Erasing/Deleting .dat files

Hello,

Does any one know how to safely delete .dat files without having to buy commercial programs to do it? I've checked in Google and 99.99% of the programs are either trial versions or commercial types. The free ones don't erase "index.dat" files.

Thank you,

TT

 

Delete them from dos. If running 9x, you would Restart in Dos Mode. First, delete any cookies you do not want while in Windows. Use these commands, these will delete the ones for cookies, history and temp IE files, pressing Enter at the end of each line;

smartdrv
del c:\windows\cookies\index.dat
deltree c:\windows\history
deltree c:\windows\tempor~1
Press Y if you really want to delete, make sure spelling is correct. The folders being deleted will be recreated when windows restarts.
If you do not want to save any cookies, you can use the below instead of the line below smartdrv;
deltree c:\windows\cookies

 

Interesting program

Interesting reading Here called Spider

 

.... as long as you realise that not all cookies are harmful and many are helpful, like those that assist a login to this board.
Always deleting them all and the index.dat will mean you have to allow a download of these login cookies every time you visit here and want an automatic login.
For this reason, I prefer to spend a few $ on an app that cleans
the cookies folder BUT allows you to keep those you specify.
regards

 

In 9X and ME you can delete all these while in windows by doing the following.

1. Ctrl Alt Del for taskmgr - Hilite and end Explorer

2. Repeat Ctrl Alt Del to confirm Explorer is gone - at this time you may get a "This program is not responding" click to end this task.

Now you can enter the windows command prompt and use the commands above delete away any index.dat files etc.

Even though you are still in windows the command prompt is still nessesary because windows functions themselves are written to not allow deletion of these files even if they are not Read only System or Hidden.

Additionally to find all these files as windows will not show all of them anyway do this.

Most people don't know you can use attrib to find files, and it is nessesary to use attrib to find Hidden system files. So at command prompt type

attrib index.dat /s

The /s causes attrib to search the entire current drive.

While here you can also del the Win386.swp file also. Check the root and windows\folder for this file.

When finished restart to get back to normal!

Mike

 

Oh forgot!

In 2K and XP you can delete these files for any other user but not the loged on user.

So to do a full cleaning of these files while loged on as administrator get rid of everyone else's index.dat etc then log off and back on under a different user (that has suffecient rights of course) and then del the Administrator index.dats and etc.

mike

 

Yes that is what I was trying to say. You can not del the current logged on users index.dat files until you end explorer.

Just another way to do it!

Or just get everyone else and log on as a different user and get Administrator.

Mike