How does the Temp Internet Files Folder really work?

[Paul Komski]

Since I empty the TIF folder after every IE session; only cookies are retained in it. I thought I would move the TIF folder to D (my data partition) using "Move Folder" from InternetOptions<>Tools<>General<>TemporaryInternet Files<>Settings and then my cookies would be saved automatically on my data partition. This appeared to work according to plan with the TIF folder disappearing from C (running WinME) and reappearing on D

At a later stage I booted into E (running Win2K) and had a peep at the D TIF folder created within WinME. Now it contained the files belonging to Win2K and not those of WinME!! Reboot into C and it contains the (original and different) WinME files.

So how does windows do this? Are the files in the data folder on D being recreated on each bootup or is the TIF folder some kind of "virtual" folder. I'm guessing that its file structre is recreated from the (notorious) Index.dat files on each reboot. But this can't be the whole story or I would have expected the files to have been transferred from Win2K to WinME when I rebooted into WinME - but they weren't.

I had originally planned to move the Win2K TIF folder to the same folder on D so that both OSes would "synchronise" their contents - and I will try this out soon. I stopped when the above occurred - wanting to understand what was actually going on.

Does anyone really understand the sequences of events or have a good link to a better understanding of the nature of this folder?? http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

(I understand that if you delete the TIF files directly from within windows you will delete files and cookies (but not the underlying super-hidden Index.dat file) but that if you do this from within DOS using deltree tempor~1 at the c:\windows prompt you will delete the files but the cookies will be recreated from the separate cookies folder, when you next boot into windows).
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Take nice care of yourselves - Paul
"For a Pandora's box upgrade to IE6 (IEsicks that is)"

[This message has been edited by Paul Komski (edited 04-04-2002).]

[sea69]

wow Paul- good question!

perhaps GH will make an appearence.

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif



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sea1_69@hotmail.com

homepage (http://www.seanweb1.homestead.com/index.html)

[bassman]

Hey Paul,
What file system is your 2000 running?

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A real Christian is one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip.
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[Paleo Pete]

Weird...I haven't had any problems with it, I moved my TIF folder to E drive and deleted the original from C (from Windows not DOS) with no trouble, it stays that way. I'm running Win98SE, it may behave a bit different...

The TIF folder has never re-appeared on C drive, and the files are still going to E right now, so it's working as planned. What you describe may be related to it being a multi-boot system, or could be just another of the idiosynchracies of ME.

As far as I know the TIF folder is not one of the ones that is recreated automatically by Windows when you reboot, mine doesn't. The index.dat file tags along no matter where you put it...

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[mjc]

The TIF is not recreated during rebooting, but any update to IE will return it to its default location... http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif , this includes running the repair option, security updates and what not (at least this is the way it behaves on my system).

Are you running 2 different versions of IE in the 2 OSs?

Also, I bet both sets of files have unique numbers to the folders. Windows may be treating the 2 like different users andis "hiding" them from each other......

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

[iisbob]

For this you'll need to understand how the file system works; ie FAT & NTFS, they both leave markers for the os to find files it has sequestered-this is the whole idea behind the orginization of files and is commonly refered to as the MBR.

It doesn't matter whether you're dual, or single booting as any version of window's ( and in reality any os )will read the MBR and regardless of the file type ( FAT/NTFS ) it will use the MBR to create it's table-in the case of a dual boot they share the table, so when you boot into 2k it's reading the same table as 98.

This is the whole premise behind the MBR-it tells the file system where to start and where to locate usable/unusable clusters and where it's markers are located for files.

get the picture?! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif




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iisbob

The man who sets out to carry a cat by its tail learns something that will always be useful and which never will grow dim or doubtful. -- Mark Twain.

[Ghost_Hacker]

Hmmmmm....OK first all Windows OSes do "share" the MBR (master boot record) Sharing is actual a wrong term since when the MBR is ran Windows hasn't booted yet. The MBR contains a small program used to load the boot sector of an active partition and is called at the end of the POST using an INT 19 call.

So what "loads" files? well......

NT/2000 use the MFT (Master File Table) to keep track of files on a NTFS partition.


Windows 95/98/ME use the VFAT (Virtual File Allocation Table)which allows for long file names that the original FAT (File Allocation Table )could not do. VFAT runs in protected mode and is a driver or extension that acts as a middle man between Window's programs and the FAT.


NT can't use the 9X VFAT and 9X can't read the MFT. (Windows 2000 can use both the MFT for NTFS partitions and has a VFAT that can read FAT32 partitions.)

EDIT actually this is wrong VFAT is an extension to FAT16 partitions and isn't used for FAT32( I had to go look this up as it was nagging me http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif ) 9X and NT use VFAT to enable long file name support on FAT16 partitions. Windows 2000 can read FAT32 partitions where as NT simply could not. Hope this doesn't confuse you. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

However this is not the cause of your "problem" as the MFT and the VFAT can never contain information relating to the same partition. (Remember that the VFAT is a driver not an actual table IE: like the DOS FAT.)
In other words your partition is either FAT or NTFS not both.

I'll assume your real question is "how come the TIF holds different files depending on which OS I boot into?"

The answer is what MJC suggested. The TIF is "user" based. There are many hidden subfolders that make up the "displayed" TIF you see in Explorer. Each user has his own set of hidden subfolders which make up the "cache view".


Hope this helps http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by Ghost_Hacker (edited 04-05-2002).]

[Paul Komski]

Thanks for all the input, interest and ideas. You guys are all pretty amazing.

sea69 Thanx.
Bassman All partitions are Fat32
Paleo Pete I moved the TIF folder using IE and this removed the folder from C (I didn't have to do any manual moves/copy/delete etc.)
mjc ME is running IE5.5 and 2K is running IE5.01.
iisbob I sure hope I get the picture - eventually!
Ghost 'The TIF is "user" based' (hehe; it appears that it is; and that it isn't; the paradox can be understood from the following - I hope)

Regarding alphanumeric folder identities that exist in the Content.IE5 folder inside the TIF folders:-
(1) There are three sets of these in my setup (one in the store drive and two in the 2K drive; one for Default User and another for my logon name)
(2) The alphanumeric octets of these don't change in the Content.IE5 folder, regardless of the bootup choice.
(3) The "apparent" content of these four sub-folders and of the Content.IE5 folder however is identical in ALL THREE SETS!
(4) Or if you prefer; there appear to be 15 folders having the same content at any one time.
(5) This content is "apparently" set (within Windows) depending on the OS booted into.
(6) This content is however different (and unique for each of these 15 folders), when viewed from true DOS!

These are very "funny" folders; these folders that contain index.dat files. Another manifestation of this is that some of the index.dat files ARE visible in windows, whilst others can only be seen from true DOS.

The bottom line is, in a way, a paradox. When using Windows the content of these folders may be real or may be virtual. The only way to be sure is to boot into DOS; and then one is no longer in Windows!

Enough already. I have managed to "synchronise" Favorites, OE files, My Documents and My Pictures; so that only one set is maintained on my store partition and accessed from both ME and 2K. I thought I might be able to do the same for cookies but I now doubt that it is and I will just backup the ones I want to keep safe by exporting them.

BTW does anyone know the difference between the commands deltree and deltree/Y (as suggested by "The Riddler")




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Take nice care of yourselves - Paul
"For a Pandora's box upgrade to IE6 (IEsicks that is)"

[mjc]

Deltree /Y -- Deletes specified items without prompting

To see a list of all the Switches for a DOS command type a "?" after the "/" instead of a letter.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.