System 32 deletions

What can be safely deleted from the XP system 32 file? There are a lot of application files in the folder, many more than after installation. I found that deleting even some of them sped up the PC. I did not delete any .dlls.

 

If you carry on deleting files from the System32 folder without knowing exactly what you are doing - which you clearly don't - you will certainly cripple your system.

You can use a number of utilities to clean up your system -

Windows Installer Cleanup Utility. Ignore the heading about Office products as it works for all programs that used the Windows installer.

Revo Uninstaller will remove programs far more thoroughly than Add/Remove

CCleaner will do a good job of clearing redundant files from your comp and meaningless entries in the registry.

 

It's hard to believe that deleting files from there would speed anything up and you could seriously cripple/disable your system in doing so. In fact, this would be about the last folder I would do anything with except maybe for looking in it.

As Earthling said, especially cCleaner will keep you lean and mean. And you can use that or Windows add/remove programs to get rid of stuff you don't use.

 

I have to disagree with both of you. A few years ago I found hundreds of .tmp and junk files in the system 32 file. I deleted all of them and noticed a real improvement in opening and closing files. I've also deleted files which anti virus software had identified as malicious. There are many application files in the folder that I don't recognize and one even installed a virus when clicked on.

 

Having .tmp and junk files in the System32 folder is not normal.

I suggest you head over to the Malware Forum and run this.

 

Satrow,

Good catch, just looked at mine, no temp files in the System32 folder. :wave

Although, there is a temp folder under the Windows directory, because I ran cCleaner yesterday, there are right now only 5 files in it for 774K, case in point about cCleaner. (This also maybe the folder the OP was referring to).