Many thanks for your advice. Just to remind people my aim is to locate index dat file storing internet site names/url etc. My main problem in locating seems to be that the only index dat file shown when I search or that is left in Windows/Cookies folder has a grey camera icon and seems to relate to some image software that I did not install deliberately but seem to have ended up with! This is the next instalment in my search to find the elusive index dat file. I was previously advised to disable “Hide Protected Operating Files” I have now disabled “Hide Protected Operating System Files” Prior to disabling there were 468 files shown when searching for “index dat”. After disabling there are 472. It is going to be a very long job to identify the additional 4 files! Is the offending dat file shown as one folder entry or individual files when one searches? The vast majority of files shown are dat files and ALL DAT FILES ARE SHOWN WITH THE GREY CAMERA ICON ON THE LEFT OF THE WINDOW. Whatever dat file you try to open you get the MGI Soft DVD Max software trying to load. The process never finishes and you have to Ctrl/Alt/Delete then you get a message saying MGI Soft DVD Max not responding and you either end task or shut down to get rid of it. I cant find this software in Add/Remove programmes. When I search for it seems to be in StaRT/Progs/Video and Graphic. You can access it from here and it just seems to be a DVD player. How the hell is this affecting all dat files? Someone suggested that my image software thinks it is the default editor for dat files. (Thanks to Shut me up or down) I think they are right since all dat files have this stinking grey camera icon and respond in the same way. If this is the case can someone suggest how this has happened and how I can restore normal settings? There is a sense in which this MGI DVD stuff is now more key than finding the index dat file although I know they must be linked and I would like to at least track down the index dat file. The only software that opens with Windows is Symantec clean sweep/Zone labs/Kazaa. The only other related software installed is Adobe Phot deluxe version 4 and Active Share. Many thanks for your patience and apologies for the length of posting. Tony

Here's where I have the index.dat files... C:\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat C:\WINDOWS\Cookies\index.dat C:\WINDOWS\History\History.IE5\index.dat C:\WINDOWS\History\History.IE5\MSHist012002051320020514\index.dat C:\WINDOWS\History\History.IE5\MSHist012002051420020515\index.dat C:\WINDOWS\History\History.IE5\MSHist012002051520020516\index.dat C:\WINDOWS\History\History.IE5\MSHist012002051620020517\index.dat Hope this helps.

First thing.. To get rid of the camera icon. This can happend very easily. Anyone could have chose to right click and .dat file on your computer and chose open with--whatever program and checked the "always open with this" box. Or its possible the software made the changes for you. start button/run/type inregedit click ok. Navigate here: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.dat\OpenWithList On the right under Name you see a then whatever.exe. right click delete it. Then.. Still in regedit: Navigate here: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.dat On the right under Name you see Application "whatever program.exe". right click delete it. Close regedit, save data, close programs and restart the computer. When windows loads locate the index.dat file and the icon should be the default "no program" icon. How many index.dat files? With hidden folder view enabled the only index.dat file i see when i search for it via find files and folders is: C:\windows\cookies . Only seeing this one index.dat file isnt related to the mgi software. Maybe Renaissance man can aswer this question better. DVD software: This didnt just appear. Some DVD's have player software on them that auto installs itself when you attempt to view it on your computer. This may have happened. You not remembering this software makes me think it did. I would search every folder /subfolder in C:\ for it and delete it if its not an add & remove program option. Get a registry cleaner like regcleaner.exe and remove any traces left behind.

This is the third (?) thread about the "grey camera icon." Index.dat files do NOT show up in a search for index.dat files. Not even in DOS if you enter dir index.dat /s. There are at least 4 index.dat files: •c:\windows\cookies\index.dat •c:\windows\tempor~1\content.ie5\index.dat •c:\windows\history\history.ie5\index.dat •c:\windows\history\history.ie5\mshist~1\index.dat>nul And Jack seems to have found even more in his history sub-folders. What do you want! Info about the "grey camera icon"? How to find index.dat files? How to delete index.dat files? If you're so concerned about the "grey camera icon," delete it to the recycle bin, or if you can't, rename it in DOS and see what happens and get back to us. Or you could run it up the flagpole in yet another thread and see who salutes.

It might be safer for him to do it this way first: (Start - Settings - Control Panal - Folder Options - File Types tab) scan down list until you find the DAT entry. Click on it to select, click Delete bar. Answer Yes. This will remove the file association from what ever has claimed *.DAT files. To find the location (but not size of all *.DAT files using a DOS session, enter the following at the C:\ prompt: ATTRIB /S *.DAT This will display the path to all the *.DAT files, or: ATTRIB /s INDEX.DAT This will display the path to all INDEX.DAT files.

JackG, when i follow your instructions .dat doesnt appear in the file extensions list. I chose to open the dat file with notepad checking the always open with box. I restarted in an attempt to make the settings stick but its still MIA. What am i missing here? Thanks.

Wow, Jack, that's great! I guess MS didn't hide their tracks well enough for you, did they?