# Frank's Windows - Throwing out the trash.



## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Hello,

I found this site (whilst browsing here):

http://9337387.home.icq.com/index.html

and although Frank (the author) says "For 95 & 98" I am ever hopeful that the '98' may include dear old Me - by default, well almost.

"Throwing out the trash" is always going to get a click out of me (mainly because when I stopped counting I had reinstalled WinMe over itself 15 times).

I did the search of the extensions(?) in his list - these:

*.TMP

C:\TEMP\*.* (If this folder is present)

C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\*.*

*.CHK

*.OLD

*.BAK

*.GID

*.CNT

*.FTG

MSCREATE.DIR

*.---

~*.*

_*.*

*.000 (Increase this number by 1 until no more files appear)

and found hundreds. I decided to ignore the final one *.000 cos it seemed to be the whole of my hard drive.

The question I have is can I delete the files I find on Me with the extensions(?) as listed above?

Thank-you.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

Aarhuus2004:

If you read the third paragraph of my home page, you will see that all the articles also apply to Windows ME, so clean up your hard drive to your heart's content.

Hopefully, you don't have a *C:\WINDOWS.000* folder. That would indicate that when you reinstalled Windows, you allowed it to install in a separate directory instead of the default C:\WINDOWS folder.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Hello Frank,

Glad you visit. Very careless of me to have missed that.

We newbies share much - call it confusion. The second paragraph (in your post) has that effect on my old brain. It seizes up, feels sort of rigid.

I just tried that C:\ *.000 again and found 7. Increasing the zeros by 1 yielded nothing. What is .000? And why would 000 be 0000
on other files(?)?

Are you using folder and directory interchangeably?

Is this sentence correct?

On my HDD (C) I found 7 folders(files?directories?) with the extension .000.

Would appreciate your help.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Yes, you can use folder and directory interchangeably. However, don't include files in that interchangeability. Many of us that have been with computers since the days of yor still use the directory term. We also tend to believe in tree structured directories as the best way to organize your files.

Directory is a carry over from DOS (and UNIX) The "folder" term came into being with windows 95 (I _think_ directory was still used with Win 3.1. Especially since 3.1 was essentially a DOS shell)


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Hello NiteHawk,

Thank you for the response. I am just three years into a computer and there are days when I wonder what I have done to myself!

OK let me ask:

When a folder/directory contains only files is it a file folder/directory?

Am I correct in thinking that files never contain folders/directories?

My question about file extensions? I everything to the right of the dot the extension? Even .000?

Thanks, NiteHawk.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

A directory/folder may contain both files and/or other directories/folders in which case they are called sub-directories/sub-folders.

Yes, files never contain directories/folders. The exception to this is a ZIP file which is a compressed file containing several or many files and sometimes also folders.

Yes, everything to the right of the dot is the extension. The extension tells you what kind of file it is. Exe = executable, doc = MS Word document, mp3 = music/sound file, jpg = image/picture file, and so on.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Hello NiteHawk,

I have it and thanks to you.

Frank gave me the go ahead to remove files with extensions as listed in my first post here. I began to do this when I remembered unchecking earlier, the Folder Options | View | Do not show hidden files and folders and also the Hide file extensions for known file types. So I restored the few I had deleted.

What should those settings be for the deletes to be safe to do?

Thanks NiteHawk.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

You want to show all files and all extensions


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Thanks, NiteHawk.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

What I meant by increasing the number **.000* by one is increasing it to **.001, *.002, *.003*, etc..


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by flavallee:_
> *What I meant by increasing the number *.000 by one is increasing it to *.001, *.002, *.003, etc.. *


Frank, got that. Thanks for persisting. 
*************************************************
Nitehawk. I quote your last post.

"You want to show all files and all extensions."

All files is clear enough. But "all extensions" stopped me dead in the water. I have learned I must check all 'sub-folders' in this cleaning process. I have Frank's list of extensions to search for.
Please clarify what you mean by "all extensions". Thanks.


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## Cowboy622 (Oct 4, 2001)

Not meaning to butt in here but here is a post from Train in which he was giving out steps to take before defragging and he names file extensions to delete which might interest you. See below:

