Index.dat clearing

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Peter - 07 Aug 2008 15:54 GMT

Hi

I was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction for
software or a technique that enables resetting/cleaning the
index.dat file from Content.IE5 on WinME

I have tried looking at Winfile.exe option but it offers no visual
access to 'Temporary Internet Files' folder so that I can rename
it - and hence be replaced on Restart ?

Thanks for any help in this matter
Pete

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Mike M - 07 Aug 2008 17:45 GMT

You could try reading the replies to your identical message (when you
called yourself "Jake") posted 14 hours ago in the windowsme.general
newsgroup. Posting in a different newsgroup won't alter the answer.

Signature

Mike Maltby
mike.maltby@gmail.com

> Hi
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Thanks for any help in this matter
> Pete

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Peter - 07 Aug 2008 19:59 GMT

Touche!
Computer issues never seem to be 1..2..3 easy

Under everyday situations yours would be the correct route to
follow.
And this has been my 1st ghost-post in 20 years... yes yes
read-on.

What has transpired is that my original posting currently sitting
in my 'Sent Items' folder, has not been visible to me as being
posted within 'windowsme.general'
....mmhh?
I tried increasing the number of 'News headers' received within
<Options-Read> to 700, I thought I would leave the network for 8+
hours to update (some glitch maybe?).
....No go.
So I also had a look at 'Synchronisation' New/All Messages &
Catch-up.
....Still no go.
So 15 hours later I have tried a re-post with different name,
maybe my original name is blacklisted on the Newsgroup?
....When problems are snowballing, all options must be covered.
Finally success! my message appears on the other Newsgroup.
....No answers, I leave for an hour or 2, I come back and see...
Hooray! an answer - and from Mike M at that, but no, crushed I see
just an admonishment from himself for cross-posting and telling me
to see the answer on the original post that I still cannot see.

So Mike M, I am still left with no answer, only the 'many'
confusing attempts to not-answer the Index.dat question on Google
that I have searched.
I have tried all I can to see my 1st post, but it does not show on
screen in the original Newgroup.
As far as I can tell the 1st post was never posted - although the
fact it is sitting in 'Sent Items' shows differently.

One problem is overtaking the original issue.
Not good for self-taught home techs (users).

> You could try reading the replies to your identical message (when you
> called yourself "Jake") posted 14 hours ago in the windowsme.general
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> > Thanks for any help in this matter
> > Pete

Reply to this Message

Mike M - 07 Aug 2008 20:55 GMT

> As far as I can tell the 1st post was never posted - although the
> fact it is sitting in 'Sent Items' shows differently.

As I have already said your post is in the windowsme.general NG for all to
see and there are four replies.

I've had similar problems myself with non-showing posts, which seems to
have been due to my synching the NG at about the same time as the post was
propagating to the servers. Given how few posts there are nowadays to any
of the windowsme NG the quickest solution might be to simply reset the NG
and pull down all the headers again however to save your time my reply to
your original post was as follows:

<q>
The size of index.dat in the TIF is determined by the number of files that
are stored in TIF. The more files the bigger the index. What may be
annoying you is that its size doesn't shrink even if you clear TIF.
Personally I don't think that you are likely to see much in the way of a
difference in performance when browsing the net unless index.dat is an
enormous size. If this file really bothers you for some reason, boot to
DOS using a boot floppy and delete the file from the DOS prompt. It will
then be automatically rebuilt when you next boot into Windows.
</q>

Heirloom suggested:
<q>
This little .exe file just simplifies
matters and does not require booting from a floppy (IIRC, it creates a
batch
file that is run during boot). It is called <iecache2.js>
(javascript
file) and is available from http://www2.whidbey.net/djdenham/Tweekz.htm ,
scroll down a little over halfway on the page.
</q>

Signature

Mike Maltby
mike.maltby@gmail.com

> Touche!
> Computer issues never seem to be 1..2..3 easy
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
> One problem is overtaking the original issue.
> Not good for self-taught home techs (users).

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Peter - 08 Aug 2008 02:49 GMT

Thanks for the helpful responses.
I have finally managed to get index.dat to delete & reproduce
itself.

I tried to see the TIF folder from DOS bootup prompt, but it just
isn't inside the Windows folder to be seen at DOS level. 'Temp'
directory is there and other ~ directories but no TIF.

It certainly is there with normal startup, but as it is a special
folder it leads its own existence?

-------------
I did mention earlier that I also tried Winfile.exe from within
Windows folder to try and modify the TIF folder. Again here the
folder was just not to be seen anywhere to be modified, it just
vanishes.
All the other expected folders are there within Winfile, just not
the TIF.
-------------

You have now got me worried that I have something badly wrong on
my system, but everything runs fine. Could be faster, but only
P3-450 and 400+ Ram.
What is it about the TIF that makes it go hiding when I want to
amend it manually.

In the end I used the 'Pocket Killbox' utility to produce the
delete & replace process of index.dat

But I have to say overall, a worrisome experience.
And still left with a TIF that has a ghostly existence??

Thanks again to everyone who chipped in with sound advice and
links.

Deon F

rip Jake Peter

> > As far as I can tell the 1st post was never posted - although the
> > fact it is sitting in 'Sent Items' shows differently.
[quoted text clipped - 69 lines]
> > One problem is overtaking the original issue.
> > Not good for self-taught home techs (users).

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Mike M - 08 Aug 2008 10:18 GMT

Two small points.
1) The Temporary Internet Files folder is a hidden system folder and you
have to bear this in mind when using DOS. This doesn't mean it cannot be
seen on worked with from the DOS prompt.
2) You cannot delete files that are "in use" whilst the system is running
and that includes the various index.dat files (you will find others in
your cookies and history folders). They can only be deleted when not in
use such as by booting from DOS or by using a program that runs early in
the boot sequence that is able to delete the file before it becomes in use
such as Killbox.

> What is it about the TIF that makes it go hiding

Learn what the various file attributes mean and their purpose. From then
on, with FAT32 in Win9x systems such as Win Me, it is all plain sailing.

> when I want to amend it manually.

Why bother? It's not as if anything you are going to be doing is going to
add go faster stripes to your system. All you need do is limit the size
of TIF using the GUI and clear it whenever it takes your fancy, again
using the GUI. Remember however when clearing the TIF to check the box to
also delete all off-line files as due to a bug in Outlook Express there is
a build up of two zero byte files in TIF for each message that you open.
It may be one with IE6 SP2, I can no longer remember all the details and
at which point what was fixed..

Signature

Mike Maltby
mike.maltby@gmail.com

> Thanks for the helpful responses.
> I have finally managed to get index.dat to delete & reproduce
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
> Thanks again to everyone who chipped in with sound advice and
> links.

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