HOW TO DELETE ALL 4 INDEX.DAT FILES EVERY TIME YOU START OR REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER This is a Cinco de Mayo mini-version of DELINDEX.BAT that runs at startup. I was going to post this on May fifth, but since it’s now available for download, and some may have already seen it, and there’s nothing more to add (even though these notes were revised just a few minutes before posting) I figured I might as well post it now. Click on the prior link and this one to find out what Cinco de Mayo is all about; with all due respect to our Mexican sisters and brothers, it may be a modern day metaphor for us against Bill Gates/Microsoft. ============================================================ ABOUT INDEX.DAT FILES: Index.dat files contain ALL your web surfing history since they were (re)created. Here are 3 reasons to delete them: (1) They are never resized, and only get bigger. (2) Large index.dat files can cause performance problems when browsing. (3) To protect your privacy, so others cannot see where you’ve been on the Internet. (You’ll have to delete other files as well; some information is also stored in the registry about where you’ve been.) Index.dat files are hidden, don't show up in searches (in Windows or DOS) and CANNOT be deleted when Explorer is running. ============================================================ STEP 1. Cut and paste these 7 lines into a text editor, and save them as DELTA.BAT on c:\ (root, i.e, not in a folder). Just in case the lines wrap in this post, to make things clear, each line of the batch file is separated with :: on an otherwise a blank line. It does no harm to leave them there. @echo off :: deltree /y c:\windows\cookies\index.dat>nul :: deltree /y c:\windows\tempor~1\content.ie5\index.dat>nul :: deltree /y c:\windows\history\history.ie5\index.dat>nul :: deltree /y c:\windows\history\history.ie5\mshist~1\index.dat>nul :: cls :: exit NOTES: The cls is just to make sure the DOS window doesn’t stay open just because there’s something on the screen. It may not be needed, but it sure doesn’t hurt. Exit closes the DOS window; otherwise you’d wind up with an open DOS window on your desktop. STEP 2. In Control Panel (or Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools): * Click on Scheduled tasks. * Double click on Add Scheduled Task. * In Scheduled Task Wizard, click next. * Click on Browse. * Go to Delta.bat and double click on it. * In the Name box, enter: Delete Index.dat files * Click on “When My Computer Starts” * Check “Open Advanced Properties...” * Click Finish * Click settings tab; uncheck all boxes. * Click apply, then OK. The next time you start or reboot your computer, all index.dat files will de deleted. (The ones in Cookies and Temporary Internet Files will be recreated at 32 KB; the two in History will be recreated at 16KB.) OPTION. After you complete Steps 1 and 2, reboot your computer. If you don’t like the DOS window that flashes on the screen: * Go to My Computer, C:\ drive * Find DELTA.BAT and right click. * Click on properties. * Click the program tab. * In the run box, select “Run Minimized” from the drop down menu. * Check “Close on Exit” * Click Apply, then OK. This will create a DELTA.PIF file that is bigger than the batch file itself, and keep it from spoiling your view of your wallpaper for a split second. I don’t think it’s worth the bother. ============================================================ WARNING: You may be tempted to add more lines to this file. Do so at your own risk. Do NOT delete contents of TEMP folders. That could prevent programs from installing/updating. Do NOT delete the RECENT folder; that interferes with the List Zapper program, which could then delete all files on C:\. Do NOT use DELINDEX in Task Scheduler!(It deletes the contents of TEMP folders.) Instead of deleting the contents of the Applog folder on a regular basis, just turn off Task Monitor in msconfig. I tested this deleting Cookies, History, and Tempor~1 FOLDERS in C:\Windows at startup; once, when I opened my word processor, all the documents were gone. The entire My Documents folder had been moved into the My Music folder. This only happened one time. Was this caused by deleting the folders? I don’t know; probably not. But since I run DELINDEX with the MORE option on a regular basis, I think with this file, simpler is better. ============================================================ DISCLAIMER: This has been extensively tested in WinME and works fine on my system (a Dell Inspiron 7500 laptop, 256KB memory, 20GB hard drive). Your system is not my system, so I cannot say with absolute certainty how it will work on your computer. If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster. This should also work in Win98 and with IE 6. ============================================================ DELTA vis-a-vis DELINDEX: Yes, this is essentially DELINDEX with the LESS option. Since DELINDEX MORE deletes a whole lot more (entire folders and miscellaneous files including the temp folder contents), I suggest you use DELINDEX on a regular basis IF you use the MORE option. DELTA.BAT will not free up a whole lot of disk space, but it will keep index.dat bloat to a minimum. If you use DELTA.BAT, you don't need to use DELINDEX with the LESS option since they both do the same thing (except DELINDEX LESS deletes the contents of the TEMP folders). For info on DELINDEX.BAT look here: ME/19918 9x/107273 ME/20337 ME/21604 ME/21707 ME/21997 ME/23194 ME/23329 ============================================================ HOW I CAME UP WITH THIS: This is so simple, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t think of it before. Long ago and far away I posted the question “What’s the difference between running an item in the Startup folder, and running the same item in Scheduled tasks to run “When My Computer Starts.” Never got a real answer. (ME forum, #4439) GIVEN: You can’t delete index.dat files when Explorer (not Windows!) is running. CLUE 1: When I used to run “Wash” from 12 Ghosts, it closed Explorer to delete index.dat files without rebooting. (FYI: My old .bmp wallpaper appears between the ME startup screen and the desktop wallpaper.) I watched what “Wash” did; after it shut down the desktop/Explorer, it would wind up at the .bmp wallpaper. CLUE 2: I have Keylock (a utility that turns on NumLock) run in Scheduled Tasks “When My Computer Starts” and it appears at the .bmp wallpaper when the system (re)starts. Therefore, items in scheduled tasks run BEFORE Explorer is loaded. (Items in the StartUp folder run after.) So all I (or anyone) had to do was to write a simple batch file and put it in Scheduled Tasks to run “When my computer starts.” Ta-Da! ============================================================ THIS FILE IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD from ShutMeUpOrDown:) at his website: ftp.burzurq.com/delindex/index.html. The downloadable file is functionally identical to the lines above EXCEPT that it incorporates some of these notes. ============================================================ Since I think DELTA.BAT works so well, I’m going to delete the LESS option in the next version of DELINDEX.BAT. I think if your primary goal is to get rid of index.dat files, it’s silly to have to use a boot disk to do that, now that we know that we don’t have to. Other changes in works for the next version of DELINDEX.BAT: Programming comments will be combined with explanations of why certain files and folders are deleted and moved to the Additional Notes section. Unfortunately, this will bring DELINDEX over 16KB; the ADD option (for the autoexec.bat file) will give you the option to choose to run DELINDEX (as it is now) or to run it immediately with no user input; cleanup of typos and other miscellaneous items. And maybe more. Please post feedback about DELTA or changing DELINDEX (or even typos!) on this thread or email me: delindex@yahoo.com ============================================================ LATE BREAKING NEWS: There have been a lot of posts and requests about not deleting particular cookies. (Do you think I like having to sign in to My Computing Place every time I log on?) I moved a few cookies I wanted to keep from C:\Windows\Cookies to another folder I labeled GDCOOKIE. After using DELINDEX (in DOS) I executed this command: xcopy c:\gdcookie\*.* c:\windows\cookies\. It didn’t work because DOS (or at least xcopy) can’t handle long file names. I added that line in DELTA.BAT and it seemed to work until I found out that Explorer started adding cookies and an index.dat file to the GDCOOKIE folder! I just made GDCOOKIE a read-only hidden folder. I’ll post back if and when that (or something else) works without glitches. In the meantime, anyone else is welcome to give it a shot. PLEASE post back if you succeed! ============================================================ Computing.net is where each of us helps all of us to move the goal posts.

