This is the old chestnut about Windows ME and the problem with deleting temp internet files/cookies/history etc. I am currently using some software which does seem to overwrite files even after they have been deleted in Windows Explorer or Internet Explorer. This is great but I have just read a magazine article about the index data file in ME. As you know this file is supposed to store information about where you have been on the internet. Many people complain that they find the index data file in Temp/Internet files or cookies after they have deleted everything else and they cannot delete it. The only index data file I seem to have is in the cookies folder and it has a grey camera symbol. When you click it starts to install MGI Soft DVD Max software but never seems to finish!! I then have to go through the ctrl/alt/delete routine to continue. Is this the same index data file as that which stores all the Web info? If not what is it and how can I find the more important index file? I have searched for files/folders but there are about 200 in the list and none seem to be the right one. There also seems to be a load of “collected data files” in the Windows/PC health Check/Health Centre folder. Does anyone know what these are? Incidentally the magazine article suggests that the only way to clean this file in ME is to create another user and then log on as the other user and delete the 2 instances of the file. (This is because ME does not have access to DOS) Has anyone tried this? Is there another way to accomplish this task? I would be grateful for any help. Thanks in anticipation.

I use Webroot's Window Washer from www.webroot.com For me, it has done an excellent job and when checking the file size after a cleaning job, they are in fact 0 size or very near it. Be sure and reboot your PC after running a cleaning job, as the index.dat files are locked when Windows is in use, and at the boot point, the file cleaning can then be completed. PC Health files is your collected data for System Restore. There is a program called SPIDER, but don't know the URL on the WEB, that will scan your index.dat and then present a listing of what it's been keeping track of, in plain text.

Do you mean index.dat files? Use DELINDEX. Get Delindex here: ftp.burzurq.com/delindex/index.html FYI: DELINDEX; less than 16KB; free; requires StartUp Disk Wash from 12 Ghosts; 600KB; $13 History Kill; 1.77MB; $40; memory resident Cache and Cookie Washer; 1.4MB; $15 Window Washer, 1.4MB, $30 Spider; 635KB; free; (It reads index.dat files very well, but on my system it only deletes the one in the cookies folder.)

I use Spider 1.6 to get rid of those files with great success.

Run Spider twice in a row and see if all info is gone!

The Index file is nothing to be worried about. Its size is usually about 100k to 200k and it is meant to remain there.

This answers the problem http://www.purgeie.com/indexdat.htm Data errors can occur within the 'Index.dat' files and they can get out of sync with the files they reference. Power failures, System failures and improper shutdown procedures can cause the data errors. Data errors can also occur within the actual data files. Any of these are considered to be corrupted cache.