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Sorry, index.dat again

Discussion in 'Legacy Windows' started by Christer, 2003/01/30.

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  1. 2003/01/30
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    I´ve read a few discussions on BBS about index.dat and can´t decide if it really is an issue or not.
    I understand, though, that SPIDER doesn´t work with WinME.

    When I searched C: for "index.dat ", two files came up in;

    1) WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData - size 32kB and

    2) WINDOWS\Cookies - size 96kB.

    When I searched C:\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files another one was found in;

    3) WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files \Content.IE5 - size 15248kB.

    Does this file exist in other folders which need a more pinpointed search, as did the third one I found?

    I understand that after clearing cookies and TIFs, I can boot via the WinME boot disk and delete the associated index.dat-files, 2) and 3).

    What about the first one, what happens if I delete that index.dat without clearing anything else possibly associated with it?



    Thanks for Your time,
    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #1
  2. 2003/01/30
    Alice

    Alice Banned

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    Hi Christer,

    I was just posting about index.dat in General Discussions so I had my groups.google search handy:

    ============copy/paste==========
    From: Mike Burgess (winhelp98@NOhome.com)
    Subject: Re: Pivacy
    Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general
    Date: 2001-08-29 18:17:56 PST

    Greenarrow,
    Insert your WinMe bootdisk and restart, select: Minimal from the menu
    From A:\ (type and press Enter after each command)

    C:
    cd \windows
    smartdrv
    deltree tempor~1
    deltree history
    deltree temp\*.*
    deltree cookies

    NOTE: When you press ENTER after typing each of the following deltree commands, you should be prompted to confirm that you want to delete the folder. If this prompt is not displayed, the deltree command may have been typed incorrectly.

    NOTE: to save any cookies that may contain useful info, copy the contents to a temp file. Copy them back after using the above method. Once completed, remove the bootdisk and restart (Ctrl-Alt-Del)

    Mike Burgess Microsoft MVP DTS
    Information isn't free if you can't find it!
    http://members.home.net/winhelp98/
    Please post replies to this Newsgroup, email address is invalid
    --

    "Greenarrow" <greenarrow9@home.com> wrote in message
    news:191a601c130b1$d0940230$9be62ecf@tkmsftngxa03...
    > Question. Is there any way to wipe out all internet
    > surfing from your comuter including traces left in the
    > index.dat file?

    ===========end c/p===========

    Hope that helps.

    PS I found this about the index.dat in your WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData folder so it seems OK for you to delete the USERDATA folder contents as well, but unless you are having browsing or downloading problems I would leave well enough alone!

    =============copy/paste===========

    From: RC (shbest@aol.com)
    Subject: IE file in AppData UserData folder?
    Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie55.browser
    Date: 2002-07-06 20:45:26 PST

    I use IE5.5SP2 on Win98SE on my home PC. What are the
    files and folders used for in:
    C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet
    Explorer\UserData

    On my PC they include some randomly-named empty folders
    along with "index.dat" and "oXMLStore[1].xml ".

    The index file and the folder naming makes me suspect these are related to the IE cache/temporary internet files. If I'm trying to resolve a possible cache problem,
    should I delete this UserData folder or its contents as well? (Presumably from DOS using DELTREE?)

    Thanks!


    From: Sandi - Microsoft MVP (sandi hardmeier@mvps.org)
    Subject: Re: IE file in AppData UserData folder?
    Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie55.browser
    Date: 2002-07-06 21:40:19 PST

    Yes.

    --

    Posted via news://msnews.microsoft.com
    Please do not send an email unless asked to do so.

    Sandi Hardmeier
    Microsoft MVP (Internet Explorer and Outlook Express)

    ========end copy/paste=========
     
    Last edited: 2003/01/30
    Alice,
    #2


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  4. 2003/01/30
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Thanks Alice!

    If I delete all my cookies, I´ll have to re-login on a few sites but that´s not too big a problem, unless I make a daily habit of deleting stuff.

