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Wierd folder names

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5 replies

by bpcan55

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I have quite a few folders with wierd alpha-numeric names like, b27259757b5b377bdde42a on my hard drive. What are they for and can I get rid of them? I suspect some program or Windows creates them, but why are the not cleaned up if they are not needed? Or named something more identifiable?

5 replies

by thechas

These cryptic folders hold temporary files that are used for installing program updates.

In the C:\Windows folder, there is a folder for each update and the associated restore point.

The ones in Documents and Settings under the Temp folder in your user account are safe to delete.

If a program is using any of them (some AV and firewall programs use temp folders) Windows will not allow you to delete the folder.

Otherwise, you need to look at each folder and it's contents to determine if it is safe to delete.

A folder that has not been accessed for 1 year is "usually" safe to delete.

Use care if you decide to delete the Windows restore points as that limits your ability to restore your system to a previous state.

Chas

by bpcan55

Thanks for your comments. Just a little more detail follows.
I have found 2 of these folders on my data drive which is separate from the System Drive. One folder has: update.exe which the properties identifies as a Microsoft file (6.2.0029.0 (SRV03_QFE.031113-0918)).

The other folder has: %temp%dd_msxml_retMSI.txt. This looks like a log file. The folder were both created earlier this year.

Should I leave them alone?

by computercookie

why are you trying to this and what do you hope to achieve!

If you are simply looking to clean up your hard drive which is a good thing you're better off using a reputable program to do the same, fiddling may leave you unable to restore your system, also there are alot of other ways to free up space other than deleting files and folders.

Suggest you get a copy Ccleaner and run it using all advanced options.

http://www.ccleaner.com/

by bpcan55

ComputerCookie seems to be admonishing me for wanting to find out more about these folders. Sure I could create a restore point and delete the folders and see what happens, but since this is a forum for people with technical knowledge, I thought if I could find out more about these folders I would learn something and maybe somebody else would too.

My intent was not just to get rid of the folders. I only noticed them within the last few months. I wanted to know more so I could give my users a better answer than "leave them alone".

Thanks

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