Temp Internet Files date created difference?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
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Guest

When I setup xp home the first time only 4 folders where created under
content.ie5 directory. Now there are 8 folders.4 show the date when created,
and 4 have the date created last used by ie? I check these folders every day
and clean them out. I did not notice the change till today. I can provide
screenshots if needed. Is this normal behavior or not?

14l8hr6u date created 3/31/05 - new
n4r2607a0 date created 2/22/05 - old
 
What you are seeing is the "cache" for IE. It's where IE stores all of the
web pages you have visited in their separate components. The TIF is divided
into separate folders for faster access, and as they reach a certain size,
more individual folders are created. They have cryptic names for security
reasons. Viewing them in Windows Explorer will make it look like each
folder has the same contents, but it is not so, due to the way Windows
Explorer presents those files to you. Yes, you can delete those files. The
easiest way to do that is to go to IE and Tools...Internet Options...General
tab...Delete Files. With you having so many folders, this may take awhile,
so go get a cup of tea or a beer.

However, clearing those folders via IE leaves behind the index.dat file to
continue to bloat. They are not cleared via IE and cannot be deleted via
Windows Explorer. The same applies to your History folder and its index.dat
file as well. You will have to manually delete them. And if your TIF and
the index.dat file gets too big, it can affect the performance of IE - as it
has to search through all those files before displaying a page, depending on
how you have your TIF settings set at Tools...Internet Options...General
tab...Settings. So...
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm

TweakIE does this with just a couple of mouse clicks.
http://www.tweakie.com

Bit more info on the TIF: http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers3.htm#Cache
 
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