back to Top-Posting...)

Frankly, when it comes to security, whether scripts, cookies, or whatever,
I've reached the point where I can't micro-mange what's run and what isn't.
I do it on a site-by site basis. Thus, even that horrendous megalith of
screwball scripts and other crap located behind Microsoft.com is in my
Trusted Zone, with all permissions I can give it. I don't have any choice if
I want to get anything done there.

Between that worst-case and garbage sites like Weather.com, USAToday and
other major public consumption sites (including MSN when I really, really
can't avoid it--like once or twice yearly!), which rate somewhat more
restricted than default Internet Zone settings (and no Cookies), lie major
Support sites (HP, Canon, even, alas, Symantec, etc.) which I treat the same
as Microsoft. Only when I venture off the beaten path do I start getting
nervous, sometimes turning the Internet Zone into a de facto Restricted
Zone, just so I don't get singed. If there were a single major change I'd
like to see in the next IE, it would be the ability to switch the Default
Zone to Restricted on demand. Don't suppose you have any ideas on how to do
that now?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

"cquirke (MVP Win9x)" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 8 Jun 2004 07:00:42 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune"
> >"cquirke (MVP Win9x)" > wrote
>
> >> >Cookies aren't necessarily bad things
>
> >> Hm. By design, MS "supports" scripts hidden within cookies, which
> >> makes our "don't worry, they are only harmless text" off the mark.
>
> >I did not say "don't worry, they are only harmless text".
>
> I used to :-(
>
> >I said that they aren't *necessarily* a bad thing.
>
> True. Handy to save you logging into some sites, etc. I also don't
> nuke mine automatically, but might if struggling with difficult
> commercial malware esp. if toxic site was suspected as source.
>
> >management via IE Advanced settings (First-party: Prompt, Third-party:
> >Block, and Per-session: Allow) makes "clearing Cookies" as part of
> >maintenance unnecessary and defeats the purpose of those few I allow.
>
> OK, but that's still orientated towards normal cookie implications. I
> don't see "strip scripts out of cookies, no matter who they are from"
> as a management option, unfortunately. That design is so damned
> broken, it makes me re-consider allowing cookies at all.
>
> What's interesting is that you can, via raw registry settings,
> allocate how much HD is specifically alloxcated for cookies, history,
> and other sub-items of the TIF concept.
>
> >> >TIF should be emptied using the proper button in Internet Settings and
no
> >> >other way.
>
> >> Sometimes this is not effective, and then what I'd do is rename away
> >> whole TIF subtree from outside of Windows. If not problems, delete.
>
> >> I agree that clearing some content from TIF (e.g. loose files but
> >> keeping the Index.dat) would be ungood.
>
> >Don't know if this was taken out of context or I failed to provide it
(the
> >context), but my intent was to speak to "normal" maintenance procedures.
Any
> >hint of TIF problems and refreshing the entire structure via DOS is of
> >course called for.
>
> I really wanted to warn against in-between approaches, e.g. deleting
> some content from outside Windows while leaving Index.dat
>
>
>
> >-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
> Trsut me, I won't make a mistake!
> >-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

[cquirke (MVP Win9x)]

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 09:35:55 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune"

>Frankly, when it comes to security, whether scripts, cookies, or whatever,
>I've reached the point where I can't micro-mange what's run and what isn't.

Whan that happens, I just kill 'em all :-)

>I do it on a site-by site basis. Thus, even that horrendous megalith of
>screwball scripts and other crap located behind Microsoft.com is in my
>Trusted Zone, with all permissions I can give it. I don't have any choice if
>I want to get anything done there.

Not nice been forced to swallow, is it?

>If there were a single major change I'd like to see in the next IE,
>it would be the ability to switch the Default Zone to Restricted
>on demand.

If browser coders were half-way serious about user control over ****e
sites, there's be a toolbar icon showing what state you are running
in, that would resemble Explorer's View toolbar button when dropped
down; pick a zone to apply.

But they aren't - they think in terms of "how much leverage can we
offer sites over visitors, so they will code for and support our
browser and maybe carry download links for us".

>Don't suppose you have any ideas on how to do that now?

I'd Regedit, export the settings for Restricted and Internet Zones,
edit the Restricted setting headings to match Internet, then use the
two .REG as splat-ins to toggle Internet Zone.

But I'd want to test to see whether such changes are applied on the
fly or only when the OS or IE is restarted.

In practice, I use three browsers:
- IE, usually set to Prompt on everything (to assess sites)
- Netscape 4.8 set to suppress everything (routine browser)
- Netscape 7.x set to allow most stuff (chance-taking browser)

I like Netscape 7.xx's tabbed browsing (funny how MS forgot about MDI)
as it lets me keep Google link-offs etc. grouped together.



>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
No, perfection is not an entrance requirement.
We'll settle for integrity and humility
>-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

[BoB]

On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 11:28:24 +0200, "cquirke (MVP Win9x)"
> wrote:

>>On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 09:35:55 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune"
>
>In practice, I use three browsers:
> - IE, usually set to Prompt on everything (to assess sites)
> - Netscape 4.8 set to suppress everything (routine browser)
> - Netscape 7.x set to allow most stuff (chance-taking browser)
>
>I like Netscape 7.xx's tabbed browsing (funny how MS forgot about MDI)
>as it lets me keep Google link-offs etc. grouped together.

I use three browsers too:

- OffByOne [1meg browser] works on most sites.
- Firefox, tabbed browser, java script off, when OB1 won't hack it.
- IE, fully updated, but set to prompt on everything.

Alternatives are nice!

BoB