user.dat file contents

[tharook]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm a rookie as the name says. But here is the question. Why does the user.dat file (windows98) store the file names of files that I've deleted? If I access the user.dat in notpad or wordpad, the file names of files that were deleted a while ago are all right there. Some of them are things I don't want on my computer (anything from resumes to pam anderson). I know now not to name the file something obvious, but either way, it doesn't seem that there is any way to get rid of them. I've tried a bunch of registry clean up tools, I've used the registry command at start up (F8, Command propmpt, etc) and nothing helps. I've searched the computer to find where else those names are at, and that is the only file that contains them. I've searched the registry and nothing there either. Its only in the user dat.

To be honest, the files aren't important and I don't care that they're in there. I only happened to see them because I was looking to see what all was kept in the user.dat file. I just want to get rid of them now because of the challenge of not being able to figure out how. I'm not sure if they're there from when I deleted them, or when I saved them. Any help is appreciated.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Rookie

 

[paulwood]

What registry program did you use? If scanreg did you use the /opt switch which will in effect 'defrag' the registry and may get rid of the old entries.