Previously posted by Train:
Programs running in background For whom who asked the original question. I think you need a little more information, because you may be trying to defrag without having done a few other necessary steps first. Which could explain why it is taking so long. Defragging should really be a third step after: 
(1) deleting unnecessary files from your computer (what's the point of rearranging useless files?) and
(2) running the computer through a scandisk -[ which checks the surface for damaged sectors only when run in the thorough/ surface scan so that files are not put there in the defrag process.]
I wrote the following notes for colleagues at work, who knew nothing about disk maintenance, based on information gleaned from a number of websites and books. I hope you can get some benefit from them as well. *Step 1:* Deleting Folders and Files
*A.* Folders on the C drive from which all files can safely be deleted:
-> Windows \ Temporary Internet Files {deletes cookies including website log in info / payed to surf cookies if done using Windows explorer}[Deltree this directory from DOS does not effect cookies]
-> Windows \ Downloaded Program Files {contains files you may want to leave alone. Java, Activex applets that will be downloaded again when you visit the site again, addding time to load webpage. And windows Update site uses applets stored here.
-> Windows \ History
-> Windows \ Temp
-> Windows \ Cookies [Again payed to surf need these and Login cookies are here also.]
-> Windows \ Favorites (all can be deleted if you do not use Internet Explorer as your browser) 
The simplest way to delete all files in a folder is to highlight the folder in Windows Explorer, click the menu item EDIT>SELECT ALL, then hit the DELETE key.
*B.* Files (but NOT personal files) that can be deleted are selected on the basis of their extension i.e. the three letters that appear after the 'dot' and file name. 
Files which can be safely deleted are found in three places:
-> in Windows Explorer 
-> in email mailboxes
-> in your browser (e.g Netscape or Internet Explorer) 
Windows Explorer
In Windows Explorer, any file can be found by going to the menu item TOOLS>FIND>FILES OR FOLDERS. In the dialog box, type *.xxx, where xxx is the file type (listed below). The file types can be entered one at a time, or several at once, separated by semi-colons, for example *.gid; *.cnt. Specify the drive to look in (usually C), make sure the INCLUDE SUBFOLDERS box is checked, then FIND NOW. Note (1): The * is a 'wild card' and will allow all files with that extension to be found, irrespective of file name. Note (2): If you have any concerns about deleting a file, create a temporary folder (perhaps under 'My Documents') named DELyymmdd, where yymmdd is the current year, month and day. Move the files you are not sure about deleting to this folder, and if after experiencing no adverse effects for a week / month (depending on computer use) then delete the folder and its contents. File types which can be deleted, and what they are:
*.gid, *.cnt, *.ftg, *.ann, *.bmk
These files are Help sections, and will regenerate when needed.
*.avi, *.fts, *.diz, *.tmp, These files include How-To animations, files created when you do a search in a Help file, lists of files on previously installed programs, and temporary or old version of files. *.~??, *.??~, *.bk2, *.001, *.002 through to *.999
These are also temporary files
*.wav, *.mid
These are sound files, and you may want to keep them (say for PowerPoint). Most are junk 
*.zip
Delete these files after extracting the program files from them. If you feel unsure doing this,or want to, save the files to clearly labelled floppy disk, cd, zip or ??*.chk located directly on the C drive (C:\*.chk) but NOT those in any regular program folders
They are the result of running ScanDisk Mscreate.dir and/or a folder called ~Mssetup.tUnder the Windows Explorer menu VIEW>OPTIONS>VIEW, make sure the SHOW ALL FILES option is checked. Search the entire C drive for these two files and delete them. They are empty files created by Microsoft installation programs.
Because each email program is different, I will not try to give instructions on how to clean these up, but I am sure if you check your IN and OUT boxes, you will see which files can either be deleted forever, or zipped up and stored on floppy or another backup utility.
NETSCAPE
This is the browser I use, so this is why I can provide instructions for it. If you use IE or any other browser, someone else can provide the relevant details.
If you use Netscape to browse the internet, there is a lot of junk retained after each visit. To clear it out, go to the Netscape menu item EDIT>PREFERENCES. In the dialog box that comes up, click on Category>Navigator. On the RHS of the dialog box, under the section 'History Box', click on the button 'Clear History'. In the section beneath 'Location Bar History', click on the button 'Clear Location Box'. Click on the Category>Advanced>Cache menu, and clear the Memory Cache and the Disk Cache.
The next step is absolutely vital!
EMPTY THE RECYCLE BIN 
*Step 2:* ScanDisk
This program is built in to Windows and is designed to check for errors on the surface of your hard disk ('bad sectors') and errors in the files and folders, many of which ScanDisk can also fix. To make ScanDisk run at its best, no other programs should be running at the same time, and must be closed down. Many people do not realise that as well as the programs you choose to open yourself, a number of programs start automatically when you turn on your computer. These must also be closed down BEFORE you run ScanDisk. How do you know what is open? Pressing the three keys Control, Alt and Delete at the same time (C/A/D) will bring up a list of the programs running in the background of your computer. Not all programs should be turned off, otherwise the computer will not run at all. The two programs which MUST BE LEFT RUNNING are Explorer and Systray, all others can be closed down (one at a time) by pressing C/A/D, and choosing End Task. You may not recognise what some of these programs are, but invariably will include your virus checker - there may be several of these, checking incoming email, a random virus scan at startup, as well as continuous background scanning.
There may also be an MS Office toolbar. There is one other step to do before starting ScanDisk. You must turn off any screen savers. To do this, either go to Start>Settings>Control Panel, and open Display, OR right click on the desktop and choose Properties. You will get several tabs: click on Background, and set wallpaper to NONE, click on the Screen Saver tab and also set to NONE. To start the scan, Go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>ScanDisk You can choose Standard or Thorough, the latter of which you should choose if you have never run ScanDisk. Since it can take some time (up to a couple of hours), choose your time appropriately. If you need your computer before the scan finishes, it is OK to stop it, and start it again at a later time. It will take less time, as some of the scan has been done. However, because of the requirement to go through Step 1 - deleting unwanted files - should be done before running ScanDisk, it is obviously better to complete it in one sitting if possible.
*Step 3:* Defrag
When you create, move, copy, update, rewrite and delete files from your computer, they get fragmented. The computer can keep track of these fragments belonging to a single file, but it will take longer to display. To optimise computer performance, periodic defragmentation, or the process of reorganizing the contents of a disk so that all of a file's contents are written in a single contiguous block, is desirable. To run a defrag, which should be done immediately after running ScanDisk,
Go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Defrag ------------------
and see http://www.putergeek.com/scandisk_defrag/

