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Community Newsletter: Q&A: What files can I safely delete in Windows Explorer?
- 8/3/07 11:05 AM
I got CCleaner for
by drpruner - 7/27/07 11:24 PM In reply to: A Word Of Warning by 1up2downthe substantial discount 
and I like it. I did discover a tip for it that may escape others like it did me.
The default 'what to delete' tab is Windows, and IE is right at the top. I skip cookie deleting, since most browsers have intelligent cookie handling. IOW, if a cookie is there, I'll want it later. But don't forget to go to the Applications tab for any other browsers you have, and uncheck Cookies. It does locate any apps, including browsers, that are likely to have files that need deleting. It even found Foxit Reader, an Adobe substitute, as well as Adobe Reader.
System Restore
by cecistarr - 7/28/07 11:21 AM In reply to: A Word Of Warning by 1up2downI believe you meant to say: To turn off system restore, right click My Computer, go to Properties, click the System Restore tab and *check* the box next to Turn Off System Restore.
If you want to turn it off, check (not uncheck) the box that says Turn Off System Restore.
Acronis True Image
by robzz - 7/28/07 1:46 PM In reply to: A Word Of Warning by 1up2downHave had trouble with Acronis True Image
for System Restore . Suggest you avoid product
as lots of reviews are negative
Acronis True Image Home 2009
by mikel321 - 4/9/09 5:51 AM In reply to: Acronis True Image by robzzI also cannot recommend this product, especially if your backup medium will be CD. Per Acronis support, if you lose or damage any one CD of a multi-CD backup set the entire set is worthless.
best solution, 2nd to none
by puma - 7/28/07 7:40 PM In reply to: A Word Of Warning by 1up2downjust delete the entire ie folder and install something else such as firefox or safari browser...
trying to print page 14 of 92 pages
by garvisw - 7/29/07 6:42 PM In reply to: A Word Of Warning by 1up2downDear Sir; I am trying to print page 14 without going all the way through pages 1-13 to get there. Please give me some advise as to how I go about printing what is on the screen? THANK YOU, GARVIS WILLIAMS garvisw@cableone.net
Trying to print just "part" of the replies to a post
by Handyman6638 - 8/4/07 8:39 AM In reply to: trying to print page 14 of 92 pages by garviswAt the moment I am doing just what I am suggesting to you...
Open up Word, (or any other good word processor)and simply "copy" the text in a person's post that you wish to keep, and then "paste" it into the blank Word document you have opened. This will also "save" any links to other websites included in the postings.
I have now collected several of the postings which I like (or will research more later)into one document... Print it out and now you can make your own "notes" in the margins...
cut and paste to another program for back-up?
by zwaving - 8/4/07 1:34 PM In reply to: Trying to print just "part" of the replies to a post by Handyman6638I am truly surprised that no one has mentioned the one fantastic program that Microsoft has but advertises very little. It is a programme I would not be without and it serves me well by doing exactly what you said about cut and pasting to word.
Except that is a bit of extra work.
Does anybody else use "One Note"?? It is a fabulous program.
Anyway, if you have it installed for other things - when you read a post you want do what I do. Highlight anything on any page anywhere, cut or copy it to the little "One Note" icon in the bottom right little taskbar and it will sit on a blank page waiting for you. Do this all day if you like and then afterwards you go to the program and organize your cuttings in any way you like.
I use the program like you would a notebook-three ringed binder etc. Very simple. I have a section in the program just for Cnet. One section for their reviews and another for comments like this and edited under whatever topic you happen to be on.
Like I said at the start. Anyone running a PC should not be without 'MICROSOFT ONE NOTE" It is like having a tabbed three ring binder at your fingertips at all times. Divided in a manner according to your wish. Do yourself a favor, download the trial version and hook into their great training pages and enjoy. I am not a great fan of Microsoft programs but truly believe that "One-Note" is the type of program the Private Computer was designed for.
Restore Point
by FVDP - 7/30/07 9:46 AM In reply to: A Word Of Warning by 1up2downWhere are those files stored?
Windows' Disk Cleanup does a good job at deleting them, but it might happen that the "most recent restore point" appears to be useless. I recently experienced that Windows XP SP2 out of a sudden started with a login window wanting a password I never defined (I live alone and am the only user of this PC, so I work without log in/password).
Nothing had been modified to my system for several previous sessions and I even hadn't recently removed any restore points. Yet Windows, after "restoring to the last known good configuration" kept on presenting me with that login screen. No "repair" function was able to do anything, so I had to reinstall XP.
What I want is to retrieve this "restore" file(set) and back it up safely so I can reuse a genuine "last known..." when necessary.
And yes, an image would help out, but I still have to get the proper hardware (very limited budget, you know).
I second that and go one further
by FalseToU - 8/3/07 2:18 PM In reply to: A Word Of Warning by 1up2downAcronis True Image is a MUCH better solution than System Restore, hands down. System Restore is one of the Windows Services I have disabled. "FREE INTERNET WINDOW WASHER" does a great job cleaning up your disk - index.dat files, etc. You can set it to run at startup or to run every hour.
I have My Documents moved to a separate partition on hard drive 1, so that when I do an Acronis Restore, the My Documents folder is unnaffected. I "backup" My Documents separately to a separate disk with SecondCopy because I want to maintain true second copy of My Documents, not a compressed version that requires a piece of software to read - SecondCopy maintains this exact copy (on demand or automatically), rather than making a whole complete backup each time so its quick.
This second hard drive is also where the images that Acronis creates are kept. So everything I have on hard drive 1 is also on hard drive 2. If both hard drives fail at once, then I have to resort to the DVDs I make occasionally from the backups and images.