very well done! Renaissance Man- thanks for sharing this for us -- I can almot get rid of spider now :)

I thought Spider was fantastic. I used it all the time. Then one day I ran it two times in a row, and it showed some of the same files! It doesn't always work, at least on one or more index.dat files. There's another use for it: one poster found a great site on the internet and wanted to go back. However, he cleared out all his history/recent files. What to do! He executed Spider, and low and behold it turned up the whole list of sites he visited! But if you delete your index.dat files, there'll be nothing for you (or anyone else!) to look at. ================================================= Every advantage is its own disadvantage. (rm)

This is from the WinME forum, but I think it's of more use for this forum, so I took the liberty of reposting it here. Response Number 7 Name: Krystyna Date: May 03, 2002 at 19:42:07 Pacific Subject: ** Delete INDEX.DAT Files at Startup! Reply: I ran Delta.bat via Autoexec.bat in Win 98SE and it works like a charm. 1. copy delta.bat to C: root directory 2. just add this line to autoexec.bat ( but before the WIN line if you have it ) C:\DELTA.BAT Thanks RM - another fine litle batch.

nice job, like #3 response a lot, its very similar to what I do. Now how can I accomplish the same in Windows 2000?

check out this site for some good info http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource3.htm

Just a quick note for Windows 2000 users. The permissions for the two registry files from the batch file available at http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/resource3.htm must be reset ( using start, run, regedt32) Locate the 2 registry files, click on the key and then click on 'security-permissions'. Any profile other than an administrator will have to have the 'allow' box checked for 'full control' If you don't do this, when you log in under any profile with less than admin permissions, 2000 will not load the registry file.