Clean up those Index.dat files : Privacy !!

[pipme]

This little program named CCleaner (C r*pCleaner !! ) Has been achieving good press.
Get it HERE read FAQ's etc.
As always, be careful .... only get rid of that which you do not really wish to keep.

There can be a lot of personal stuff in Index.dat files .... do you have the old 'Winfile.exe' file manager in your windows folder ?
It is the old style / fashioned explorer ... but allows you to look into History folders etc ... I am Win98SE do not know about XP etc.

Edit : - Have tested this but does not clear all info from the 'Temporary Internet files' Index.dat .....

P

 

[stocktonlad]

Create a new text file, and save it with as index.dat. The text file should be empty.

Then log in as administrator, and copy and paste the index.dat you have just created over the index.dat file in the cookies folder of each profile.

That should do it.

 

[pipme]

A naughty way ... via Autoexec.bat .... using 'deltree the dangerous' !!
The Index.dat files can be deleted at boot up ... Win98se (perhaps etc) always recreates them if not present at their default size.
Hex workshop allows editing & saving index.dat files on the fly in windows !!

----------Thanks-Mr-Sheds----------- Useful info Website

When searching in a Win dos window interestingly, c:\dir index.dat /s does not list S or H files, but this trick finds 'em all on c: even those in the recycle bin !!
C:\>attrib index.dat /s
INDEX.DAT C:\RECYCLED\DC21\CONTENT.IE5\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\RECYCLED\DC22\HISTORY.IE5\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\RECYCLED\DC23\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\WINDOWS\APPLIC~1\MICROS~1\INTERN~1\USERDATA\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5\Z\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5\MSHIST01\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5\index.dat
INDEX.DAT C:\WINDOWS\THETEMPO\CONTENT.IE5\index.dat
C:\

There can be more Index.dat than M$ would have us believe.

P

 

[pipme]

This, in Win98se definitely cleans out the usual index.dat files

From my Autoexec.bat file :-
These two lines added, they must not (apparently) be the final lines of the file.

deltree /Y c:\windows\history\
deltree /Y c:\windows\temporar\

This deletes the contents inc sub folders of the history & temporary internet files folders, prior to loading Windows which then recreates the necessary files and folders in pristine condition ... empty.

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