Hope this helps you.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Cowboy622, 

Now there is a feast of info. That is quite a valuable post of Train's. I thank-you for sharing it.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

I would note one HUGE exception to deleting all files in the range of *.000 to *.999. Any files that have *.38_ or *.386 should be left alone!! Also files that are *.411 should be looked at as to what they really are before deleting.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

NiteHawk,

I have noted your exception and caution re Train's list. I imagine that deleting the ones safe to delete (I refer to the .000 onwards) would take some time. One by one. Any shortcuts?

I am going to quote myself in an earlier post in this thread: "

"You want to show all files and all extensions." (this is yours) and mine 
"All files is clear enough. But "all extensions" stopped me dead in the water. I have learned I must check all 'sub-folders' in this cleaning process. I have Frank's list of extensions to search for. Please clarify what you mean by "all extensions". "

What did you mean?

Thanks.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

The easiest way I can think of is to use the Find command and look for things like *.0?? that will take you from 000 to 099, other than the 38_, 386 and 411 there are almost never any files beyond 099. Look at the flies that the Find list has found and then apply your own judgment. 

The ? and * are "wild cards" in a search. The ? means any single character. The * means any group of characters. 
Let's say you had a Word document that you had written concerning vacation plans, but couldn't remember what you named the file. You know that it was written in Word so the extension has to be .doc. You know it was about vacation plans. You now know the type of file and some of the words in it. Use the Find command and search for *.doc and in the second field you put in the word vacation. The search will only look at .doc files and look within them for the word vacation. The results should be just a few files and from them you can probably now remember the file name.

Back to looking for the junk files. Use ~* in the Find command. This will give you all files that start with ~. These are usually files that you had open when the computer locked up/blue screened/crashed or any kind of "non-graceful shutdown"

I think you get the idea of using the Find command and using wild cards.  If not, just ask.


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## flavallee (May 12, 2002)

NightHawk:

When I've done a computer cleanup and started with *.000, I've rarely had to go beyond *.010 before no files appeared.

Thanks for mentioning the files with a .386 extension. I'll make note on my site not to delete them.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

*NiteHawk*,

I value you input and feel I am making progress which is long overdue.

I have 262 items in my Recycle Bin and there they will stay, as Frank recommended, until I am satisfied all is indeed well. This from the file deletions with those listed extensions.

The use of ~ and how that comes about is plus the use of ?? and * is, from my point of view, invaluable learning.

I won't hesitate to post as other issues crop up. The patience and care brought to responses in this forum is excellent.

I am grateful.

Best wishes.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by flavallee:_
> *NightHawk:
> 
> When I've done a computer cleanup and started with *.000, I've rarely had to go beyond *.010 before no files appeared.
> ...


I agree Frank, over .010 is a lot, even if you search only every 6 months.

Yes, deleting the .386 or .38_ extension files could cause people some serious problems. Honestly I hadn't given it much thought until yesterday. Being lazy I just did a search for *.0*, *.1* and so on. When I ran the *.3* The .386 files just jumped out at me saying, "save me, save me". 

Anytime you read anything on deleting junk files and they say .000 - .999 I have never seen the .386 caveat. Scary. Hopefully most people gave up long before getting to that point or at least exercised some common sense.


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## iaavagent (Jan 11, 2004)

Nighthawk,Frank and others!
In w95, and maybe others, when you are in win explorer, and click on the + folder temp internet files you come up with,"Content IE5". this has 9 folders, 8 are sub and all contain 7-8 mb and 1-2k files, for a total of 64-68 mb and 10k+ files. The sub files have odd extensions, and when you open them, nothing is there in the box, but yet properties show the above amounts.

I noticed this when deleting the temp int files directly from win/temp int files folder. Before deleting I would bring up properties,and it would show 66+megs and 10k+ files. I would select "all" and hit delete. Then when I went to properties again the 66+meg had reduced to 64meg+ and less files but still over 10k! So I went looking and thats when I came across the Content IE5 folder in Win explorer that is in the Yellow folder of Temp internet files. 
I would assume you can't delete the contents of "Content IE5". Is that a correct assumption? Thanks

PS, I had "show all files" checked


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Here is the easiest and fastest way to get rid of 95+% of the junk files on your PC

How to Delete in DOS and be done with it. Quick. Efficient

Start > Shutdown and Restart in MS_DOS mode Depending on your OS you may need a boot disk to start in DOS.

