Disk Cleanup - C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp

Dark Knight · Apr 13, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
Someday, if there's a demand for it, I may just publish the whole thing.

I would really be interested in something like that

mart44 · Apr 13, 2023

It's maybe not necessary to be that clean these days. I think the need for clean might stem from the days of older computers that were slow with limited disk space. There could be no need to be quite so fastidious these days. Modern computers have lots of disk space, RAM and fast processors. Hard to get out of the habit of keeping it all lean and clean though.

Try3 · Apr 13, 2023

mart44 said:
It's maybe not necessary to be that clean these days. I think the need for clean might stem from the days of older computers that were slow with limited disk space. There could be no need to be quite so fastidious these days.

Mart,

Disk cleanup does not just affect the amount of space available but also performance.
Disk Cleanup - ElevenForumTutorials

The only quantitative assessment of this that I'm aware of was over a decade ago.
my ditty - DiskCleanup is as effective as snake oil (Registry cleaners) - #6 - TenForums
Whilst the aim was to compare Disk cleanup with so-called Registry cleaners, the results demonstrate the performance improvement due to Disk cleanup alone [the experimenter chose Boot time as the metric for the analysis].

All the best,
Denis

mart44 · Apr 13, 2023

Try3 said:
Mart,

Disk cleanup does not just affect the amount of space available but also performance.
Disk Cleanup - ElevenForumTutorials

The only quantitative assessment of this that I'm aware of was over a decade ago.
my ditty - DiskCleanup is as effective as snake oil (Registry cleaners) - #6 - TenForums
Whilst the aim was to compare Disk cleanup with so-called Registry cleaners, the results demonstrate the performance improvement due to Disk cleanup alone [the experimenter chose Boot time as the metric for the analysis].

All the best,
Denis

I always thought that seek times mattered where if there was junk on the disk and in the registry, the computer took longer to find what it was looking for, so the need clean it out and know that files and entries left are only those needed. What I mean is that modern computers can tolerate a bit of dross because they are so much better in performance despite that. No need to be quite so clean perhaps.

I used PrivaZer until getting this new computer but just let DELL support do its thing now. I'm sure PrivaZer would find a lot more to remove but the computer works fast enough, so I don't use it now. I might run it at sometime in the future but I doubt I'd notice a lot of difference in performance if I do.

SmokeMe · Apr 13, 2023

I use the Win11 (& W10) built-in Disk Cleanup application.
Of the 4 OSs on the Main rig that get updates it sure save a lot of space on my full PC backups,
especially by dumping the Windows.old folder.

MilesAhead · Apr 14, 2023

Just for grins I tried RunItOnce on my Windows 11 Home system. It worked fine. On my page there is also a companion RunIt utility to make using the Run registry key more convenient.

Try3 · Apr 14, 2023

mart44 said:
I always thought that seek times mattered where if there was junk on the disk

It is not seek times that are the problem but the drag on the system caused by the temp files that Windows scatters about with such abandon.
I don't know why they are a drag on the system. Perhaps Windows has to keep checking back on any temp files that exist to see if any of them are telling it to take some action or other.
Disk clean removes many temp files.

All the best,
Denis

Meebers · Apr 14, 2023

Another science test. Using Everything:
*.tmp showed 7007 instances
.tmp showed 7023 instances
tmp showed 7163 instances

:)

TM21 · Apr 14, 2023

Do ya know what "ROFL" means?
Well,that's me a lot of the time when I'm reading this (and other) forum.
If all the energy, expounded, to just avoid cleaning out the mess in y'alls computers, was bottled up, it could power the next moon shot.

There's a lot of yada, yada, yada, about temp files. Truth is that many of the temp files that build up by the thousands on everyone's PC, are not called Temp files. That's why Temp File cleaners don't even see them.

I've spent hours and hours, researching 'Where Edge stores its Temporary Internet Files" and likewise "Firefox", and several other programs.
If you play professional Games on your PC, it's very likely they are creating tons of garbage on your HD, every day.
If you have an NVIDIA video card in your PC, and you've installed the NVIDIA Driver pack, Or Windows installed it for you, you'll be horrified at how many garbage files that thing creates on your HD.
My Cleanup batch file, cleans out a pot full of those, every time I run it.
Since I got my first PC, a Commodore 64, I've been interested in making it run as efficiently as possible.
Likewise my first PC. I modified the ERSO Bios, to make it boot up faster.
I didn't climb on this bandwagon yesterday, I've been at it a very long time.
So when someone says to just leave the junk alone, because the new computers run so much faster. I just ROFLMAO!

If you ever run a virus, or spyware scanner in FULL Mode, it has to scan every file on your PC, including the junk files. That puts a huge strain on your cpu, ram, hard drives, or SSD's. I'd just rather not subject my PC to that extra load.
It's not new and state of the art anyway. It's old and tired, like me, and I want it to last as long as it can.

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?
TM

TM21 · Apr 14, 2023

Meebers said:
Another science test. Using Everything:
*.tmp showed 7007 instances
.tmp showed 7023 instances
tmp showed 7163 instances

:)

Regardless of what you call it, that's a lot of junk of just one name/type.
And, in less time than it took you to come up with those numbers, you could have removed all those files. Likewise the .bac and .old files.

