Can't Delete File

jammer · 2006/04/23

I have an annoying problem... I can't delete certain files (mostly '.. index.dat') .... they amount to over ~3MB of data.... how do I get rid of these files? Tx...

PeteC · 2006/04/23

Be careful what you do or you may end up with a system that ceases to function

index.dat files are generally in use while Windows is running. Where have you seen these files - Internet Explorer Temporary Internet Files? Those can be deleted with the aid of third party software on boot up.

Try CCleaner - but be careful to check what is checked to remove. I use it only for a cleanout of IE's TIFs - be sure to uncheck cookies and autocomplete if you don't want to lose that info.

For other files that you cannot delete try MoveOnBoot, but use with care. If you don't know what the file is there for - leave it alone.

Curious to know why you are concerned with 3 Mb of files - it's a drop in the ocean on modern drives - and older ones too.

Whiskeyman · 2006/04/23

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1835257,00.asp

Internet Explorer's History and Temporary Internet Files folders both use an index.dat file to keep track of saved items. The history URLs and cached files themselves are stored in hidden folders with strange names; index.dat decodes those locations. It's true that a corrupted index.dat file can cause trouble. You may also want to wipe it out for privacy reasons: Even when you clear your browser history or cache, the index.dat file may yield clues about its previous contents.

You can't delete the index.dat file while Windows 98 is running, so click on the Start menu, choose Shut down, and select Restart in MS-DOS Mode. Navigate to the folder that contains the index.dat file using the command;
CD C:\WINDOWS\HISTORY\ HISTORY.IE5.
Use the command DIR /A to display all files and folders, even hidden ones. Verify that you see index.dat plus several odd-named directories—the next step could be dangerous in the wrong directory. Now enter the command DELTREE *.* and press Y to confirm all deletions. This will wipe out index.dat and the odd-named folders. When you restart Windows, they will be re-created. You can totally wipe out Temporary Internet Files by repeating the process in the folder;
C:\WINDOWS\ TEMPOR~1\CONTENT.IE5.
Click to expand...

markp62 · 2006/04/24

Here is a very easily used solution to delete those index.dat files. However they will be recreated upon bootup. This solution deletes the folders that they are in.
Copy/paste the following bold lines into Notepad.
smartdrv
deltree /y c:\windows\cookies
deltree /y c:\windows\history
deltree /y c:\windows\temp
deltree /y c:\windows\tempor~1
echo All Done! You can reboot now.
Then Save As "c:\windows\clean.bat ", with the quotation marks. Then Restart in Dos Mode, type in CLEAN and press Enter. When it is done, reboot, and those folders will be rebuilt.
If you have cookies you want saved, use this line as the first line after the smartdrv.
deltree /y c:\windows\cookies\index.dat
This will only delete the one file.

Please Note: If you use these lines by typing them in manually, omit /y as part of the command. You'll be prompted if you are sure you want to delete when you do so. This will keep you from accidently deleting the Windows folder and every folder connected to it because of a typo.

Welshjim · 2006/04/24

jammer--You really do not want to delete the index.dat files, but rather the contents. It is not clear what you are now using to clean out your Temporary Internet Files. Apparently it is not cleaning out the index.dat files.
Try System Security Suite.
http://www.igorshpak.net/
It is highly configurable. When you set it to delete Temporary files (under My Computer and Internet Explorer) it will delete the content of the index.dat files. When you use SSS there will be a period when it seems nothing is happening. Just wait. When the cleaning is finished, you will be asked to reboot.

jammer · 2006/04/28

Tx for the advice..... CCleaner & SSS don't delete the file contents.... they're located in 'history' & 'temp' folders... not a problem, just 'the principle of the thing' ('Im not allowed to delete a file' for no apparent/good reason).. tx

Welshjim · 2006/04/28

jammer--Did you check the History and Temporary Files boxes in SSS?
Did you check the size of the index.dat files before and after using the various cleanup programs? Index.dat is recreated on the next boot with a size of 32MB. (That is the minimum even when empty.)
Lots more programs here.
http://www.google.com/search?source...LD:2004-31,GGLD:en&q=delete+history+index.dat

jammer · 2006/04/29

WelshJim.... you're absolutely right.... the 'after' content was ~32kb.... tx for the explanations... Al

Welshjim · 2006/04/29

jammer--You are welcome. Glad to hear all is well.

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