# Temp files in Windows 98 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 9, 2000, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992 "2000-02-09T22:15:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snetho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Snetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snetho)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/1 "2000-02-09T22:15:00Z")
I am seeing temp (.TMP) files being stored in the \*\* C:\WINDOWS\ \*\* directory and not the \*\* C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\ \*\* directory in Windows 98. I believe 95 had all .TMP files sent to the TEMP direcory. Does anyone else know why this is? Or am I completely wrong? ---
**Author:** ![SuperNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SuperNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNerd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2000, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/2 "2000-02-09T22:26:00Z")
Interesting question. I can’t find any place to specify this (except I’d guess that the autoexec.bat file is still processed). For what it’s worth, I just (Monday) did a clean Win98 install and that machine is using Windows\Temp. Is yours an upgrade from 95? Check for an autoexec.bat file, too: there might be an assignment there. Look for something like SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS ---
**Author:** ![bda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@bda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bda)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/3 "2000-02-10T02:00:00Z")
i have seen “temp” files show up in win95 “find files modified in last day” that i cant find with explorer. cleansweep software will find them and allow you to delete them. a lot of them were interupted downloads and fragments . . but its good to get rid of them. the last time i ran cleansweep; it found several hundred win/temp files and i was able to delete them. ---
**Author:** ![bda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@bda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bda)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/4 "2000-02-10T02:02:00Z")
dont know why . . but with cleansweep you can get rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![Snetho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Snetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snetho)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/5 "2000-02-10T21:07:00Z")
This is not an upgrade, I bought this computer in December. It is using Windows 98 SE. My friend, however, just upgraded his from Windows 95 and that one is using both WINDOWS\ and WINDOWS\TEMP directory too. ---
**Author:** ![JonF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JonF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonF)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/6 "2000-02-10T21:22:00Z")
Don’t set up an AUTOEXEC.BAT unless you need to; it requires loading a copy of [COMMAND.COM](http://COMMAND.COM) that processes AUTOEXEC.BAT and then does nothing but hold a few K of memory until the next boot. I don’t have a copy of Win98 handy, but under NT it’s Control Panel | System | Environment tab | User Variables. It’s a good idea to set both the TEMP and TMP environment variables. * * * jrf ---
**Author:** ![Keeves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f05b48/32.png) [@Keeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeves)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/7 "2000-02-10T21:24:00Z")
I’m on Windows NT and they are in C: emp The location doesn’t bother me, but I would liek to delete them. In Win 3.1, you could simply delete them all by being in DOS, out of Windows. But now, you’re never out of Windows, so when is it safe to delete them? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/8 "2000-02-10T21:33:00Z")
Keeves, I just delete all of them. Windows will tell you which ones are in use and can’t be deleted. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/temp-files-in-windows-98/6992/9 "2000-02-10T21:59:00Z")
Hey, W98 comes with a maintenace program that cleans this crap out for ya. start :programs:accessories:system tools:maintenace wizard * * * “I have gathered a posie of other men’s flowers, and nothing but the thread that binds them is mine own.”