How to Delete Unnecessary Temporary Files in Word 2 and 6

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

SUMMARY

This article describes how to delete unwanted temporary files from your computer. Temporary files are created by programs for storing data temporarily, and are then deleted when the programs quit. If an program quits unexpectedly, it will not delete its temporary files. You should periodically remove any leftover temporary files. These files are stored in a separate directory that is specified in the Autoexec.Bat file.

It is important to remember that since many programs create temporary files while they are running, removing temporary files should be done at the MS- DOS level. Programs generally delete most of the temporary files created when the program is properly closed. At the MS-DOS prompt, all programs should be closed, including Microsoft Windows. This will prevent deleting a temporary file that is currently in use.

MORE INFORMATION

Removing the temporary files requires the following steps:

1. Determine the location of the temporary directory.

2. Exit all programs.

3. Determine the existence of any temporary files and remove them.

Determine the Temporary Directory

There are several methods to determine the location of the temporary directory. Follow one of the methods described below.

NOTE: Once the location of the directory is established, it is also important to verify that the specified directory exists.

Method 1: (From Microsoft Word)

       a. On the Help menu, click About Microsoft Word.

       b. Click the System Info button.

       c. From the Choose a Category window, select System.

       d. TEMP Directory will be in the list box. This is where the
          location of the temporary directory is specified. Make note of
          the location.

          a. Start the System Configuration Editor:

             1) In Program Manager, click Run on the File menu.

             2) In the Command Line, type "sysedit" (without the quotation
                marks).

             3) Click OK.

          b. All of the system files will be cascaded in the System
             Configuration Editor. The Autoexec.bat file should be on top.
             If the file is not shown, choose C:\Autoexec.bat from the
             Window menu.

          c. There should be a line in the Autoexec.bat that reads

                SET TEMP= <location>

             This is the location of your temporary directory. Make note
             of the location.

          a. Quit all programs, including Windows.

          b. Make sure your MS-DOS prompt is at the root directory, shown
             as "C:\>" (without the quotation marks).

          c. Type "set" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER. This
             will display the environment variables on your system. There
             may be two entries listed here. The first should read
             "TEMP=<location>", and the second may read "TMP=<location>".
             Make note of the locations.

Verify the Temporary Directory

1. From the MS-DOS prompt, type "CD <temp directory>" (without the quotation marks) where <temp directory> is the location of the temporary directory as determined by one of the methods listed above.

2. If the directory is valid, the MS-DOS prompt will reflect that you are now in that directory. If the directory does not exist, the message "Invalid directory" will appear.

   NOTE: If the directory does not exist, it will be necessary to create one. This can be done by typing "md <directory name>" (without the quotation marks) at the MS-DOS prompt.

Delete Temporary Files

1. From the MS-DOS prompt, type "cd <temp directory>" (without the quotation marks), where <temp directory> is the location of the temporary directory as determined by one of the methods listed above. You should now see the name of the temporary directory included in the prompt. This means that you are now in that directory.

2. Type "dir *.tmp" (without the quotation marks) at the prompt. This will list any existing temporary files on your system. Most temporary files will have the extension .tmp.

3. If there are any temporary files on your system, they can be removed. To delete these files, type the following "del *.tmp" (without the quotation marks).

   NOTE: Repeat step 2 to verify the temporary files have been removed.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE ID: Q89247
   TITLE     : How Word for Windows Uses Temporary Files

   ARTICLE ID: Q108503
   TITLE     : WD1015: How to Optimize the Performance of Word 6.0

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 6.0, pages 756-758.

"Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference," Operating System version 5.0, pages 292-293.