Can I delete ".dat" files in my temp folder?

Question

What else can delete in my temp folder safely?

Answer 1

Index.dat are files hidden on your computer that contain all of the Web sites that you have ever visited. Every URL, and every Web page is listed there. Not only that but all of the email that has been sent or received through Outlook or Outlook Express is also being logged. The file names and locations depend on what version of Internet Explorer you have. If you are running IE version 4.0 or above, the file name is "index.dat". Microsoft has not supplied an adequate explanation as to what these files are for or why they have been hidden so well.

According to Microsoft, these files are used to cache visited Web sites to help speed up the loading of Web pages in Internet Explorer. Obviously this cannot be the case because when you clear the Temporary Internet Files the "index.dat" files remain behind and continue to grow. If you delete or clear the Temporary Internet Files, there is absolutely no need to index the URL cache because those files no longer exist.

On a Windows 9x computer these files are located in the following locations:
\WINDOWS\Cookies\index.dat
\WINDOWS\History\index.dat
\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files\index.dat
\WINDOWS\Cookies\index.dat
\WINDOWS\History\index.dat
\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files\index.dat

In Windows 2000 and Windows XP there are several "index.dat" files in these locations:

\Documents and Settings\\Cookies\index.dat

\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\index.dat

\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist012001123120020101\index.dat
\Documents and Settings\\Local
Settings\History\History.IE5\MSHist012002010720020114\index.dat

\Documents and Settings\\Local
Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat



Index.dat files can be very hard to find. If you are in Windows, even with "Show hidden files and folders" enabled, index.dat files are not visible and cannot be found if you do a search for index.dat files. The reason that these files are so invisible is that they are not just hidden, they have been designated as "system" files. System files and folders are treated differently in DOS and Windows and are effectively cloaked from casual searches.

Answer 2

Anything in the temp folder can be deleted after a reboot. I wouldn't delete files if you're running stuff, because programs that are running may expect to be able to access these files (even though they're temporary).

.dat is a very generic "data" filetype. Which files are you looking at in particular? If they're older than a few days, it's okay.

Answer 3

The Temp folder is used whenever you acquire a application from the internet and prefer to have it "Run" quite then "shop". by way of fact the records are basically used for the time of the preliminary set up of this technique, they may be deleted with out affecting this technique. notwithstanding, must you ever could restoration or reinstall this technique, you may could re-acquire it.

Answer 4

I do it all the time

Answer 5

I recommend you use ccleaner. It will remove the junk and leave the stuff you need.

Answer 6

use DISK CLEAN UP its better
but u first know then delete