How To Clear Temp Files
How To Clear Temporary Files and Internet Browser Cached
When your computer isnt running as well as it used to maybe you should try clearing out your temporary files or your browser cached files.
How To Clear Temporary Files and Internet Browser Cached
Clearing Temporary Files
Temporary files are mostly files left after installing a program of some kind. They usually end in .tmp or .temp, they aren't good for anything and can be safely removed from your system. Its even possible to create a batch file that will do it automatically.
If you go to Start | Search choose "all files and folders". In the box labeled "All or part of the file name:" type "*.t*mp" without the quotes. Now click on Search. In the left hand pane you will see all the files the computer found. When its finished go to Edit | Select All . Once everything is highlighted hit the Delete key on your keyboard, now they are all gone. Just make sure to empty your Recycle Bin.
Clearing Internet Browser Cache
If you are using Internet Explorer go to Start | Settings | Control Panel | Internet Options. In Internet Options you should open up to the General Tab.
In the middle of the screen you will see "Delete Cookies" Click on this button, you will be asked if you want to "Delete all cookies in the Temporary Internet Files folder", choose OK. According to how many files you have in that folder it may take up to a minute.
After that is done, choose "Delete Files", In the window that pops up check the box that says "Delete all offline content" then click OK. Thats all there is to it.
Using Disk Cleanup Instead
Of course, you can always just run Disk Cleanup and that will take care of both of the above issues as well as removing lots of other things that arent addressed by either of those.
Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup. If you just click OK here it will clean up the defaults. There is alot more that can be done with this little tool, more than I can cover here. I will be writing more about how to use Disk Cleanup in a later article.
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