    Then, copying the benign cookies to a Cookies 2 - folder makes it easy to put them back.
    However, wouldn´t Spybot find and delete them if I don´t watch my triggerhappy indexfinger?
    Or does Spybot leave the benign cookies alone?

    About the "WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData\index.dat ", I think it possibly has something to do with user tracing as discussed in one of the Spybot topics.

    Christer

    I forgot to mention that I have no index.dat in my history folder, I think.
    In swedish there is no History folder but a Tidigare folder with sub folders for different days and weeks, I believe that´s the one.
     
    Last edited: 2003/01/30
    Christer,
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  5. 2003/01/30
    Alice

    Alice Banned

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    As I understand it and someone correct me if I'm wrong:

    The purpose of using MS-Dos to delete the Cookies folder contents is to remove the included index.dat which cannot be deleted with Windows running. You can manually delete all the cookies you see inside C:|Windows\Cookies (I remove the cookie pointers inside C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files first, then the actual cookies if they're left behind) or you can use a program like SpybotSD to remove Cookies and TIF but the index.dat file that's inside the folders will remain. I did a check of my Cookies\Index.dat file and it dates from when I first installed IE5.5 (as an update from IE3.02!).

    You have to delete the entire contents of the folders, not just the index.dat because the index.dat "indexes" the contents. When you delete everything, the folders are recreated and a new index.dat is formed, starting you off fresh.
     
    Last edited: 2003/01/30
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  6. 2003/01/30
    Alice

    Alice Banned

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    About SpybotSD and "benign" cookies, you have to add any cookies you want to save to your Spybot Excludes | Cookies list by checking them off before you delete them on the Spybot results page. If you manually delete the cookies using MS-Dos or Windows Explorer, then they will not be "protected" by SpybotSD.
     
    Alice,
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  7. 2003/01/30
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Okey, thanks!

    I think that I´ve got it!?

    Christer
     
    Christer,
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  8. 2003/01/30
    brett

    brett Inactive Alumni

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    It's only an issue if you wish to conceal your browsing habits from other users of the same machine. If this is not the case, index.dat is not worth worrying about and there's absolutely nothing to be gained from its deletion.
     
    brett,
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  9. 2003/01/30
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Thanks for that information, Brett!

    I almost thought that´s the case and that someone on the other side of my firewall would have trouble (mis)using the information.

    What I have noticed though is that when I use SpeedDisk I never reach 100% defragmentation.
    When I e.g. cleared my TIF-folder, which until recently could grow out of proportion but is now limited in size, I noticed a lot of small specs in the freed disk space.
    When I clicked on a spec Norton told me it was index.dat, and so was the next spec and the next ...... and the specs in among the other files.
    It seems to me that this file or these files spread all over the disk and since they are in use they can´t be defragmented.
    One benefit by deleting them would be to get rid of a highly defragmented file and since Windows obviously reads and writes to these files quite frequently, removing them might be a small improvement.

    If not, it would satisfy my sense for "law and order "!

    Christer
     
    Christer,
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  10. 2003/01/30
    Alice

    Alice Banned

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    I have to disagree with brett :eek: :eek: :eek: :D
    There might be some cases where deleting index.dat has some value - like when it's corrupted. Usually you will have symptoms of that which is why I said to leave well enough alone if you weren't having problems browsing or downloading.

    The advice I've seen is to stick with the Internet Options Delete Files and Clear History buttons for routine maintenance and to set IE to delete temporary internet files when the browser is closed (what I do) or if that option is not working, to set the "amount of disk space to use" in your Internet Options Settings to a small number like 20MB (I do that too) . Also set the "days to keep pages in history" to a small number (mine is set to 1)

    Clearing cookies is not as easy in Windows. I've seen the advice to a) leave cookies alone or deltree form dos (all or none strategy) or b) remove the "cookie pointers" in the TIF which should then remove the actual windows\cookies:
    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q278835
    How to Delete Cookie Files (Q278835)

    I'm not exactly sure HOW SpybotSD clears cookies I'll admit but I use it to clear both cookies and TIF, to get the pointers. Seems to do a good job.
     