Once in DOS type in the following commands exactly:

_Optional step: *dir* make a note of the amount of free space _

1. *C:*
2. *cd \* (This will insure that you are at the *C:\>* prompt, if not...type in *C: *) 
3. *DELTREE /Y RECYCLED*
4. *SMARTDRV.EXE * (This will make the deletions run faster)
*
5. CD \WINDOWS
6. DELTREE /Y COOKIES
7. DELTREE /Y HISTORY 
8. DELTREE /Y RECENT
9. DELTREE /Y TEMP
10. DELTREE /Y TEMPOR~1*

Fear not, all of these folders will be recreated when you reboot windows.

(Depending on when the last time you cleaned these out it could take a fair amount of time even with Smartdvr enabled. Relax and get a cup of coffee.)

_Optional step: *dir* make a note of the amount of free space _ The difference between this and the first time is the amount of space you have recovered.

While you are still in DOS, I would suggest running scandisk to check the hard drive for any errors.
*
11. Scandisk
*
Once scandisk is done, reboot

ctrl-alt-delete to reboot to windows

If you have never deleted Temporary Internet Files in the past, my guess is that you can recover 50 - 500 meg of HD space. Maybe more if you have never done it since day one.

The most space I have ever recovered from someone's PC was a whopping 2.3 gig.

Oh, by the way, boot time is slightly improved and you will notice a marked reduction in time to run a virus scan and defrag.

Now that you have gotten rid of that "land fill" called Temporary Internet Files, you may want to reboot into Safe Mode and run defrag.

Next power down and then as you start up hold down the crtl key (depending on manufacture some use the F8 key. If ctrl doesn't work, try again using the F8 key) Which ever way is successful you should now have a black screen with a menu of 5 or 6 choices. Select Safe Mode.

Once in Safe Mode, click on Start > Run and type in defrag. Defragging in Safe Mode is faster because defrag isn't interrupted by the windows background disk and "house keeping" calls.

This will take some time (several hours) depending on the size of your HD and the speed of your PC in general.

The above procedure will get rid of 90 to 95% of the trash on your HD. For a more comprehensive list of files to delete see Frank's Windows 95/98 Tips  in general and specifically the excellent article on "Throwing Out The Trash".

Good Luck. Let us know how it works for you.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Two ways to get into DOS in Win 95 and 98.

1. Go to Start > Shutdown and select Restart in MS_DOS

2. If you really want to look like a computer Wizard cut and paste steps 1-10 into NotePad. Next edit out the step numbers and my comments in step 2 and step 4. Then Save As "Cleanme.bat" In this case use the quotes when you save the file name and it will prevent NotePad from appending txt as the file extension.

Next create a bootable floppy and copy cleanme.bat to the floppy.
Put the floppy in the PC and power up. Let the computer do the work for you. When you get the *C:\> * prompt returned, you are done. CONGRATS!!

* A word of caution on using Deltree *

NOTE: I have given you the deltree command with the */y* switch which means that it automatically answers YES and does the deletion without user confirmation.

You may want to test drive it first without the */y* switch where it will ask you to confirm each folder that is being deleted.

Deltree is a powerful command so be careful to copy all the steps *exactly*. Deltree means delete the directory (folder) specified and ALL files and folders below it!!

As you can see, if you don't know what directory (folder) you are in, or what directory you are calling, this can be dangerous. IF done from just C: (root) it will delete your whole HD.


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## iaavagent (Jan 11, 2004)

Your last post ! That's scaring/frightening!! Not sure I want to attempt it that way! but appreciate the warning!


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *Two ways to get into DOS in Win 95 and 98.
> 
> 1. Go to Start > Shutdown and select Restart in MS_DOS
> ...


Hello NiteHawk,

The capital C and the lowercase c in Cleanme.bat & cleanme.bat above - does it matter?

And can #11 be added?

Thanks.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Hello NiteHawk,

How does this look to you? I thought I would ask because I am marginally (widely?) scared of the dos waters.

Thanks

Well I added cleanme.bat to a startup floppy, inserted it and restarted the computer.

At the "A" prompt I hazarded a guess and typed 'cleanme run'. It did. When it finished I removed the floppy and Ctrl | Alt | Delete.
Whereon ScanDisk began for an improper shut-down.

I ran Spider and IndexDAT File View - all clear both.

*NiteHawk*I would appreciate your input (or anyone's for that matter)

Thanks..


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

The attachment looks like you ran cleanme from a DOS window and not pure DOS, but you did mention the A:\> prompt so I'm a little confused.


But as you can see from the output on the screen the cleanme file did it's thing. It did miss the temp and Recent folders, that may be because it was run from a DOS window and not a pure DOS environment.

PS: All you have to type is cleanme and it should run


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *Two ways to get into DOS in Win 95 and 98.
> 
> Next create a bootable floppy and copy cleanme.bat to the floppy.
> ...


"How does this look to you? I thought I would ask because I am marginally (widely?) scared of the dos waters."

