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i wish to open and read the index.dat files found in some of my folders. i open them using wordpad but it always say "the document index.dat is in use by another application and cannot be accessed". how can i access it, and also how can i delete the index.dat file, i understand that windows is constructed that when i next boot up it will create a new index.dat file automatically. if anyone can help this damsel in distress, i would be most pleased.
Here is another way.
Enter DOS.
At the command prompt, type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command, and pressing Y if you are prompted to confirm folder deletion:
cd\windows
deltree cookies
deltree history
deltree tempor~1
exitNOTE: Be very careful, DO NOT deltree the Windows directory, make sure the prompts looks like this:
C:\WINDOWS\Cookies>
C:\WINDOWS\History>
C:\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files>
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To see whats being collected in index.dat get spider here.
No way to stop it from being recreated at startup as far as i know. You can delete its current contents using the methods above.
This is what i use to delete index.dat along with the rest of the clutter created by the internet.
delindex.bat
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You can open Index.dat in Windows Explorer.
I'll tell you how to open it but there was very little there that I could comprehend.
Enter Windows Explorer. Choose Windows then Cookies. In the right screen you should see the Index.dat Icon. Left click on it once. Hold down the shift key and right click on the Icon. An extra "open command" appears.
""OpenWith"". Choose that and the index should open. I use a batch file that cleans mine out on boot up so I only see 16 KB of information. I hope this works for you.
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So since the poster has already opened the files using wordpad, what program from the open with list do you recommend?
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Hi,
With W98 index .dat is locked when windows is running. Substitute File name of your choice for COOKIES. In order to access open a DOS Prompt in windows and at the C;\WINDOWS>
TYPE EDIT COOKIES\INDEX.DAT hit the enter key and this will allow you to read the contents. To close the window hold down the ALT key and click on FILE and then click on exit.
Back at the DOS window type EXIT and hit enter to close the DOS window. You can't alter this file without rebooting into true dos and then type at the C:\ prompt type
EDIT C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\INDEX.DAT.
You can hilight and delete any or all info in this file and then Hold down the ALT key and click on FILE click on SAVE AS and simply save the empty file. Hold down the ALT KEY click on FILE click on exit and back at the DOS window at the C:\ prompt type EXIT hit enter and it will reboot into windows. Be areful but practice all you like.
To DELETE the index file at a full DOS boot at the C;\ Prompt type
DELTREE C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\INDEX.DATBE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS COMMAND It is not forgiving and skips the recycle bin. If you make a mistake you could be forced to reload windows.
HTH James
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Give me a break.
You really do this??btw deltree is for deleting directories
if you want to delete files use del
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HI He asked how to view his index files and this is simplest way for someone to look at them. It Works very well. james
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The spider app i mentioned in my post allows you to read the urls in a list.
I tried EDIT C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\INDEX.DAT but all i see is unrecognizable nonsense. The same stuff i see when i right click index.dat and choose send to>>notepad.
Place a shortcut to notepad in the sendto folder to do this.Am i missing something? Is it possible to view the urls without 3rd part software?
Thanks.
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HI,
Yes if you scroll the list from side to side and from top to bottom you can read them in-between the garbage. These are the files that store where you've been on the net. Just scroll and read in-between the gook.
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Win 98- Anyone that wants to completely
eliminate cookies/tif/history from coming in.Index.dat is a small "database" file. The more you travel the net, the bigger it gets.
They start around 16-32K. Windows always makes new ones, if you delete the old plump ones.I found this on the net years ago - sorry, I
no longer know who to give credit to (I believe a gentleman in Canada). I call it the
"cookie trick".You trick Explorer and Windows into thinking they are sending the above stuff to index.dat, the database file. Instead they all go off into "etherland". You will need some DOS experience to work this out. There are 4 key locations involved (where index.dat exists).
C:\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\CONTENT,IE5\index.dat
C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\index.dat
C:\WINDOWS\APPIC~1\MICROS~1\INTERN~1\USERDATA\index.dat
C:\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5\index.datIn all those locations you erase index.dat.
Then you create sub-directories there with the name "index.dat"This will prevent ANY of that stuff from coming in. However, you must realize, if you want a cookie or two - say settings for MyComputing.Net - you won't be able to keep them.
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I love it. A "cookie trick" that will make your browsing experience slower.
Just the type of tweak to install!
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Hmmm...never really noticed.
Used always on Win 3.11 / Explorer 3.0 to
keep cookies off. Seems I would "definitely"
have noticed something slower there.But...if your goal is to NEVER see a cookie...
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I was concerned, because I see some of you here, and know you do a good job. It was quite awhile ago for Win 3.11. And it wasn't too recent for Win 98 and the cookie trick.
I would never intentionally give incorrect advice. So, to be SURE, I took out my index.dat's in 3 locations:
C:\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\CONTENT,IE5\index.dat
C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES\index.dat
C:\WINDOWS\HISTORY\HISTORY.IE5\index.datMade the sub-directories and got online. I didn't use a stop watch, but carefully looked at "browsing speed". Sorry, I can't see any delay - and I want to say, it seemed quicker(?)
Got offline. Checked directories to make sure
no files called index.dat got created. NO, all fine. No extra files thrown into directories. NO, all fine.If you try this and it doesn't work, be sure
the sub-directory "index.dat" is created in the correct spot.One last note, if you have any "deltree" lines in autoexec.bat - rem them out. I normally do have a cleaning program run from
autoexec and it prevented the cookie trick
from working, until I remarked it.Hope this helps and gives more confidence to anyone wanting to try the "cookie trick".
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I did some more experimenting. As many of you know, Windows doesn't always report things correctly. So it is in this case. In Windows Explorer, there are "files showing".
However these are ghosts. By checking carefully in DOS - NONE of those files exist
on the hard drive.Bottom line - yes the files aren't there. But Windows thinks they are - so this really
doesn't seem like a practical "cookie trick".Sorry to have taken so much space - just wanted to be sure and honest about what I post.
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