Hidden Temporary Files Left on Hard Drive

• Microsoft Word for Windows, version 2.0

SUMMARY

If you do not exit Microsoft Word for Windows properly, hidden temporary files are written to the current directory (the directory of the open Word for Windows file). An improper exit occurs if your system locks up, the power is lost or turned off while Word is active, or you encounter an unrecoverable application error (UAE). Any of these occurrences leave hidden temporary files on your system. Temporary files have a .DOC extension, and their filename begins with the tilde character (~).

MORE INFORMATION

If you have hidden temporary files on your system, you may notice a loss of disk space. You also cannot delete any directory that contains these hidden files. To display and change the attribute of hidden files from Windows version 3.0 File Manager, choose Include from the View menu, and select the Show Hidden Files check box.

To change file attributes in Windows version 3.1 File Manager, display the hidden files by choosing By File Type from the View menu and selecting the Show Hidden/System Files check box. Select the flagged hidden file. From the File menu, choose Properties, and clear the Hidden check box.

You can also locate these files with the MS-DOS ATTRIB command (type "attrib \~*.* /s" at the MS-DOS prompt). Clear the hidden attribute using the ATTRIB command. Type "ATTRIB -h {filename.ext}" at the MS-DOS prompt.

Note: Temporary files have a file size of 51 bytes. They contain the current user information and a one-directory reference.

Word for Windows stores information about who is currently using a file in its temporary files. This information is useful in a network environment when someone tries to open a file that is already being accessed by another user; Word looks at the temporary file to see who is using the file and returns that information to the second user.

If the temporary owner files are left on the network in error and you delete the file to restore capabilities to edit the associated document, you may not fully recover editing capabilities until the Windows session is restarted.

You can prevent Word for Windows from creating this hidden temporary file by adding the line "NoOwnerFiles=YES" to the [Microsoft Word 2.0] section of the WIN.INI file with the following steps:

1. From the Tools menu, choose Options.

2. Under Category, select WIN.INI.

3. From the Application box, select Microsoft Word 2.0.

4. In the Option box, type "NoOwnerFiles" (without the quotation marks).

5. In the Setting box, type "Yes" (without the quotation marks).

6. Choose the Set button, then choose the Close button.

7. Exit Word for Windows. Restart the program to activate the change.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 798-802