Hello NiteHawk,

I took that snap shot whilst windows was running. But ignore that.

"At the "A" prompt I hazarded a guess and typed 'cleanme run'. It did. When it finished I removed the floppy and Ctrl | Alt | Delete.
Whereon ScanDisk began for an improper shut-down."

I just need to type cleanme at the A:\> prompt. OK. I understand.

*But why, after it ran and I removed the floppy and pressed Ctrl Alt Delete, did I get an improper shutdown scandisk?*

Any ideas?

Thanks.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

DOS and Windows are not case sensitive so it doesn't make any defference.

Yes, step 11 can be added. However if you don't get a clean run of scandisk some user interaction will be required to tell it want to do.

Here is a way that you can take the automation to the next step, but I would wait until you have done it manually a few times.

On the bootable floppy IF there is a file called Autoexec.bat open it in NotePad and at teh bottom add this line
*
call cleanme.bat
*
save the file and double check to see that the extension is still .bat.

That way all you have to do is once a month put the floppy in the drive, power up and walk away and get a cup of coffee. It will do the rest for you. (Unless scandisk findes an error and needs your input)


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Hi, Nitehawk, This DOS experience is growing on me. I must do some reading on the commands. Many thanks for your latest. I like the idea of adding #11 ScanDisk and the 'call cleanme.bat' to Autoexe.bat. Very pleased and grateful, NiteHawk.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Some people claim that DOS is dead, I disagree. Even tho Windows XP did their best to cripple it, it still lives on.

Here is a very simple little task that no one has ever been able to tell me how to do in windows (without 3rd party software)
Print out a list, in alphabetical order, of all files in a given folder.
Best of my knowledge, it can't be done from within Windows.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *Some people claim that DOS is dead, I disagree. Even tho Windows XP did their best to cripple it, it still lives on.
> 
> Here is a very simple little task that no one has ever been able to tell me how to do in windows (without 3rd party software)
> ...


There is a challenge. But not for me, Nitehawk.

But from that comes this:

I am sure you are saying it can be done from DOS. Are the commands to do it within this newbie's province? I would like to try it.

Cheers.

and *Nitehawk*

I have just successfully added *call cleanme.bat* to the *Autoexe.bat* file and it did the job. Next I will add *ScanDisk* to the *cleanme.bat*.

What about Defrag too?

I have never seen ScanDisk run so fast!:up:


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Aaah, so you like how fast scandisk runs now  :up:

Defrag should also run much faster because you aren't wasting time on defragging the junk files. Incidentally, it is these junk files, mostly from temp and Temporary Internet Files (TIF) that cause 80% of the fragmentation.

To the best of my knowledge you can't run defrag from DOS, it's a windows function. The best way to run defrag is from Safe Mode. Safe Mode loads a bare bones set of drivers necessary to run windows and nothing else.

When windows is running in the regular mode it loads a lot of programs that run in the background and there is constantly information being passed back and forth and disk calls are being made and the info written back to disk. This is that keeps making defrag restart and take so long in regular windows. None of this happens in Safe Mode so defrag runs much faster.

Now that you have a floppy that will automate cleaning up most of the garbage and then run scandisk, I suppose you want it to run defrag too!  Like the kid in the candy store.  

OK, I can at least get you part way there. Since you are handing off control from one operating system to another (DOS to Windows then back to DOS) I have never quite figured out how to automate the whole thing. With luck, maybe someone else will have the answer.

Back in the original cleanme.bat use NotePad to add this after the scandisk line.
*
Win /D:M defrag.exe
*

Now here is where the automation falls down. As you enter Safe Mode you will have to click on OK. Then it starts Defrag and you have to do the rest manually by clicking on the necessary answers. There is probably a way, but I just havent taken the time to research and find the correct switches for the command line.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

*"Win /D:M defrag.exe"*

Hello Nitehawk,

I am experiencing something very worthwhile.

A few weeks ago I was giving serious thought to giving up, at age 69, my three-year computing experience - giving up my cable and using the computer for whatever entertainment/diversion it could offer. I thought I may have reached a learning plateau where frustration outweighed any pleasure.

For what it is worth this thread has completely turned me around.
I have become that "kid in the candy store". I was always in the store but I was 'speechless'. It no longer is the case.

Please take a look at this site:

http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm#02

Can you recommend it?

I use this tool. Does it show me all those background running programs you mention?

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/procexp.shtml

******************

Win /D:M defrag.exe takes me into SafeMode. From DOS. Is it a command prompt?

Win = Windows ?

Space (always used in DOS command prompts? e.g. scanreg /opt /fix Why is the space necessary?

\ or / What is the difference?

: Signifies?

M = ?

********************

If adding scandisk to the cleanme.bat on the bootup floppy works why wouldn't adding defrag? I cannot understand the difference. Are they not both executables?

Well it wouldn't work!! But you knew it wouldn't.  
ScanDisk doesn't need Windows loaded but Defrag does?

Oh boy, I am getting a headache.

********************

Nitehawk, is it OK for me to pursue this in this forum? I don't have a computer problem after all. Just plain old 'don't know'.

