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For some time I have been battling to delete temporary Internet files. The Windows Disk Cleanup utility just does not work in Windows 10. The temporary Internet files just grow and grow, and I have seen users who complain online that it exceeds many Gigabytes.
I am not sure, but I believe it can be a security concern. I don't want remnants of webpages that I visit (like financial institutions) to remain on my machine forever. Apart from that it takes up disk space and bloats up systems drive images.
Then I saw several mentions of the PrivaZer utility online. I downloaded and installed it, and found it to be very powerful. It can even delete traces of you Internet activity, as well as temporary files. I ran it and the temporary files were gone.
But that is not all: I also used it to disable Hibernation Mode. That saved several GB on the systems drive. Then I set it to delete the Pagefile.sys on Windows shutdown. Another 7 GB saved. All in all my systems drive shrank by 14 Gigs.
The strange part: Subsequently I found no perceptible difference in the speed of the machine, including boot speed. Which begs the question: With a fast machine with SSD for the systems drive, do you even need Hibernation Mode and the Pagefile?
I also disabled the Superfetch service, which I think is unnecessary with a SSD drive.
Any comments from members?
This looong thread deals with the difficulty deleting Internet files (with some amusing comments directed at Microsoft in the process):
Windows 10 - Temporary Internet Files cannot delete - Microsoft Community[^]
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
modified 24-Dec-17 13:46pm.
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Unix/Linux does consider unlimited temp directory as security flaw (as temp is accessible to every application) and limits it size... It also clears it on every boot (configurable) in most distros...
This also has (or had) some security flaws, but interesting the different approach to temp folder...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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Interesting, but I am sure the issue of ever growing temporary internet files is a bug that will eventually get squashed by Microsoft - I hope 
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Certainly the fetch mode just doesn't matter any more with SSDs - further, make sure you turn off indexing. As for the pagefile, it depends on how much RAM you have.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>Stuck in a dysfunctional matrix from which I must escape...
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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Quote: it depends on how much RAM you have
Thanks for the input.
32GB of RAM - Plenty.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
modified 24-Dec-17 13:40pm.
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Superfetch is one of the first item that should be disabled when you go SSD,
even on HDD these days it's value is little to none
1. what ms defaults into superfetch includes rarely used items such as wordpad,
2. the check to if it's cached the latest/updated in which time the performance of random seeks to compare the file/directory info vs sequential reading the source item on today's optimised HDD's also almost completely mitigates any time saving.
3. Loading rarely used items and then later swapping them out when you load some monster like vs (which for some reason is often not, or only small parts thereof, cached into the superfetch makes it an even more useless artefact of days past.
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Valuable advice, thanks!
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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BTW, does the browser not have the option to remove it's temp files on exit?
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Yes it does, but it did not clear the temporary Internet files for some reason. Either that, or it is also possible that the Windows Disk Cleanup utility simply reported an incorrect number of files remaining. As you can see from the thread I quoted in my initial post, my problem was in no way exceptional. Many other users had the same complaint.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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The pagefile has been useless on the desktop for over a decade. Maybe for some niche workloads.
By the way I cleared my "old windows installations" after the Fall Update, that gave me back 35GB. On a 250GB disk, so that's a lot. So much that IMO it was really unacceptable to steal all of that space in the first place.
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My Fall Update was a clean install on a re-partitioned SSD. No old Windows remnants to worry about.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
modified 24-Dec-17 14:04pm.
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I just went a step further: Instead of just deleting the pagefile, I disabled it and reduced my systems volume by a further 5 GB. Great! My backup images are getting smaller and smaller. 
With 32GB RAM I don't anticipate any issues.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Stay with windows 7, Windows 10 has spy code in it!
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Noted. But the problem is Windows 7 is not very secure. Viruses like the Ransom malware Wannacry can infect Windows 7, but not Windows 10. So: Good luck with 7!
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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BrianAtSyston wrote: Stay with windows 7, Windows 10 has spy code in it!
If you're really worried about that, then you should already be aware that the Windows 10 telemetry code was backported to Windows 7 and 8...right?
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Thanks, Cornelius, and Happy Holidays !
Privazer is very impressive: gave me back 9 gigs; in return they got a small donation I think it's more functional in cleaning than CCleaner Pro (which I own); however, CCleaner does have other useful features Privazer does not.
The one slight glitch I had with Privazer was that after using it I had to re-login to GMail and CP ... for other sites, LastPass is working. I thought I had very carefully configured Privazer's options to leave all login stuff untouched.
cheers, Bill
«While I complain of being able to see only a shadow of the past, I may be insensitive to reality as it is now, since I'm not at a stage of development where I'm capable of seeing it.» Claude Levi-Strauss (Tristes Tropiques, 1955)
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Glad you liked it, Bill.
And have a great holiday season and a fantastic New Year! ![Java | [Coffee]](https://codeproject.global.ssl.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/coffee.gif)
PS: I also have to log into CP every time now. I still have to figure out how to avoid that.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
modified 25-Dec-17 8:11am.
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Quote: in return they got a small donation
Maybe it's because it's Christmas, but when I saw you did donate, I just had to do the same.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Quote: The one slight glitch I had with Privazer was that after using it I had to re-login to GMail and CP
I think I figured it out: Privazer modifies the "Clear browsing data" setting in Edge to delete the cache and other items every time you close the browser. Restore these settings in Edge and you should not have to log into CP every time.
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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Stop. Paying. Ransoms.
If nobody pays, they die a natural death.
Wake up, smell the coffee, and backup - then tell the ![Elephant | [mastadon]](https://codeproject.global.ssl.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/elephant.gif) s to go forth and multiply if you do get hit.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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 Amen brother!
Get me coffee and no one gets hurt!
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$$ rule
IT guy I met specializes in supporting law firms. One got hit and paid. Said they had backups but it was cheaper to pay.
I have recovered twice, both hit file servers. Both had current (offline) backups.
How is your DR plan today?
User: Technical term used by developers. See Idiot.
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Pretty good, I think. Up to date air gapped images, and a "no idiots" rule with access to any "real" data, and read only access to that Herself does need.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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That makes no sense at all in so many situations.
These days companies have contracts to deliver, and even contracts to receive. If their data gets locked up they will be in deep sh*t from both sides, not just termination of contracts but probably fines on top of that to boot. It's not like in IT a small project that get's delayed a week, it's contracted fulfilment to customers and suppliers - they can't say "we'll get it to you next week," because it'll cost them their entire business.
The fault lies in putting corporate networks on the internet. Once upon a time in networking classes they used to talk about subnets, private subnets, with defined interfaces that protected their core data (sometimes only connected by a physical data transport). Along came the "access anywhere/anytime" and "the cloud" and in their infinite stupidity the network admins threw private subnetting out the window (and any smidgen of physical separation) in favour of using software access control and encryption..., soft separation, and being soft too damn easy to punch holes through it.
Anyway back to the real world, the business of doing business: 2 choices, pay the ransom, take the hit but keep their customers/suppliers, or your words of wisdom: "Stop. Paying. Ransoms" and go out of business, tell the owners they are now bankrupt and owe millions in fines, and tell the employees they don't have a job any more.
And whose to blame? IT, 100% IT. Crap network admin together with poorly designed access (including the applications that seem to need access made simple & easy).
As the article says the attackers are getting smarter, more surgical in who, what and when the attack, they will know when it matters most (i.e. just about to fulfil a large contracted order...)
"Stop. Paying. Ransoms" - will become even more "not an option."
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