    Last edited: 2003/01/30
    Alice,
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  11. 2003/01/30
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    I use the Delete TIFs and Cookies in Tools/Options too. I can´t say when the change happened but prior to a certain date (IE6 sp1?) there were left overs in the TIF-folder and all subfolders weren´t deleted. Now everything is cleared, except index.dat.

    I have set my history to 30 days and I almost never clear it. I´m a member of a discussion group on a MIVA based board and it´s easy to keep track of what I´ve read and not read since the colours in the tree are different. If I had my setting to 1 (one) day, I´d go nuts in 1 (one) week!
     
    Christer,
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  12. 2003/01/30
    Zephyr

    Zephyr Inactive

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    Hey guys, if you're paranoid, keep your secrets off the computer. There are many ways to trace your tracks beyond the index.dat file method. Anything you do to prevent that takes more effort than it's worth (unless you really have something to hide). I think we all understand that a computer is like keeping a diary, it could embarrass you some day. Don't put anything into it that you want to keep secret...period. If you really want to erase all tracks, you'll have to physically smash the hard drive to bits. Anything less will leave you vulnerable.

    :)
     
    Zephyr,
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  13. 2003/01/30
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Isn´t there a company in Norway that has HDD recovery as their speciality? Anything that´s crashed, smashed, trashed, burned ...... Who - Me - Paranoid?
     
    Last edited: 2003/01/30
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  14. 2003/01/30
    brett

    brett Inactive Alumni

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    :eek:

    Indeed. I simply meant that there's no reason to worry about the file as a part of any regular maintenance routine :)
     
    brett,
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  15. 2003/01/30
    Zephyr

    Zephyr Inactive

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    No Christer there is no company in Norway or any other country that can recover what I choose to smash, trash, and burn.

    :D
     
    Zephyr,
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  16. 2003/01/30
    Alice

    Alice Banned

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    Hey, who's worried? Not ME :D

    Christer? I thought he was just concerned about index.dat and defrag ;)

    Now brett, HE might be a bit paranoid, what with that special pillow and all.....
     
    Last edited: 2003/01/30
    Alice,
    #15
  17. 2003/01/31
    KevinB52379

    KevinB52379 Inactive

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    Guys, there is a great program out there that will delete the cookies folder, temporary internet folders, and the dat files and everything. Go to www.google.com and search for a program called delindex. just type in delindex in the search box. It deletes all those files and folders, as well as some others. Make sure you read the information on it before you proceed. It works flawlessy with Windows ME. By the way when you do delete things and empty the recycle bin, they aren't really gone and can be recovered. Using a program such as Norton's Wipe Info, can be found in Norton Systemworks. It has a quick erase where it writes empty sectors with zeros I believe then erases it. Or there is a goverment method which does a more comlex erase. I use this thing about once every month to make sure data can not be recovered. But the main reason I use it is things like these can actually help you recover a little disk space. By the way delindex works by putting it on your hard drive, then going to ms dos using boot disk. then typing in where delindex. For example, I put in the start up disk and then choose minimal boot, then once i get into the prompt i type in c:\delindex run where c is where delindex is stored, and run tells it to clean up the stuff without going through the instructions and introduction. However, for a first time user, please read the directions so you know what you're getting rid of. It is a very thorough program, and does a very good job
     
    KevinB52379,
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  18. 2003/04/10
    BruceKrymow

    BruceKrymow Inactive

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    Hi, All ~

    I know this thread is starting to get ripe, but wanted to address a few points since the issue has come up recently here and in a few other forums especially since the release of IE6 - and am sure it will again, directly or indirectly.
    First, for the sake of repetition and brevity, the recent post DAT file I replied to may be of interest.

