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Index.dat in Cookies?
- Thread starter tonydd
- Start date
The Index.dat does contain a list of cookies even after they are deleted, although the cookies will not be functional. It must be deleted in DOS. If your desire is to stop the cookies from keeping track of your visits, then deleting the cookies is enough. If your desire is to delete all records of web sites visted, then the Index.dat must be deleted too.
HTH, Dana
)
HTH, Dana
)
TekTippy4U
Technical User
Here we go...
Let the games begin...:>)
Index.dat will always get Re-created.....try it in DOS and then Standby and watch Big Bad Bill take the Meat "Hooks" to you...[bigsmile}
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
Let the games begin...:>)
Index.dat will always get Re-created.....try it in DOS and then Standby and watch Big Bad Bill take the Meat "Hooks" to you...[bigsmile}
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
- Thread starter
- #4
TekTippy4U
Technical User
Sorry!....don't know.....
You'd have to ask MrMoneyBags..
If had my say....I'd tell him to index this!
![[bigsmile]](/data/assets/smilies/bigsmile.gif "[bigsmile] [bigsmile]")
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
You'd have to ask MrMoneyBags..
If had my say....I'd tell him to index this!
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
ITschoolGuy
Instructor
Hello all-
I thoroughly agree that M$ has questionable motives at best regarding the INDEX.DAT file (which appears in many directories...not just cookies) as well as a bunch of their other Windows components. However, I can explain its purpose. It does exactly what its name implies...provides an indexing function so that IE can more quickly & efficiently access cookies (or history or cached web pages) when called upon. It's not unlike the index in a text book...you would use it to quickly locate a specific term on a particular page, thus saving you the time of leafing through the book until you found what you wanted. M$ Office actually uses a similar indexing function through its "FindFast" component. As far as I know, there is no easy way to disable the indexing features of M$ Internet Explorer...so, if you delete the INDEX.DAT it will simply be re-created the next time you open IE.
What troubles me is the length M$ has gone to in making the file difficult to locate and even more difficult to delete. Not only is it hidden, but the entire folder in which it resides is typically flagged with the "S" attribute. Furthermore, the file contents are written in binary form so you need to take some extra steps to be able to read them as standard ASCII. It's also troubling to realize just how much of your long term Web browsing/e-mail history can be discovered by simply viewing the contents of the various INDEX.DAT files.
Anyway, I used to be a Trade/Technical IT instructor, so forgive me for kicking into "teacher mode" in this post. I hope this info was helpful, though.
Cheers.
Chris
I thoroughly agree that M$ has questionable motives at best regarding the INDEX.DAT file (which appears in many directories...not just cookies) as well as a bunch of their other Windows components. However, I can explain its purpose. It does exactly what its name implies...provides an indexing function so that IE can more quickly & efficiently access cookies (or history or cached web pages) when called upon. It's not unlike the index in a text book...you would use it to quickly locate a specific term on a particular page, thus saving you the time of leafing through the book until you found what you wanted. M$ Office actually uses a similar indexing function through its "FindFast" component. As far as I know, there is no easy way to disable the indexing features of M$ Internet Explorer...so, if you delete the INDEX.DAT it will simply be re-created the next time you open IE.
What troubles me is the length M$ has gone to in making the file difficult to locate and even more difficult to delete. Not only is it hidden, but the entire folder in which it resides is typically flagged with the "S" attribute. Furthermore, the file contents are written in binary form so you need to take some extra steps to be able to read them as standard ASCII. It's also troubling to realize just how much of your long term Web browsing/e-mail history can be discovered by simply viewing the contents of the various INDEX.DAT files.
Anyway, I used to be a Trade/Technical IT instructor, so forgive me for kicking into "teacher mode" in this post. I hope this info was helpful, though.
Cheers.
Chris
ski
Technical User
- Oct 11, 2000
- 2,467
- 0
- 0
As quoted by Microsoft:
"By design, Windows Explorer uses the Desktop.ini and Index.dat files to provide the functionality of the Temporary Internet Files shell extension.
Index.dat is the Internet Explorer cache index file.
It facilitates the browser cache mechanism that speeds access to frequently accessed Web pages across different browser processes in the same user context.
Cookies are also displayed when you view the Temporary Internet Files folder in Windows Explorer, but these files are physically stored in your Cookies folder; this is also by design."
You can empty most of the index.dat file's contents by using a utility at this site:
But note that this utility will also empty the contents of these folders: Cookies, D/L Program Files, History, Temp, and Temporary Internet Files.
This means that you will have to re-enter your ID's and passwords in order to enter secure sites.
"By design, Windows Explorer uses the Desktop.ini and Index.dat files to provide the functionality of the Temporary Internet Files shell extension.
Index.dat is the Internet Explorer cache index file.
It facilitates the browser cache mechanism that speeds access to frequently accessed Web pages across different browser processes in the same user context.
Cookies are also displayed when you view the Temporary Internet Files folder in Windows Explorer, but these files are physically stored in your Cookies folder; this is also by design."
You can empty most of the index.dat file's contents by using a utility at this site:
But note that this utility will also empty the contents of these folders: Cookies, D/L Program Files, History, Temp, and Temporary Internet Files.
This means that you will have to re-enter your ID's and passwords in order to enter secure sites.
- Thread starter
- #8
TekTippy4U
Technical User
Also notice that if you delete the cookies from the cookies folder.....then the ones in TempInetFiles folder vanish also...
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
TT4U
Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.
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