🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <LavSRDAnJUr6Ewpk@phemings.demon.co.uk> of Mon, 12 Mar 2001
21:40:55, Peter Hemmings <peter@phemings.demon.co.uk> writes
>I am a keen "middle aged amateur" and have tried to remove an index DAT 
>file in my "cookies" folder!!  I used Norton utils but couldn't erase it 
>then tried to open it using wordpad before realizing it was used by 
>windows (98)! The problem is that I cannot remove reference to wordpad 
>in the "Folder Options" menu as W98 will not allow a blank in this field 
>although this was its default setting. My question is can remove 
>reference to "opens with Wordpad.exe" and if so how, or, is it OK to 
>leave as it is? 

To delete Index.dat you have to (re)start in plain DOS mode (because as
you point out, Windows is always using this file while it is running).
The command is

     C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DELTREE.EXE /Y C:\WINDOWS\COOKIES

I have this command set up in my AUTOEXEC.BAT, so that all cookies are
deleted every time I restart. Also in AUTOEXEC.BAT I have 

     C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DELTREE.EXE /Y C:\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1\CONTENT.IE5

to clear the Temporary Internet Files directory. However you may not
wish to go to that extent.

Regarding your question about removing the reference to opening with
Wordpad:  I'm not sure that there is any need to do this unless you for
some reason want to open the file with another application.  However if
you really want to remove the reference, I would suggest you try using
Windows Explorer, View | Folder Options, File Types tab, look for and
select the .DAT type in the list, and click 'Remove'.
-- 
Jim Macleod

In article <LavSRDAnJUr6Ewpk@phemings.demon.co.uk> Peter Hemmings wrote:

>I am a keen "middle aged amateur" and have tried to remove an index DAT
>file in my "cookies" folder!!  I used Norton utils but couldn't erase it

Not worth it - index.dat will be recreated whenever you re-start Windows
if you have IE present.

>then tried to open it using wordpad before realizing it was used by
>windows (98)! The problem is that I cannot remove reference to wordpad
>in the "Folder Options" menu as W98 will not allow a blank in this field
>although this was its default setting.
>My question is can remove reference to "opens with Wordpad.exe" and if
>so how, or, is it OK to leave as it is?

I don't use Win98 so I'm not sure which menu you are referring to. I
suspect you have now associated .dat files with Wordpad, which will not
in itself do any harm, but nor is it likely to be very useful - and if
you one day load a different .dat file into Wordpad you may perhaps end
up altering and saving it, and thus disable something.

If that is the case, one solution is to open any Windows folder, go to
View, Folder Options, File Types and select DAT files - then delete the
option to Open them (as you say, you cannot merely choose to open them
with nothing).

BTW, this newsgroup is for discussion about using Win95 for IP
connections to Demon - general questions about Windows are better
directed to something like uk.comp.os.win95, where you are likely to get
far more expert responses than mine :)

-- 
Paul Terry

T

Thanks Paul, 
In article <pE2D4fAovnr6EAs8@musonix.com>, Paul Terry
<paul@musonix.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <LavSRDAnJUr6Ewpk@phemings.demon.co.uk> Peter Hemmings wrote:
>
>>I am a keen "middle aged amateur" and have tried to remove an index DAT
>>file in my "cookies" folder!!  I used Norton utils but couldn't erase it
>
>Not worth it - index.dat will be recreated whenever you re-start Windows
>if you have IE present.
Yep I eventually realized this!
>
>>then tried to open it using wordpad before realizing it was used by
>>windows (98)! The problem is that I cannot remove reference to wordpad
>>in the "Folder Options" menu as W98 will not allow a blank in this field
>>although this was its default setting.
>>My question is can remove reference to "opens with Wordpad.exe" and if
>>so how, or, is it OK to leave as it is?
>
>I don't use Win98 so I'm not sure which menu you are referring to. I
>suspect you have now associated .dat files with Wordpad, which will not
>in itself do any harm, but nor is it likely to be very useful - and if
>you one day load a different .dat file into Wordpad you may perhaps end
>up altering and saving it, and thus disable something.
>If that is the case, one solution is to open any Windows folder, go to
>View, Folder Options, File Types and select DAT files - then delete the
>option to Open them (as you say, you cannot merely choose to open them
>with nothing).
Yes, this was precisely my problem 
>BTW, this newsgroup is for discussion about using Win95 for IP
>connections to Demon - general questions about Windows are better
>directed to something like uk.comp.os.win95, where you are likely to get
>far more expert responses than mine :)
Sorry to everyone for the intrusion, I read the title but the missed the
"IP" (honest).  Thanks for correcting me with diplomacy.
-- 
Peter Hemmings