Thanks for all.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Yes, computerhope is a good site and that is a good guide for DOS commands. I looked at it and smiled. Some of those commands I haven't used in years, others I stall use today, and a few others never at all.

Sysinternals is a good program. I have it, but sometimes forget about it. These days you can get many utility programs that do similar things but perhaps in slightly different ways. I just use the first one that comes to mind. If that one doesn't do it, I go to the next one.

Win /D:M defrag.exe takes me into SafeMode. From DOS. Is it a command prompt?
* Yes, DOS and command prompt are used interchangeably *
Win = Windows ?
*Yes*
Space (always used in DOS command prompts? e.g. scanreg /opt /fix Why is the space necessary?
*Yes. the space is a break between the command and the switch. scanreg is the command, /opt or /fix or /restore are switches which farther define what the command is to do.
A basic example is the dir command. Alone it will give you a directory listing, with the /p switch it will pause after every screen of output, with the /w switch is displays in Wide format (file names only), the /s will list all the files in all the subdirectories for the whole disk, /ad will only list directories, /o is sort by (read order) /on is sort by name, /od is by date, /os by size.* Therefore *dir /s /a /on *would give you a listing of all files in all directories and subdirectories (/s) plus all hidden files (/a) AND sort them alphabetically by name within each subdirectory.

\ or / What is the difference? 
*the \ (backslash) is part of the path name and used as a separator between directories. \ is root. c:\windows\options\cabs\win98_33.cab where C: is the drive and windows, options, and cabs are all folder names and win98_33.cab is a file name. This is known as "the fully defined path" and since subdirectories branch off from directories, the idea is know as "tree structured directories". Think of it in much the same way you would a family tree or even the numbering system used to catalog books in a library. To find something, there has to be some kind of logical structure (to the filling system).

If you are into gardening you wouldn't buy 20 different kinds of seeds and them mix them all together in a pot and them scatter them over the ground, yet this is much the same as what many people do with their files. They put 1200 files all in one place and then try to find them.

If adding scandisk to the cleanme.bat on the bootup floppy works why wouldn't adding defrag? I cannot understand the difference. Are they not both executables?

Well it wouldn't work!! But you knew it wouldn't. 
ScanDisk doesn't need Windows loaded but Defrag does?

Yes, it will work, just not fully automated. Once into Safe Mode you have to provide user input and click the OK and so on. There may be switches that could be added so you wouldn't have to click on OK and confirm defrag. I just don't know them at the moment.

So we could say that while in DOS it runs just fine, fast and smooth, but once it gets into Windows it limps along. 

I have no problem with you asking questions in the forum. To me, teaching is part of what TSG is about.

Sometimes we "give a person a fish" and other times we "teach a person how to fish".*


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

As you can see from the above we almost had the answer of how to get a listing of all the files in a directory/folder. The answer would be:

cd (change directory) to the directory/folder you want and then type:
*
dir /on > prn*
or
*dir /on > lpt1*

> means redirect the output. By default the output goes to the screen, but you can redirect that output to the printer or a file.

prn = printer
lpt1 = the printer port

These days many of the inkjet/bubblejet/laser printers don't have drivers installed for DOS so the command may not always work.

The work around is:
*dir /on > filename.txt*
then from Windows open the file in NotePad or WordPad and then print it. It's an extra step, but not the fault of DOS


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## iaavagent (Jan 11, 2004)

Nighthawk a question, difference between pure dos,dos or what other kind of dos? What is meant by all this?

Also to bring forth a previous questiion. 
"Content IE5." In my w95 os this file has 64-68mb with 9 folders and 10k + files.In my xp os it has less than 2mb with 6 folders. In w95 all come up with a blank screen when opened. Content IE5 is part of the temporary internet files per Win explorer in w95. In XP I forget how I found them. Are these cumulative and non-deleteable? I noticed when running a virus scan on w95 these 10k+ files were scanned and it took a long time.
Don't mean to be a pain but if there is a way to get rid of these files it would free up some space and shorten scan and defrag times.
I ditto aarhus2004 appreciation and thanks for all your help!


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

*NiteHawk*,

How does one enter DOS in Windows95? Just to have a look. And to exit - Control|Alt|Delete?


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by iaavagent:_
> *Nighthawk a question, difference between pure dos,dos or what other kind of dos? What is meant by all this?
> 
> Also to bring forth a previous questiion.
> ...


The expression "pure DOS" and just DOS are somewhat interchangeable. Around TSG most use the expression "pure DOS" to emphasize DOS as opposed to a DOS window. Using a DOS window you are still within the Windows environment and thus sometimes limited as to what DOS can do.

A good example of this is that Windows will not let you modify or delete a file that is currently in use such as temp files and things that load at start up (both good and bad). When you boot into DOS you are not running windows so these files aren't in use and can be deleted.

There are two ways to get into DOS, first is to use a bootdisk. You can either down load one from several links at the bottom or create one via Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Create System Disks.

With Win 95 and 98 systems there is an option on the shutdown menu. Start > Shutdown > Restart in MS_DOS Mode.

