where did these files go?

[decibelle]

For the last couple of years, I have been cleaning out temporary files manually; I like to know where the files are and I like to delete them to the recycle bin, just in case. I've never had any problems doing this. I'm very cautious, perhaps overly so, about running any new program or cleaner or whatever, so I'm trying to get to know CCleaner before I actually use it.

 

Today I used CCleaner to do an analysis on IE temporary Internet files. I hardly ever use IE, and I was unaware that I had so many old files. I went to the folder where they are stored – Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files -- and I opened the folder and deleted the files.

 

Then, just for the hell of it, I ran the analysis again and it showed that they were still there in the folder. But they weren't; I checked again. I looked in the recycle bin, where I expected them to be, and they are not there.

 

Can anyone tell me where they went or what has happened?

 

Thanks,

Ellen

[Winapp2.ini]

They're "hidden" files, and you can look at them by modifying your explorer view settings.

 

There's no real benefit to deleting IE Temp files to the recycle bin, since they don't really hold anything important.

[decibelle]

My explorer settings show hidden files, and I even show protected operating system files, so I don't think that's it.

 

Ellen

[kroozer]

Windows stores all my Temp Int Files in ►

 

C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Users\kroozer\AppData\Local\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Users\kroozer\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

 

Nergal explains why you have so many IE files.

[decibelle]

Thanks, but my question really is: why, when I deleted those files did they not show up in the recycle bin? They disappeared from the folder, as you would expect when you delete something, but they didn't show up in the recycle bin and CCleaner analyzed them as still being there. I'm just trying to understand what happened.

 

Thanks,

Ellen

[nodles]

Which OS & CCleaner version are you using btw?

[Alan_B]

I opened the folder and deleted the files.

 

Then, just for the hell of it, I ran the analysis again and it showed that they were still there in the folder. But they weren't; I checked again. I looked in the recycle bin, where I expected them to be, and they are not there.

There are reasons why Windows does not allow Files to be deleted, e.g. :-

They are "in use" by Windows or something else ;

They are protected by Access Control Lists ( A.C.L.'s - super league compared to Hidden and Read Only attributes).

 

In such situations they remain in position and do not get to the Recycle Bin.

 

If that was not the case and you were able to delete, then a normal default would be :-

Total removal avoiding recycle when done under DOS ;

Relocate to Recycle bin under Windows,

unless you hold the Ctrl key OR Windows thinks you were,

OR Windows was having a "Bad Hair Day".

 

One other possible source of confusion is that CCleaner (when last I checked) inspects the system when it starts,

so the initial Analysis should be correct, but may be unaware of subsequent changes outside its control,

in which case you may need to either Refresh ( I think the F5 function key) or restart CCleaner.