I save certain images forever - for instance, the one with Windows freshly installed and activated and the one with my favorite software also installed and activated. If the only thing on your C partition is the operating system and programs, then you can get two images on a single DVD, plus any "diary-log files" you keep of your computer's history (programs installed, etc.) before the images were made.
I use Express Assist 8 to backup: Outlook Express folders and settings (including rules, etc.), Internet Explorer settings, Windows settings and address book, etc. This is a great program - it will actually setup your internet & email for you on a new computer - I wouldn't be without it.
I also have SecondCopy cherry-pick certain files and folders from C, such as Word's normal.dot and SecondCopy profiles.dat, and Quicklaunch & Desktop folders, etc. that I want to set back to the most current version when I restore a C-drive image.
I point applications to My Documents folder for their data and to the hard drive 2 for their backups and settings when possible and when not, I add those files to the SecondCopy cherry-picks.
I can backup everything in 5 minutes and restore my hard drive 1 to a pristine state (nearly no internet activity), except for certain files I want the most current version of (which I re-restore from my other backups), in 10 minutes. Then I make a new image of C immediately.
I do this once a month or so, using a log I keep a shortcut to on my desktop, where I note any changes I make such as installing a program, that will need to be done over. It is a running log from the initial install.
My current C-drive has been running over a year, but it thinks it has been on the internet about 20 minutes total and it thinks it has never had a program uninstalled.
There are a couple of programs for which I make .reg exports to restore, that I can't backup any other way.
I have a script with links so I don't even have to think about it - I just follow the script to back it all up or to restore it all.
Incidently, both Express Assist 8 and Acronis True Image will show you files and folders to restore selected items, if you wish.
acronis
by howjef - 8/3/07 4:27 PM In reply to: I second that and go one further by FalseToUi use two external hard drives so that i can remove them as we are in a lightening prone area.
when i tried to restore frontpage from the acronis back up.
it would not do it. said that it didn't have the program to open it.
if i did something wrong i would love to know what so i can avoid it in the future.
Paula
Deleteing files
by phulbelly - 7/21/07 7:30 AM In reply to: What files can I safely delete in Windows Explorer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Don't.
Plain and simple. If you don't know what a .dmp file is and you have a negative track record for "tinkering under the hood" then leave the hood SHUT. If you have time enough to wonder what this and that is and should I delete it or not, you've got time to wash the dishes, walk the dog, check the kids homework or anything else that won't muck up your computer and give you a headache and create a very long day with a lot of time wasted.
Sorry.
Just Don't (delete files).
a'solutely!
by herbfellows - 7/28/07 2:29 AM In reply to: Deleteing files by phulbellyThis is the perfect answer! Go walk the dog! If you don't have a dog, go buy one and then walk him! You will be much happier with your computer perhaps a tad slow than inoperable!
DON'T????
by LazarusAfoot - 7/28/07 2:24 PM In reply to: Deleteing files by phulbellyGee, now there's a creative and inspired answer: "Don't delete files.." The entire answer is a "because I said so" type of answer that we got from burned out teachers and parents who loved to stifle learning and exploration. So many adults act old and boring because they don't learn and NEVER ever take risks.
Make a backup of your Documents and Settings/*yourusername* folder and store it in an external disk. Have fun and listen to Alain, using his file-types as a guide of what not to toss. Windows is a convoluted and overly complex system and any knowledge you can gain by tinkering with it puts you one step ahead of other folks who are paralyzed when their machine acts up.
I had a client the other day who had waited for his laptop (an HP with XP Pro) for 3 weeks and two different techs at different places (one a big chain store and the other an IT firm0. They told him that they couldn't reinstall his system without formatting and losing all his data and that they could "see" the folder that the data was in, but they couldn't access it. Both techs had the same answer.
I specialize in Macs, but know PCs too. However, PCs are not my favorite and I don't consider myself the expert that I am in Macs. However, I fixed the client's system and the folder was inaccessable because the previous techs had installed a copy of XP leaving them locked out. I changed the permissions of the folder and then restored the client's personal information, cherished photos, and business records.
It's too bad that there are so many people who would have you keep your hands off that which you don't know about instead of learning about it and bettering yourself.
Thanks,
Jeff
HP Computers
by FalseToU - 8/9/07 5:49 PM In reply to: DON'T???? by LazarusAfootMy present computer is custom-built (by me and a tech helper). My previous computer was an HP. When I received it, it was swamped with "come-on" trial software, advertisements, etc. etc. much of which could not be removed.
HP's solution for every problem is a destructive system restore.
It took me 3 months to get all the motherboard/hardware drivers (no disks from HP) so I could partition my drive the way *I* wanted it partitioned instead of the way HP wanted it partitioned and install a purchased copy of XP Home (HP's couldn't be installed without all the crapware that THEY wanted on my PC). They actually admitted to me that they SOLD space on MY hard disk to vendors for their crapware! - to cut their costs!
Well, after all this trouble, the HP Pavillion high end model lasted less than a year and a half. When building my new one, I opened the HP and found out that they had NOT PUT A SINGLE CASE FAN in the HP case. The insides were fried from the heat buildup!
In my LianLi aluminum case I have two large 120mm case fans - one blows directly over the hard drives. I got a large case and tied the cables well out of the way to leave extra free space inside. My power supply has a 120mm fan as well. Every part has heatsinks and fans and the case is also vented on the side and on the top directly over the power supply. Plus an aluminum case disspates heat - my case is always cool, even directly over the power supply and hard drives.
I didn't know a lot about it when I started, but I researched every single part, being sure they all worked together, and got a professional to help me with this first build, mostly to answer my questions. I will never buy another off-the-shelf Windows machine, especially not an HP.
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