To your question about Content.IE5, this is part of the Temporary Internet Files garbage that accumulates, and yes, they are VERY cumulative!! If left alone they will number thousands and thousands. Windows is very poor at house keeping and cleaning up after itself. These, like any other temp file, were needed for the moment, but NOT FOREVER! What do they do? Nothing good. They take up disk space. They slow down a virus scan. They slow down scandisk. They slow down defrag. And over time slow down the PC in general. Look back to my script as to how to get rid of them before running AV scans, scandisk, or defrag. These temporary files are the major reason for disk fragmentation in the first place. Is there a way to treat all these temp files so they won't cause fragmentation? You bet!! Disk management. But the best way is by partitioning and using a second hard drive. (A whole subject within itself.)

Several links for boot disks:

http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by aarhus2004:_
> *NiteHawk,
> 
> How does one enter DOS in Windows95? Just to have a look. And to exit - Control|Alt|Delete? *


There are two ways to get into DOS, first is to use a bootdisk. You can either down load one from several links at the bottom or create one via Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Create System Disks.

With Win 95 and 98 systems there is an option on the shutdown menu. Start > Shutdown > Restart in MS_DOS Mode.


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## iaavagent (Jan 11, 2004)

Oh,Oh! I think a caution is needed!! 

When you do a "find " on files as given in franks list and others, when using ,"-" and possibly others , it brings up files that are similar and shouldn't be deleted unless you don't want. them. I did the "find" on -*.*, and it brought up my Bio tech portfolio because I had named it with a -,ie -Bio tech portfolio. Therefore you need to look at what it brings up that is similar as you can't go on what it finds.
I was under the impression on all finds that you can just delete what it brings up using this xxx extension method.
Dumb,dumb me!


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## iaavagent (Jan 11, 2004)

My mistake it should read _*.* and not -*.*,whew! But still shouldn't you look thru the found list to be sure? Although if you entered it correctly then you should be safe in deleting all that's there? Right?


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by iaavagent:_
> *Oh,Oh! I think a caution is needed!!
> 
> When you do a "find " on files as given in franks list and others, when using ,"-" and possibly others , it brings up files that are similar and shouldn't be deleted unless you don't want. them. I did the "find" on -*.*, and it brought up my Bio tech portfolio because I had named it with a -,ie -Bio tech portfolio. Therefore you need to look at what it brings up that is similar as you can't go on what it finds.
> ...


Yes, these are general rules of thumb. However, "all road signs must be interpreted by the driver"! You have the last word in what stays and what goes.

You saw a few posts back where I raised a RED flag on the old idea fo getting read of all files with extensions between .000 and .999. The .386 files are important system files, and the .38_ is usually the compressed version of them. Thay should always stay.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by aarhus2004:_
> *Hello Nitehawk,
> 
> I am experiencing something very worthwhile.
> ...


Aarhus2004, I meant to say this at the time you posted the above, but better late than never.

I'm glad you feel like "the kid in the candy store". Never lose that feeling! You are never too old to learn...NEVER.

IF I had something to do with helping that feeling re-emerge than that makes me happy too. :up:


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## It Wasn't me (Nov 11, 2003)

D'OH

Here is another RED flag when using this _*.* I deleted what I found on both of my computers and I had to reinstall some Paint Shop Pro files that I had deleted. It was and easy fix but I will be more careful next time.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by It Wasn't me:_
> *D'OH
> 
> Here is another RED flag when using this _*.* I deleted what I found on both of my computers and I had to reinstall some Paint Shop Pro files that I had deleted. It was and easy fix but I will be more careful next time. *


Thanks for the info :up:

As I said before, "all road signs must be interpreted by the driver"! You have the last word in what stays and what goes.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

NiteHawk,

Win /D:M defrag.exe doesn't work in WinMe as it is currently setup. Apparently it needs a patch. Which is available from:
http://www.geocities.com/dos8me/
This was the cleanme.bat discussed in this thread.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Thanks for tha patch info, Ben. I'll make note of it. :up:


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Hello,

I have learned that the 'cleanme' text posted earlier in this thread may be improved as follows:

*@Echo Off
LH SMARTDRV.EXE 
C:
cd \ 
SCANDISK
DELTREE /Y RECYCLED
CD \WINDOWS
DELTREE /Y COOKIES
DELTREE /Y HISTORY 
DELTREE /Y RECENT
DELTREE /Y TEMP
DELTREE /Y TEMPOR~1*

The original, placed here for reference purposes, is as follows:

C:
cd \ 
DELTREE /Y RECYCLED
SMARTDRV.EXE 
CD \WINDOWS
DELTREE /Y COOKIES
DELTREE /Y HISTORY 
DELTREE /Y RECENT
DELTREE /Y TEMPOR~1 
SCANDISK (This was added in a later post)
**************************************************

Apparently the DOS in WinMe, accessed using a Startup floppy, is a "Bad idea. Don't run Windows from a diskette boot!".

