tmp, bak files - safe to delete?

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

Is it safe to delete tmp files? What about tmp folders? I've installed
recently Nero and got a lot of temp files and even folders taking up a
lot of space. Can I delete them safely? Also, I see a couple of big BAK
files there after installing and using Nero, for example -
NTUSER.DAT_BAK_28683 - 4.3MB... Can I delete it?

Thanks,

Pumex

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

In news:25464-418FDDB2-525@storefull-3155.bay.webtv.net,
Jim Murphy <no_working_mailbox@webtv.net> typed:

> This is something I would also like to know. I've read that I
> should
> be able to safely delete any temporary file such as those found
> in
> "C:Windows\temp" and other temp folders.
>
> But when I tried a wholesale delete of the contents of
> C:Windows\temp, I got popups saying that some of the files were
> in
> use and could not be deleted. So I let Windows delete what it
> wanted
> to through the disc cleanup utility.
>
> Will someone please explain??


It's exactly as it says. Some of the files are in use and
Windows won't let you delete a file in use. If you were to delete
a file in use, the application using it would probably crash.
Worst case, the whole system could crash.

You can safely delete any temp file you are able to delete. The
ones not safe to delete, Windows protects and won't allow you to
delete.

There's really no problem here that needs addressing. It's a
normal situation that, at any time, *some* temp files are in use
and can't be deleted. The next time you boot, those files will be
deletable.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

Sorry, Ken, your reply was not up when I replied. Didn't mean to step on
you.

"Ken Blake" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote in message
news:uvDQYrdxEHA.392@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> In news:25464-418FDDB2-525@storefull-3155.bay.webtv.net,
> Jim Murphy <no_working_mailbox@webtv.net> typed:
>
>> This is something I would also like to know. I've read that I should
>> be able to safely delete any temporary file such as those found in
>> "C:Windows\temp" and other temp folders.
>>
>> But when I tried a wholesale delete of the contents of
>> C:Windows\temp, I got popups saying that some of the files were in
>> use and could not be deleted. So I let Windows delete what it wanted
>> to through the disc cleanup utility.
>>
>> Will someone please explain??
>
>
> It's exactly as it says. Some of the files are in use and Windows won't
> let you delete a file in use. If you were to delete a file in use, the
> application using it would probably crash. Worst case, the whole system
> could crash.
>
> You can safely delete any temp file you are able to delete. The ones not
> safe to delete, Windows protects and won't allow you to delete.
>
> There's really no problem here that needs addressing. It's a normal
> situation that, at any time, *some* temp files are in use and can't be
> deleted. The next time you boot, those files will be deletable.
>
> --
> Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
> Please reply to the newsgroup
>

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

"Jim Murphy" <no_working_mailbox@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:25464-418FDDB2-525@storefull-3155.bay.webtv.net
> This is something I would also like to know. I've read that I should
> be able to safely delete any temporary file such as those found in
> "C:Windows\temp" and other temp folders.
>
> But when I tried a wholesale delete of the contents of
> C:Windows\temp, I got popups saying that some of the files were in
> use and could not be deleted. So I let Windows delete what it wanted
> to through the disc cleanup utility.
>
> Will someone please explain??
>
> ~Jim Murphy

I only delete them after a fresh boot so that nothing else is running and
using them.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
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