    I have discovered that their exists a problem with the management of the TIF & Content.IE5 directory index.dat files which, like my colon, is difficult to find & flush.

    Here are the places these and other index.dat files reside:

    C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Cookies\index.dat
    C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\index.dat
    C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Cookies\index.dat
    C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\index.dat
    C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist012003012520030126\index.dat
    C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat
    C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\UserData\index.dat

    Apparently it is an issue with the capacity of that file. The fact is that the index.dat file cannot grow for more than 16,171,008 bytes, thus it can not manage more pictures or other objects.

    So, this is a mismanagement and corruption error in the M$ IE caching engine, even though it is not confirmed by M$ officially. Apparently no one at M$ had imagined that this file could get bigger than 16MB.

    Utilizing the 'Internet Options' settings to delete TIF, cookies and history will be insufficient for many now and others eventually.

    'Delindex' may work well in WinME, but it is cumbersome and buggy. Spider v1.16 works fantastic on all Win platforms when run properly w/ the correct settings.

    Deleting the index.dat forces the Windows File Protection System to automatically create another clean file 16 to 32KB in size.
     
    Last edited: 2003/04/10
    BruceKrymow,
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  19. 2003/04/10
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Hello Bruce!

    Thanks for the interesting information!

    If I recall correctly, I´ve heard/read the mention of Spider not working too well on NTFS.
    Would You, please, comment on that!

    Thanks for Your time,
    Christer

    Edited:

    If the file system is NTFS, you can´t boot to DOS and delete them manually so, as I understand it, some kind of software is needed.
     
    Last edited: 2003/04/10
    Christer,
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  20. 2003/04/10
    BruceKrymow

    BruceKrymow Inactive

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    Hi, Christer ~
    I would be interested in reading those remarks. Nothing is further from the truth. Spider v1.16 works perfect on NTFS. I have provided Spider support on hundreds of units successfully and anytime there was an issue, it was always chaulked to operator error with improper user configuration and/or use.

    For those of you who may prefer batch files, Fred Langa's site has them that drop to DOS & clean out the TIF, index.dat & and other dukey.

    You certainly can delete them manually via the DOS interface:
    • Close ALL applications and programs running in background
    • 'Start' > 'Run' > enter cmd > enter
    • You shoud be at the prompt C:\Documents and Settings\<username>
    • enter dir /a > hit enter
    • enter cd Local Settings > hit enter
    • enter dir /a > hit enter
    • enter cd Temporary Internet Files > hit enter
    • enter dir /a > hit enter
    • enter cd content.IE5 > hit enter
    • enter dir /a > hit enter
    You will then see the hidden folders with arcane alphanumeric names and the 'index.dat' relating to your cache. At this point you:
    • Open 'Task Manager'
    • End all apps from the 'Applications' tab
    • End all non-system processes (from the 'Processes' tab) that you do not need to have running
    • Lastly, end the 'explorer.exe' process
    Now go to back to the Command window:
    • enter DEL index.dat > hit enter
    Now you go back to 'Task Manager':
    • 'File' > 'New Task (Run...)',
    • Enter 'explorer.exe' > 'OK'
    • Or reboot
     
    Last edited: 2003/04/10
    BruceKrymow,
    #19
  21. 2003/04/10
    Christer

    Christer Geek Member Staff Thread Starter

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    Bruce,
    thanks for Your reply!

    I´d never figure out how to manually delete the index.dat files on my own. The whole OS would probably be in orbit long before that!

    I´ll download and try Spider, I can experiment with it on WinME before migrating to WinXP.

    As I´ve pointed out previously, my memory is teflon coated. I´ve tried to find the spot and I believe it´s hidden somewhere on the BBS. I can´t remember (there it is again) ever discussing computer intricasies anywhere else.

    Regards,
    Christer
     
    Christer,
    #20
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