How to safely delete temporary files

How to view all temporary files?

There are three different places that you can find temporary files on your computer. They are located in different place in Windows Vista and Windows Xp. In Windows Vista there are three file paths below to follow to view the temporary files.

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp (%temp)

C:\Windows\Temp (temp)

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

To view these files you can type the exact path into the run box and you will be taken there. Make sure you replace the part where it says “username” with your own username. For the top two there is a shortcut to type in. This is shown at the end of the path. Therefore to see the first temp folder we would follow these steps:

1. Press WINKEY and R to open a run box.
2. Then type in %temp% and press ok. See the screenshot below.

The window below will appear showing all the temporary files in this folder…This is all junk and although I clean this temporary folder out often, it still has over 26MB of files in it. That might not seem like much but that is only for one week. Image if you left it there to build up over 52 weeks or more. You should simply select these files and right click on them and delete them. There is nothing there that is needed. The only thing is you might not be able to delete a file if it is being used by another program. You can come back later and delete it.

If you want to view the second Windows temp folder then simply type temp into the run box. You can find both of these temp folders the same way in Windows XP.

The last place to find temporary files is the temporary internet files. In Windows Vista they are located at C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files. These files include cookies, browsing history, and more..

To find your temporary internet files simply type this path into the run box. Make sure you replace the word username with your username (mine is mitz) for your computer. See the screenshot below. All these files have been collected when you browse the internet.

How to view temporary internet files in Windows XP

1. Go to the start menu and choose control panel from the menu.
2. Double click on the internet options icon. The Windows below will appear.
3. Click on the Settings button, just below the heading, browsing history.
4. The Temporary Internet Files and History Settings window will open.
5. Click on View files to see the temporary internet files.

Now you are welcome to delete any of these files manually if you like.

How to safely delete temporary files using Windows Tools?

You can use The system tools that are included with the Windows operating system to clean up your computer, however it is widely thought that 3rd party programs can do a more thorough job. To find Windows system tools simply go to the start menu, choose all programs, then accessories, then system tools. This applies to both Windows XP and Windows Vista. You will see a list of system tool programs that you can use to cleanup your computer. You can use disk cleanup to safely delete temporary files and you can alsoDelete your visited website history and other temporary internet files via Internet Explorer.

Computer maintenance tips and tricks – backup, scan and clean

Computer maintenance is a part of everyone’s lives now, much like owning a car and getting it serviced, it just has to be done. Computers are the same, needing regular maintenance, as they get clogged up with truck loads of hidden files.

Most of the time the average computer user has no idea that they are actually messing up a computer just by using it. Do you surf the internet, read file attachments from your email, or simply write a Word document? Without even personally saving a file on your computer, there are hundreds of different files save automatically each time you do anything on your computer. For example if you receive an email with a Word document attached to it and open it to read instead of saving it first, the document Will be temporarily saved in the Windows Temp folder. Imagine after reading this Word document, you try to save it to your computer without looking where you are saving it. If you do not choose where to save this file it will be saved in a temporary folder. Eventually this temp folder becomes quite large in size without you even realizing.

In the video below I show you how I perform Computer maintenance on my computer. Of course there are programs out there that can do all this for you, which I will mention in a later article. Here are some steps I go through:

1. Move files I want to keep and store for later use.
2. Delete files i do not need.
3. Remove programs I do not need. (Ones I have installed)
4. Delete old emails.
5. Delete Temp files manually.
6. Delete junk files from the rubbish bin… Email programs have a junk and deleted folder to clean out also.
7. Perform disk Cleanup. (Getting what I missed)
8. Defrag with JKdefrag.

Using Windows Remote Assistance To Get Computer Help

If you are really stuck with a problem on your computer and you know a friend that might be able to help, here is an easy way to allow them to access your computer. Even if they are half way across the world, if they have an internet connection and have sent you an invitation, then accessing your computer is entirely possible. It is always good to know who you are letting into your computer because they will be able to access your files and browse around your computer.

What you need to use Windows Remote Assistance?

1. Both computers need an internet connection.
2. An invitation file needs to be sent to the helpers email address.

How to invite a friend to help through remote assistance?

1. Go to the start menu. Choose Help and Support.

2. The Windows Help and Support dialog box will appear. Click on the link that says Use Windows Remote Assistance to get help from a friend or offer help.

3. Now to invite someone to help you, click on the Invite someone you trust to help you.

4. If you were Offering help to someone click on the button below.

5. The Windows Remote Assistance windows will appear. Press on use email to send an invitation.

6. You will need to enter a password. Remember this as you will need to give it to the person helping you.

7. Press next.

8. If you have Windows mail, Outlook, or even Thunderbird email it will open with thepre-filled details.

9. Enter the email address of who you want to send this invitation to.

10. Then type in the password you created.

11. Send the invitation to the Email recipient.

To take up this invitation the person who receives the email will need to save the attachment that came with it to their computer. Then they will need to follow the steps above, however they must choose to offer help to someone instead of asking for help