Number 233 - September 2002

Deleting Temporary Files
by Don Edrington - PC Chat, - March 30, 2002 (mr pc chat@mediaone.net)
When I wrote recently that it's safe to delete all those temporary files in your Windows\Temp folder, Alan Jarrett wrote to say that sometimes other types of files can be sent to this folder and that you should check its contents before deleting anything.     Agreed--double-checking anything you're about to delete is always prudent. Moreover, clearing this folder out on a regular basis makes it easier to spot that occasional "needle in the haystack." I empty mine at least once a week.     I've occasionally had downloaded "ZIP" files end up in this folder--sent there on the theory that once the file has been "unzipped" and its contents extracted into another folder, it would then become an unneeded "temporary" file. Download Basics     This might be a good time to review the whole concept of downloading files, since I get so much mail saying, "I downloaded a file, but I can't find it," or "I downloaded a file, but don't know what to do with it."     Whenever you download a file, there's a good chance it's been "compressed" before being uploaded by the sender. A "compressed" file is one that's been made smaller so it will upload, travel the phone lines, and download faster. If multiple files are involved, they'll often be compressed into a single file which will need to be decompressed by the recipient so that its contents can be "extracted" back to their original formats.     The program used most often to perform these tasks is called WinZip - thus the words "zip" and "unzip" have become synonymous with "compress" and "decompress." Nowadays many computers come with other software that will unzip your downloads in the background and present you with the reconstituted files automatically. If this is the way your system works, you may never need WinZip, much less need to learn how to use it.     However, if you download a file named, say, PHOTOS.ZIP that just sits on your hard drive waiting for you to unzip it, you'll need WinZip. If you already have WinZip on your hard drive, just double-clicking PHOTOS.ZIP will bring up a series of prompts that will lead you through the process of decompressing and extracting the individual photos.     If you don't have WinZip, an evaluation copy of the shareware can be freely downloaded from www.winzip.com. Some users prefer ZipMagic, which is available at www.zipmagic.com. These programs will come to you as "self-executing unzips" which will help you get them installed properly.     Getting back to "temporary" files, in the above example PHOTOS.ZIP will continue to exist as a file	containing the compressed photos even after your viewable copies have been extracted. This is why the file may have been destined for the Windows\Temp folder in the first place. Whether to keep it as a backup and/or to send it on to others is your decision. Beyond that, if you do send it to someone else, you'll actually be sending a "copy" of PHOTOS.ZIP while your own copy remains in place.     Getting back to "I can't find my downloaded file"--by default, different systems attempt to download files to specific folders. However, you can tell the downloads to go wherever you want. Once you've made the decision to click DOWNLOAD or DOWNLOAD NOW or SAVE THIS FILE TO DISK, a dialog box will appear which shows the file's proposed destination on your hard drive. Clicking SAVE or OK will send the file to this location, which, hopefully, you will have made a note of.     Beyond this, however, there will always be a "browse" box with a little down arrow, which lets you choose a different location. I generally choose Desktop, because it's normally the easiest place to find something. You can always move it to another folder later. More on "NORMAL.DOT"     Regarding a couple of recent columns which discussed ways of fixing MSWord's "normal.dot" problem, Stan Moss sent the following solution: Create a file called "new_normal.dot" with your desired formatting before deleting "normal dot." Then rename "new_normal.dot" to "normal.dot."     What Stan means by "desired formatting" is setting MSWord's toolbars, file menus and other parameters the way you want them. We'll talk more about this next time.     In the meantime, more PC Tips can be found at www.pcdon.com along with all PC Chats from 2000, 2001 and 2002, (not to mention all kinds of free downloadable music, cartoons, weekly classic pinups, and some strange but true stories). PS:     Since there's no way I can personally answer all of the stacks of email I receive, I try to put as many answers as possible in upcoming newsletters. Beyond that, you're welcome to call me at (949) 646-8615. ...or you can email my assistant, Mary Hanson, at MaryPCChat@aol.com.     Copyright c 1995-7 by North Orange County Computer Club. All rights reserved. Articles by NOCCC authors may be reprinted by other user groups without permission provided they are unaltered and the publication acknowledges the author thereof and NOCCC. Articles contained herein by authors from other organizations retain their original copyright.
Number 233 - September 2002