Cleaning Out Your Data in XP - Temporary File Types
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Once again we are back in the Search feature looking for temporary files. Perhaps you are still looking through your temporary folders. Either way, it's file time, so get ready. In order to find the temporary ones, it's important to know their most distinguishing features, and I'm not talking about their huge...well you get the point. Keep your eye out for the following:
the .tmp extension – this is the best indication of a temporary file
the .bak extension – these are backup files, but if they are old, you can probably get rid of them
the .old extension – these are old, unneeded files that have been renamed via a program update
a file with a tilde ~ as the first character
zero file length – when a file has nothing in it and has no characters
Another way to clean out useless data is to use the Disk Cleanup feature. A lot of people are already familiar with this tool. It is not the be-all-end-all of hard drive cleansers, but it is an easy way to free up some space and I think it's appropriate to go over at this point. It can help remove temporary programs created from various programs, Internet usage, and Windows itself. It also goes through the Recycle Bin, Setup log files, and downloaded program files (controls and applets that were part of the various web pages you visited). The following is a brief guide to Disk Cleanup:
Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup. Choose the hard drive you want it to scan (if you have multiple hard drives, otherwise it will immediately begin scanning).
In the dialog box that appears, check the boxes of the categories you wish to delete. A description of the highlighted item will appear in the lower half of the box. These files will be deleted for good, so choose wisely.
Click OK and Yes to continue.
As you can see from the Disk Cleanup, there are many other types of useless data besides temporary files, and duplicate data would be a prime example. If you think about it, why would you want an extra copy of the same file that isn't a backup? The most common duplicates will come from audio files, graphics files, database files, and the like. Usually this happens because you mistakenly copy a file instead of moving it or forget to delete the copies you did intend to make.
Whatever the reason, XP does not offer a tool like Disk Cleanup that helps find and erase duplicates. You most likely will have to acquire a third party application, like System Mechanic, but most of the good ones cost money. So if you feel you are in a dire duplicate situation, you may want to research some of these options.
The next section will go over how you can organize the data you choose to keep so that future cleanup is smooth and breezy.
Next: Organizing Your Data >>
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