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General discussion

Lots of tmp files in LocalService WinXP

Feb 25, 2015 7:13AM PST

First, thanks for letting me in and for reading this, hope it's the right place on the forum.

I have noticed that even after running Ccleaner I have a huge amount of .tmp files in my C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService location. Some are from as far back as 2013 and most are 200MB to 500MB in size. They are not tmp internet files or any other "type of folder" files. In other words, when I go to C:\Documents and Settings and then open the "LocalService" folder, it is packed with these's .tmp files. Most have a starting name of HTT3BC.tmp, HTT36A.tmp, HTTF95.tmp and climbing. A few, like 6 of them, have a file name of NOD7D.tmp, that I would think is from Nod32 Anti virus and 2 that are NSF69C2.tmp type.

Any chance anyone has an idea what these are and can they be cleaned out?

I'm not the brightest bulb on the block and once before I went through and cleaned out some tmp files and had to do a system restore to get the machine up and running again with a repair disk and don't want to go through that again.

Anyone got a clue what they are?

I also opened one with wordpad and it was just a huge amount of letters, symbols and dashes that went on forever.

I have run current Virus scan with Nod32, ran Malwarebytes and let things be cleaned as needed, but they are still there.

Thats all the info I have, hope it helps and thank you for reading this novel, lol.

Discussion is locked

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That folder does have prior discussions.
Feb 25, 2015 7:29AM PST
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Yes, They Can Safely Be Deleted, If They'll Let You ..
Feb 25, 2015 8:17AM PST

I'll guess you actually mean the C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService\Local Settings\TEMP or possibly the "Network Service" folder. Either way, .tmp files are simply temporary files created by a variety of different programs and they can safely be deleted. Normally, the unneeded .tmp file is automatically removed when the program is closed but sometimes, the .tmp file is "forgotten" and left in the folder and it simply takes up space. If they're needed by the program at a later date, they'll be created by that program. Occasionally, if a .tmp file is actually being used by the program, you'll be prevented from removing the file until the program is entirely shut down. Some actually choose to restart in Safe Mode to prevent the program from running in the background so the .tmp file can be deleted although I generally leave such "locked" .tmp files alone.

On the other hand, you might try using the third party "CCleaner" or Windows own version of "Disk Cleanup" to see if they will remove such files for you.

I am familiar with the HTT*.tmp files.. Your NOD32 writes to those also. Read about a similar problem in the link below, although it's a different "Temp" folder. The keyword here is "be cautious". Tray one at a time.:

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/problem-with-nod32-and-temp-files.253904/

Hope this helps.

Grif.

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No, the path is as stated ...
Feb 25, 2015 9:47AM PST

C:\Documents and Settings\LocalService .... is the exact location of the tmp files Grift Thomas. I know there would be tmp files in the TEMP folder and others, but the files I refer to are at the root of the LocalService folder free floating so to speak right next to Application Data, Cookies, IETldCache and Local Settings folders. That is why I question as to what they are and from what Application they are being created from. Thanks anyway for your input.

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Ever wondered which program has a particular file or
Feb 25, 2015 9:53AM PST
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Temp files folder
Feb 25, 2015 12:44PM PST

I'm seeing a lot of tmp files folders in my drive, are these viruses?

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(NT) Since we don't run .tmp files, no.
Feb 25, 2015 2:06PM PST
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Same Advice As Before....
Feb 26, 2015 9:23AM PST

The HTT*.tmp files are created by your NOD32 AV program.. Although it is normally safe to delete all .tmp files on a computer, in your case, I would start deleting them, one by one. Leave each one in the Recycle Bin, then test the computer for problems. If no problems, move on to the next file and remove it. Leave it in the Recycle Bin and test the computer..

There should be no problems but if there are, you can always restore a file back to its previous location.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Thanks
Feb 28, 2015 1:43AM PST

Thank you, I will try this and see what happens. There are like 21GB if them in there all the way back from 2013.