It really gets me, that in the time some will spend telling me I'm wrong, they could completely eliminate all the junk on their PC.

And have a much better running PC too!

Now, it's time to run my own Cleanup.bat program to clean out the crap that has built up on my PC today.
Laters!
TM

TM21 · Apr 19, 2023

I'll never understand....why, when I give you the slickest, cleanest and most efficient way to get the Crap off'n your PC, you dance around it like it was a rattle snake ready to strike. ???
Or is it just because y'all don't understand what a Batch file is, or now to create one?
Maybe I need to open a new thread, "Batch Files 101".
Years ago, when I taught "Basic Computer Concepts" for "Adult Continuing Education" I showed my students, (most over 65) how to make simple batch files, Batch File Menus, with Ansi Color, etc.
Some of them got really creative and wrote some really great batch files.

Then I get here, to what is supposed to be the very 'Bastion' of Computer Knowledge, and I'm met with endless questions and negativity.
I'm sorry if I've offended anyone, but I'm just frustrated. Old folks get that way sometimes.

Cheers Mates!
TM

TM21 · Apr 19, 2023

Kol12 said:
Does Windows Disk Cleanup clean this folder out or not? I have lot's of stuff in there that looks old and I run Disk Cleanup regularly.

Obviously NOT!
But, I've added that location to my own Cleanup.bat program (batch file) and it gets cleaned out, whenever I decide to click on the shortcut to my Batch File.

I just ran my batch file for the first time in ~ 24 hours, and here's the end result:

Most of those files are generated by Firefox and Edge.

One hundred thousand + junk files in about 24 hours. That's no pittance!
Extrapolate that out to a year, which would be typical for a lot of users,
and that would over-run most average C: drives.
That's 36,756,595 junk files per year.
That is the kind of stuff I used to deal with every day, in my Computer Repair business. In many cases, the computer would have already logged an "out of space" error, and the user would have called me to come FIX IT!

This is JFYI, and not a sales pitch.
Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?
TM

Dru2 · Apr 19, 2023

Kol12 said:
Does Windows Disk Cleanup clean this folder out or not? I have lot's of stuff in there that looks old and I run Disk Cleanup regularly.

"C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp"

Sadly, no. Even going the "Cleanup system files" route. Just gave it a try. Twice.

kgarrett67 · Apr 19, 2023

Dru2 said:
"C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp"
Sadly, no. Even going the "Cleanup system files" route. Just gave it a try. Twice.

Any Temp files that may be in use will not be deleted. This is most likely why they aren't all deleted, any way you try it. Safe Mode you can delete all the files. But, as soon as you reboot into regular mode, the Temp Folder will be populated with new files, even before you do anything after reboot.

Wisewiz · Apr 19, 2023

Just a reminder to all: It's easy to set CCleaner to empty the empty-ables in any folder along with what you set it to ordinarily clean up. Just go to Options > Include > Add, and browse to your chosen target. Then go back to Custom Clean, and under Windows > Advanced, tick Custom Files and Folders. Done. And, of course, if you only want to clean that Temp folder once a week, say, you can un-tick the Custom Files ... setting when you run the Custom Clean regularly, then re-tick it when you want CC to empty that folder.

It's a great tool, but its default settings are terrible, so you have to use some educated judgment in setting the various jobs to run.

Haydon · Apr 19, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
One hundred thousand + junk files in about 24 hours.
That's 36,756,595 junk files per year.

I think that with Storage Sense turned ON, most of those junk files will be deleted while the app is running in the background.

I relied on the Storage Sense app for N years (I almost forgot that the built-in app existed) and I have not accumulated N x 36 million junk files. How do I know? A full scan of Windows Defender has a far, far lower total file number count for both non-junk and junk files!

TM21 · Apr 19, 2023

So much work, and yada, yada, yada, just to avoid doing it the easy way!
I can't believe it!!!!

Haydon · Apr 19, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
So much work, and yada, yada, yada, just to avoid doing it the easy way!
I can't believe it!!!!

So much work? Beyond turning on Storage Sense, there is zero work, and your disk stays reasonably clean, and the built-in utility is safe ... good enough for me <insert shrug shoulders emoji>

TM21 · Apr 20, 2023

It's that "Reasonably" that I don't like. Leaves too much junk laying around.
And, does that work on Windows 7, 8.1, and 10?

Haydon · Apr 20, 2023

The Storage Sense utility is built into W10, W11. It is a convenient set and forget, it may even have been turned ON by default, I forgot

There is always a trade-off in cleaning, not just for computers. There are gentle soaps and aggressive soaps, I prefer the former

Manage drive space with Storage Sense - Microsoft Support

How to use Storage Sense to free up hard drive space on your Windows device.

support.microsoft.com

Disk Cleanup - C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Banned

My Computer

Banned

My Computer

Banned

My Computer

Banned

My Computer

Well-known member

"C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp"​

My Computers

Well-known member

"C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp"​

My Computer

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐞𝐤

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

Banned

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Banned

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Similar threads

"C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp"

"C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp"