I tried to download a registry cleaner but I was prevented by my PC. However, it has left a file in my temporary Internet files that cannot be deleted as the extension name is too long. How do I clean it out of my files and registry?

Removing Downloaded Files

I'm concerned that you weren't able to download the registry cleaner. Let's talk about removing the temporary file and then see if we can get you a good download of RegCure, Filetonic's recommend registry cleaner.

Windows often puts files in the temporary and other folders that have invalid names and can't be easily deleted. Luckily, there are ways to do this, even if there is no "delete" option when you right click on the file name.

Delete in Safe Mode

There are a few things you can do in Safe Mode that may work for your situation. Get into Safe Mode by pressing F8 (or F1 or F2 depending on your machine - you may have to research that) right when the system powers on. You will see a black screen with some white writing. Choose Safe Mode and the computer will load up with its most basic settings.

See if you can find the file in Safe Mode and delete it. If you can't delete it directly, try renaming and then deleting. Right click the file and choose Rename. Once it has been renamed, try deleting it.

Delete in Windows Command

Go to All Programs and then Accessories and then Command Prompt. When you get to the prompt, type in (and pay attention to the spaces): cd /d %TMP%

                                                                                        rd /s .

This will change the location of the temporary directory and then remove it - it doesn't actually remove the directory itself, just what's in it. Make sure that there is nothing in there that you want to save, because it will all be gone.

New User Account

This method may seem drastic, but it has worked for many people in your situation. Move the file to the desktop. Now go to Control Panel and User Accounts. Create a new user account - this can have any name you want. Move the undeletable file to the new account and then delete the entire account, taking the annoying file with it.

Utilities

There are several third-party utilities that will get rid of invalid files for you without going through all of these steps. You can try something like DelinvFile which is a utility that will delete partial or invalid files.

I'm concerned that you weren't able to download the registry cleaner. Though you didn't say which product you tried to download, we recommend RegCure. If this is the product that you had trouble with, please follow this RegCure Support Link where you can ask specific questions about your download experience. We don't often hear about download problems, so we want to get yours fixed as soon as possible.

Kat Delong | May 30th, 2009
Tags: cleanup downloaded file, remove temporary file, uninstall download
Categories: Registry Cleaners

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