can't scan temporary internet files

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi,

I have an issue. When I scan my machine in thorough mode, I am told that Avast can not scan a handful of files in my temporary internet folder. I have cleaned that folder until nothing shops up but I know that there is still hidden stuff in there. I am using windows xp home edition. I have gone into the tools/folder options/view and have set windows explorer to have every permission to view files that is available. Can you help me find a way to see these files and to delete them?

thanks,
Jeff

2

If you have set explorer to show all (hidden) files, you will be seeing them. If nothings show, the folder is empty.

3

Sorry to say Eddie but the folder is not empty. Avast finds files under it and also when I check the properties of the folder it tells me that there are 80Mb of files there. But they will not show. Seriously, I have no way to see the Content.IE5 directory or anything underneath of it.

4

Open IE and clear the folder in the options. It is under temporary files or something. (Not using IE here)

5

Have you tried an separate cleaner like CrapCleaner or Disk Cleaner to clean the folder. Both are free.

6

I did what you said again but I did it differently this time. I checked the option to delete “offline content” and a lot went away. There is still 6Mb remaining that I can not get to. The folder seems to have the wrong owner on it or something. Note that I can not see this stuff in SAFE mode either, logged in is Administrator or MySelf.

Also, in Windows Explorer, my address bar is greyed out. One article that I read about this problem recommended adding a “/” to the end of the folder name in the address bar to get the hidden folders to show up. I can not get Windows Explorer to show the address bar at all. Is there a registry key that controls this?

thanks,
Jeff

7

Are you sure you logged in as administrator? url=http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/admins.htm[/url]

8

jeffcox
Welcome to the forum. Maybe this will help.

9

I found the issue with the address bar. There is a property on the toolbar called “lock the toolbar”. I cleared that and the address bar is no longer greyed out. I am typing the subfolder names into the address bar and they are showing up as the article said that they would. It is like pulling teeth! I still can not see the names of the hidden files but at least I can see the folders now (or some of them anyway). Any ideas for seeing the and removing the hidden files?

10

Use Total Command to view and erase them.

11

OK. I looked at Total Commander. It looks pretty nice. I am guessing that it will let me see hidden files too? It does not say so on the web page.

Well, the teethpulling is over and it WORKED! I forced my way into the subdirectories and was able to delete the subdirectories after I got to see them at least. It shouldn’t be so difficult! Now that those subdirectories are gone, I have control over my windows explorer again. I do not fully understand it. There was nothing in there that was being executed (at least HiJackThis couldn’t find it) but it is OK now. Maybe it was an Active X or a BHO but HiJackThis couldn’t find that either and it is not saying that any files are missing.

I can not figure it out.

Thanks for your help.

Jeff

12

jeffcox
Hopefully you only deleted the files not the folders! Also I would recommend that you again make system files not visable. That way there woul’nt be any accidents. :slight_smile:

13
I am guessing that it will let me see hidden files too? It does not say so on the web page.
Yes it can, if you set it in the options.
14

Thanks Eddy.

And thank you Bob. I deleted all of the folders and content below Content.IE5. When I started IE up it rebuilt them as I had read that it would. But I left Content.IE5 and Temporary Internet Files there for sure.
I just wish I knew how to shrink that Index.dat file in Content.IE5 down. It is huge and I checked it out, it has almost “nothing” in it after clearing cache the way that I had to clear it. (Had the Microsoft tools worked, it would have shrunk down to its minimum size… oh well.)

Jeff

15

And Bob, yep, the system files are invisible again just as Microsoft recommends. Thanks for the reminder.

Jeff

16

Start IE > Extra > Internet Options > Temporary internet files > lower the reserved diskspace.

17

Well, I just tried what you suggested. I lowered the cache size to 1MB. It left that Index size at 6Mb still. I wonder if i should delete it using KillBox at startup? I wonder if IE will reinitialize it at a smaller size?

18

Thanks for the tip r1wigs. Sorry, I missed your post when you made it.

Jeff

19

This tip isn’t for the faint hearted and can result in serious damage to your system, but Windows also has “super hidden files” This might account for the size discrepancy you are noticing.

To view them (if you feel the need)

  1. Start Explorer

  2. From the Tools menu select ‘Folder Options’

  3. Select the ‘View’ tab

  4. Unselect the ‘Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)’ box

  5. Click Apply then OK

I must stress that you can render your system unstable at best, and unbootable at worst by injudicial modifying or deletion here.

If you have any experience with command line interface (like old dos commands) you can access these files directly in 2000 and xp even without having to globally change the files permissions by changing attributes (-h -r)