Help! I've found a couple of files in a subfolder of my Temporary Internet Files folder that refuse to be deleted. Both are about 3.3.GB, both have seemingly randomly generated names, both have "unknown applications." When I try to delete them I get the message: "Cannot delete file. Windows is unable to find the file. This item might already have been deleted or moved." (I use Windows Me.) I've tried to delete them using Windows Explorer, using Internet Explorer, and in safe mode. When I tried to get rid of them in safe mode, the names of the subfolders changed but the files still refused to be found (and thus could not be deleted). Are these files viruses? They seem to behave like viruses--though when I scan with Norton Antivirus I'm told that no viruses were detected. And what can I do to get rid of them?!? I'd be very grateful for any ideas.

Can you give us their names?

from; http://www.computing.net/windowsme/wwwboard/forum/16177.html Name: newgrl Date: November 21, 2001 at 10:45:24 Pacific Subject: Temporary Internet Files Will Not Delete Reply: If you cannot delete the files within Windows... do it from DOS. To do this: Boot with a bootdisk. Choose without cd rom support. At the a:\> prompt type each of these commands then hit enter: c: cd windows smartdrv deltree tempor~1 deltree cookies deltree downlo~1 Pull out the bootdisk and hit ctrl+alt+del to reboot. This is a good way to clean out the temporary internet files as it also rebuilds the index.dat files located in those folders. If the index.dat files start getting too large, it can cause performance issues with browsing.

Ticking "off line content" when you delete files in IE options clears out a lot of rubbish.

Many thanks for the responses: no luck in solving the problem yet, though. Georges: I'll do my best to transcribe the names of the files, which use unusual characters. One is called "H_m_1/4_m_._5l" (the "1/4" is actually a stacked fraction; the last character is actually a pretty thick vertical bar). The other is called "_lt__lt_." (the "l"s are actually vertical bars). w: I tried booting with a bootdisk and following your instructions to the letter, but the files (and subdirectories) were NOT deleted. Don't ask me why! dennisl: I tried that before and I tried it again after reading your message. No luck in removing the offending files. If you have any other suggestions, I'd be really grateful to hear them. These files are damn sneaky!

The chances of this being a virus are fairly high. Maybe you should scan your computer will HouseCall; they will tell you if it is a virus.

The chances of this being a virus are fairly high. Maybe you should scan your computer will HouseCall; they will tell you if it is a virus.