Temporary Files

What are temporary files?

Many programs, including WordPerfect, create copies of data files as they are created or modified to allow for undoing a change to the file. These files are normally deleted by the program when the program is exited. If the program is terminated in an abnormal manner, the normal exit procedure to delete the temporary files is bypassed. The presence of old, undeleted temporary files has a tendency to confuse the parent program, and can contribute to slowdowns or lockups of the system.

How do I remove temporary files?

Windows 9x

Use either My Computer or Windows Explorer to browse the disk drive. Temporary files have a file extension of .tmp, and are normally located in the Temp folder in Windows or in the Temp folder under drive C:. Once you've located the temp files, mark them with the mouse and hit the Delete key.

Windows 2000/XP

Temp folders are usually located in 'C:\temp', 'C:\winnt\temp', 'C:\windows\temp' and also in 'C:\Documents and Settings'. Inside the 'Documents and Settings' folder, you will need to select the profile (the username you logged on with). Inside there, locate the 'Local Settings' folder (it may be hidden - get it to appear by clicking on Tools, Folder Options, View, Show hidden files and folders). Inside the 'Local Settings' folder you will find both a Temp directory and a 'Temporary Internet Files' directory.

A feature called Disk Cleanup is also available from the My Computer window. By right-clicking on a drive icon, then selecting Properties, you get the Drive Properties window. Just below the pie chart showing drive usage is a button for Disk Cleanup. Disk Cleanup can help in removing unneeded files from the temp folder, the Recycle Bin, the Temporary Internet Files folder, and the Downloaded Program Files folder.

Are there other files I can clean up?

Absolutely. Many times if something goes wrong with your computer and it needs to run a disk check, problems can be detected and repaired. During those repairs, files with the extension .chk are created in your C:\ directory. These files are only meant to be temporary and can be safely deleted.

NDSU is an equal opportunity institution.