Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Delete temporary files
• Method 2 of 2: Deleting Prefetch Files
• Tips

You will have to search for and delete unnecessary files from your computer hard drive if you are faced with the problem of lack of free space to store them. Temporary files that are created during an emergency restart of Windows are a good candidate for deletion, as they are not needed for the OS to function correctly. With regards to prefetch files, not everything is so simple. They are created during the first launch of the application. Therefore, they should be removed only if your computer is infected with a virus or other malicious program, and only when you understand what you are doing.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Delete temporary files

1. 1 Use Disk Cleanup. This tool is extremely useful for removing temporary and prefetch files from your computer. This method works for all versions of Windows starting from Vista.
   • Open the Disk Cleanup application. You can do this in several ways.
     • Go to Start> All Programs> Accessories> System Tools> Disk Cleanup.
     • Open the "Run" window by pressing Win + R, and enter "% windir% system32 cleanmgr.exe" in the input field, without the quotes.
   • Select the hard disk partition you want to clean up. Usually you need to select the partition with the OS, and if during the installation you did not change the path yourself, it will be the “C:” partition. The utility will start scanning the selected partition for different temporary files. When finished, you will be presented with a list of found temporary files.
     • You can also see the item “Clean up system files”. To work with it, you need administrator rights, since it is necessary for a deeper scan of Windows directories for unnecessary files; for example, Windows Service Pack files can be found here.
     • Select "Temporary Internet Files" and "Temporary Files" and then click "OK".
2. 2 Search for “.temp” files. Temporary files usually have the extension “ *. Temp”, so you can open “My Computer” or “Computer” and run a search with the mask “ *. Temp”. The use of " *" is mandatory, as this sign indicates that the string ".temp" must be at the very end of the file name.
3. 3 Find in the Control Panel “Free up disk space”. Select “Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary files”. Check the box next to "Temporary files" and click "OK".

Method 2 of 2: Deleting Prefetch Files

1. 1 Open Windows Explorer. Navigate to the Organize pull-down button and select Folder and Search Options. Select the "View" tab. Check “Show hidden files, folders and drives” and click “Apply”. Click “OK” to close the window.
2. 2 Open the section with your OS. This is usually “C:” unless you manually changed the drive letter during installation. Go to Windows> Prefetch. Delete all files like “ *. Pf”.
3. 3 Open Windows Explorer again. As before, open the Organize menu, then select Folder and Search Options and go to the View tab.
4. 4 Select “Don't show hidden files, folders and drives”. Click “Apply”. Then click “OK” to close the window.

Tips

• At the end of the manipulation, empty the trash to remove unnecessary files permanently.
• Deleting prefetch files may cause problems or slow down the performance of your computer. As a rule, it is best to resort to such actions only when you really understand what you are doing.