Hi I have Windows XP Pro. I want to delete Index.dat. Does anyone know how? Thanks

I guess one thing you could do is use the "search" funtion in your task bar to locate all the index.dat files then delete them. It occurs to me that your goal might be to clean your cache, IE history, etc. If that is the case, there are several programs that will do that for you. A great program for that is System Mechanic that you should be able to find on eBay for $10 to $15. It can perform many cleaning type functions for you. Is that the question you were asking?

You should not delete this file manually. It is an important file for IE to use. Deleting this usually will lead to damaging IE. You could use one of the many free privacy tools, such as HistoryKill 2003 History Kill 2003 Tank863

download window washer from www.webroot.com

I wouldn't mess with the index.dat file manually. There are too many good programs that will do that for you at startup. I use SuperCleaner and it works well. The only free(donation) program that I have heard does that is MRU Blaster by JavaCool. I believe that he has a plugin for cleaning the index.dat. Regards, JB.

Inaccurate, it is perfectly safe to remove index.dat, and it can be a good way to save space. I used to clear that file every time I booted with no ill effects, and now I have both it and the browser cache pathed to my RAMdrive, so they both disappear as I shut down. Index.dat is nothing more than a history of viewed pages which are then stored locally, and is the method used to organise the cache. If you are always clearing the browser cache, then it serves little real purpose anyway. What will happen is you will lose track of your history, but IE will NOT be damaged by this, it will simply recreate the file and start over. You can remove index.dat from a DOS command line, Windows must not be running or it will lock that file. Check the location of the file in Windows first, as it is usually inside a hidden folder inside the Temp Internet Files folder, then check the path again in DOS to get it right for the 8.3 naming convention.

Of course it can be done manually safely, but a lot of novice users like the convenience of a retail or downloaded product, that will do it easily for them, as the file name, index.bat can be intimidating to some who are unfamiliar to PCs.