And for those users familiar wirh DOS the following rationale is
offered:

"A HD-based boot will do all the implicit (DOS=Auto by default) loads, which includes IFSHlp.sys, HiMem.sys, SetVer.exe and so on. A diskette boot won't, as all it can see is what's on the diskette."

Best I can do.


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## GoJoAGoGo (Dec 26, 2002)

> _Originally posted by aarhus2004:_
> *Hello,
> 
> I have learned that the 'cleanme' text posted earlier in this thread may be improved as follows:
> ...


Hi Ben:

I have 4 questions:

What is @Echo Off?

What is LH that has been inserted in front of SMARTDRV.EXE

Why is Scandisk listed first?

Wouldn't Scandisk run faster after the files have been deleted?

I know, I ask too many questions.

Joe


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by GoJoAGoGo:_
> *Hi Ben:
> 
> I have 4 questions:
> ...


@Echo Off turns off echo or writing to the screen

LH is an old DOS command that means Load High or load into upper memory above the standard 640K of DOS memory.

I think that scandisk (and defrag) would run faster after the garbage has been deleted.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

*Joe* and *NiteHawk*

I feel it incumbent upon me to add a little more to this thread.

I couldn't have answered your questions, Joe, Thanks, NiteHawk, for doing so.

So keen was I to have my question(s) answered regarding the failure of WinMe to accept the additional prompt of:
*Win /D:M /defrag.exe* that I started a new thread. Here in this forum: "WinMe: On Bootup into DOS...". There were many views but no responses. I realized you must be unable to spend time here, NiteHawk. So I searched for answers to a subject about which I knew next to nothing a couple of weeks ago.

I finally posted elsewhere (Microsoft Newsgroups | Me | Setup. on 15-02-2004 @ 12:53PM.) in an identical (or almost) manner. I got a response after many hours. The substance of which I have shared already in this thread.

I've tried both versions. Quite a number of times. One's own computer eventually becomes very familiar in it's responses. Like our vehicles do. I have always run ScanDisk again, after the cleanup, in Windows and followed by Disk Defragmenter.

As far as I can tell there is only one difference. The second ScanDisk seems smoother when scandisk is the final item in the cleanup sequence. I shall use that sequence.

Thank-you. As far as I am concerned this thread is ended.

:up:


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Ben, I'll give you one more thing to play with. 

I just wrote a cheap and dirty .bat file. It's not elegant, but it does the trick. What do you want for 15 minutes? 

This is strictly the SHELL for the bat file and there are NO commands in it. That way you can test drive it before putting in the commands you already have.


Download, change the extension from txt to bat and away you go!!

You can edit out the comments and insert the commands in each area.

NOTE: since the primary function is to clean and the scandisk and defrag are nice little add ons, I didn't put in a check question to run the CLEAN section after confirming that you want to continue. If you want to do that you should be able to figure out how. I kept it very basic and straight forward, nothing fancy.

To test it out at any point answer N (no) to the questions and it should either step to the next section or exit out, depending on where you are in the script. Answer Y (yes) and it will give you a comment as to what is happening at that step.

Have fun.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

"What do you want for 15 minutes?"
Each class of fire-extinguisher by the look of it.

"This is strictly the SHELL for the bat"
I thought shells contained fish but I maybe bats.

"Nitehawk, is it OK for me to pursue this in this forum? I don't have a computer problem after all. Just plain old 'don't know'."

This is quite simply the daftest question I have ever asked anyone.

"Sometimes we "give a person a fish" and other times we "teach a person how to fish"."

Are they always mutually exclusive? Is it open season?

"a cheap and dirty" " trick."

Is it co-incidental, I mean the way these words are chosen and fall?

"I kept it very basic and straight forward, nothing fancy"

The hole he has dug for me?

"it will give you a comment as to what is happening"

I'd better turn off the sound. 

"Have fun."

I'm not sure I like the way he adds that - suspect he may be headed for some other state of mind.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

Cute


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

Cutey cute.

So does that cookie tell you anything. It won't tell me anything at all.


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## NiteHawk (Mar 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by aarhus2004:_
> *Cutey cute.
> 
> So does that cookie tell you anything. It won't tell me anything at all. *


Cookie??
You lost me.


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## aarhus2004 (Jan 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *Cookie??
> You lost me. *


Yes I guess I was lost at that point!

The attachment just arrived on the back of a cookie. And I was trying to figure out, since the only command I had for transferring to Safe Mode was our old and failed friend Win /D:M defrag.exe, how was it going to work the magic. What had you come up with?

Anyway I fiddled with it. It ran smoothly until it hit Win / etc. and then the BS and error all same last time with the other cleanme + the Win/ thingy (command).

As I see it now you sent a file which had to be worked on where it opened and that threw me for a loop. For a while - like two hours. What's in a name, cleanshl[1].txt. Why that name?

Any way, Nitehawk, what were you trying to achieve? Did you test it? I do not have that patch installed anymore. The into Safe Mode defrag command line does not work.

GoJoAGoGo thought I was angry with you! 

Maybe 15 mins. wasn't quite enough time? For the creative process. Next??:down:


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