.dat files in IE History folder

  • Thread starter Thread starter A Charles
  • Start date Start date
A

A Charles

Trying to see pages in the history folder
(Windows/Temp/IEhistory), they seem to be kept in a list
in .dat form. Win XP won't open this file extension, says
it needs to know what program created it. Well, I haven't
a clue, does anyone else?
 
I don't think this is a direct view of the .dat file but you can go to
Internet Explorer and on the general tab under temporary internet files
choose settings and then view files. Hope that helps.

Steve
 
Open it with NotePad. Looks like this
------------
Client UrlCache MMF Ver 5.2 ? @ ? * ?
ÿÿÿÿÿ
--------
---------------------
Or this:
-------------------
Client UrlCache MMF Ver 5.2 ? @ ? "   
I6AISXJI HXXGCSHJ 70NANXQM 2NS16SCL
ÿÿÿÿ
------------------------------------
The temporary internet files folder, history folder and cookies folder
contain a file called index.dat. Windows uses index.dat to keep a coded record
of the files in the folder where it resides. Windows will NOT let you delete
index.dat! If you delete the files in these folders through any Windows method,
you are still left with the index.dat containing all the info you thought you
just deleted. So much for deleting your tracks! This file can become completely
bloated, not to mention corrupted, since it won't match the actual files in the
folder. The index.dat file can only be deleted in DOS and are included in your
cleanup using the DELTREE command.
----------------------------
XP has files in it's Local Settings folder, named INDEX.DAT files, that
track down every URL AND FOLDER on your computer you open. NTUSER.DAT keeps a
record of EVERYTHING you do with XP, and there is a "really hidden" folder on
C:\ with a database that keeps track of EVERY SINGLE MP3 or MPEG file you open
with WiMP.
---------------
Each of Internet Explorer's primary folders (directories) - Cache, Cookies
and History make use of an indexing technique to maintain
information. The index information is contained in files named Index.dat.
For Cookies and for Cache, the Index.dat files are basically URL entries and
pointers to the associated real files.
URL is an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator which is geek for an Internet
Address.
 
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