Deleting Temp Files
As our computers work to process our requests for information, etc, they create temporary files (.tmp). These .tmp files are then stored on our hard drives. When these .tmp files accumulate, our pcs have to work harder to complete the tasks we’re asking them to do.
One of the things we can do on a regular basis, in an effort to help our pcs run better, is to delete these .tmp files from our hard drives. How often we need to do this will vary depending on the user, you’ll need to experiment and see how fast these files accumulate on your pc.
- Launch Windows Explorer (Start/Programs/Windows NT explorer OR hold down your "flying window" key (between Ctrl and Alt) and then tap the "E" key.)
- On the left hand side of the Windows Explorer window, double click on your C: (it’ll say something like MAI040S12 (C:) where the MAI… stuff is actually your computer’s name.)
- Still on the left hand side, double click the Temp folder.
- Now move over to the right side of the Windows Explorer window, and single click on the "type" column heading (this is within the gray bar). This sorts all of the files in your Temp folder by type so you don’t have to hunt for the TMP files.
- Still on the right side of the Windows Explorer window, highlight those files with a .tmp file extension (File type= TMP) and then hit your delete key (or you can right click the TMP file and then click delete from the drop down menu).
- Be careful! DON’T DELETE ANYTHING BUT THE TMP FILES!!! Anything you delete is not recoverable! If you didn’t put the file there and it’s not a .tmp file, don’t delete it!
Document last revised 9/11/01 dc
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