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I have been having trouble removing the Temporary Files on my Windows 10.

enter image description here

I did search and did most of the common steps

  • Delete the contents of %temp%
  • Delete the contents of prefetch
  • Do the DiskCleanup application of Windows 10

But still, same amount of space is occupied.

Do I have a virus or is there other tools that can help remove what seems to be unremovable 20.3 GB of Temporary Files

PS: I also tried to removed the contents of

%WINDIR%\SoftwareDistribution\Download

but that didn't change anything on the Tempory Files.

vishnu
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    "Do I have a virus" - Unlikely; Use one of the programs listed [here](https://superuser.com/questions/8248/how-can-i-visualize-the-file-system-usage-on-windows) to determine what the actual files are. Edit your question with this relevant necessary information – Ramhound Oct 24 '19 at 16:37
  • @Ramhound how do I know which one are those considered as "Tempory Files"? – vishnu Oct 24 '19 at 16:46
  • `%WINDIR%\SoftwareDistribution\Download` isn't either of those folders. Please just provide the required information to answer your question (you might find by doing using one of those programs you answer it yourself). – Ramhound Oct 24 '19 at 16:49
  • Ok using WinDirStat now @Ramhound. Will try to provide more info if this didn't do the job. Thank you – vishnu Oct 24 '19 at 16:53
  • Why don’t you just click “Temporary Files” (in your screenshot) and it will show you what is using the space and where and give you an option to clean it up. – Appleoddity Oct 24 '19 at 17:04
  • I did click and remove the files on that Temporary File (screeshot) and still, it remains to be 20.3 GB @Appleoddity – vishnu Oct 24 '19 at 17:06
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    Ok. But where does it say that space is used? It is more specific than just temporary files. It tells you, Windows updates, delivery optimization, etc. – Appleoddity Oct 24 '19 at 17:07

1 Answers1

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Infection is unlikely, but of course is always possible. However, undeleted temporary files is no reason to suspect an infection, more likely you have not found all of them.

For example, you have not mentioned the folder C:\Windows\Temp, but deleting its contents requires Admin permissions.

The best ways to clean out the temporary files are:

  • Right-click the disk in Explorer, select Properties, go to the General tab, click Disk Cleanup and select the sections to clean out. This is the safest option and will not break your setup.

  • A cleaning program such as ccleaner or other. Such products should be used with great caution, as they can break the computer if used without understanding of the consequences of the possible cleaning options.

harrymc
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  • Understanding why this was downvoted would greatly improve my mental well-being. Please explain. – harrymc Oct 24 '19 at 17:32