Index.dat delete

Index.dat files are files hidden on your computer that contain information about all of the Web sites that you have ever visited as well as information about every email that you have sent and received through Outlook Express. All your Internet traces are logged to index.dat files and deleting Cache, Cookies and History will not delete the index.dat files.

The reason that index.dat files are so invisible is that they are not just hidden but they have been designated as "system" files. Effectively this means that the index.dat files are cloaked and protected by Windows so that they are hard to find and so that they cannot easily be deleted.

There are three main reasons why you would want to delete index.dat files:

• Index.dat files are never resized and only in fact get bigger.
• Large index.dat files will affect PC performance when browsing.
• Index.dat files can be read by anyone with access to your PC and therefore your computer privacy is at risk.

There are three main index.dat files. The file names and locations vary depending on which version of Internet Explorer that you are running but for IE 4 and above you should be able to locate them in the following Windows folders:

• Cookies\index.dat
  
• History\History.IE5\index.dat
  
• Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat
  

Alternatively you can search for them as follows:

Choose Start - Find - Files and Folders. Enter "index.dat" in the appropriate field and Viola -there is a list of your index.dat files!.

If you wish to view the index.dat files, simply right click the file, choose "open with" and scroll down and select notepad.

1. What is index.dat?


2. Can I delete index.dat files manually?


3. Deleting index.dat seems to be difficult? Why is this?


4. Does Windows let you remove index.dat?


5. Which software is best for deleting index.dat files?


6. How does index.dat concern my privacy?

Q: "What is index.dat?"
A: Index.dat are files hidden on your computer that contain a record of all of the Web sites that you have ever visited

Q: "Can I delete index.dat files manually?"
A: No. Deleting history files, cache and cookies will still leave the index.dat files on your computer.

Q: "Deleting index.dat seems to be difficult? Why is this?"
A: A good question! I have yet to read an adequate explanation as to what exactly is the purpose of the index.dat files or why they have been hidden so well. Microsoft have stated that these files are used to cache visited Web sites to help speed up the loading of Web pages in Internet Explorer. This does not explain why the index.dat files remain behind on your computer even after you have deleted all cache, cookies and temporary internet files!

Q: "If I remove index.dat files will it affect my PC in any way?"
A: No. Removing index.dat files is quite safe and in fact may help overall PC performance by freeing up some disk space.

Q: "Which software is best for deleting index.dat files?"

A: We have evaluated many eraser software products. Click here for free internet eraser software reviews. Cyberscrub™ is our personal favourite due to its military grade strength thus the reason that Cyberscrub products are purchased and deployed by the U.S Air Force and Fortune 100 companies. The only other software that we recommend for index.dat delete files is HistoryKill2003 Both of these companies have received a 5 star award rating from Tucows, ZDNet and many other Software evaluation sites.

Q: "How does index.dat concern my privacy?"

A: The index.dat files keep a record of all your internet activity. Anyone with access to your computer can open and read these files and so obviously this can pose a threat to your privacy.

Index.dat delete software makes deleting index.dat files easy