F.A.Q.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Windows 8 Note  -  PurgeIE, PurgeIE Pro and PurgeFox were designed to work with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Prior to Windows 8, Internet Explorer utilized files named Index.dat for indexing the Cache, Cookies and History information.

 

Beginning with Windows 8, Index.dat files are not used. The indexing functions are implemented within a Microsoft database system.



Is IE-10 supported?

PurgeIE and PurgeIE Pro support Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10.

However, you need to be aware of the following...

IE-8 has included an additional source of History data for display via the
AutoComplete function. This shows as "History" in the addressbar dropdown.

The source of this data for IE-8 running on VISTA in a 30-50 mb file maintained
by the VISTA search function. I have not yet found a means for deleting this
data. The storage for this data differs in Windows 7.

However, you can change the AutoComplete settings to avoid this display.

Please see the webpage - "Internet Explorer 8 Considerations" for additional information.


Is Win 8 supported?

PurgeIE and PurgeIE Pro function on Win-7 and Win-8.  

Both 64-bit and 32-bit versions are supported.

 

Windows 7 has includes an additional source of History Data which is displayed

via a right-click of an Internet Explorer shortcut icon within its Taskbar.

 

However, you can change the Taskbar Properties settings to avoid this display.


Please see the webpage - "Windows 7 Considerations" for additional information.


What / where is the "Delete Invalid File" program that I see in the forums?

"Delete Invalid Files" or "DelinvFile" is a separate program available on this website.

"DelinvFile.exe" is a Utility that you can use to delete data files that you have not been able to delete using the normal Windows Delete function.  You could use the phrase 'delete undeletable files' to describe the program.

Windows allows the creation of file names and folder names that can not be deleted or renamed via Windows Explorer.  This includes names with invalid characters and names that are too long for Windows Explorer to process.

Beginning with version 3.01, DelinvFile includes a function to scan for invalid names and too-long names.

DelinvFile was converted to a commercial version with the release of version 2.02.

As the FreeWare version of DelinvFile had become so popular and has been referenced on many download sites and been referenced in several web forums and newsgroups, the decision was made to keep the original program functions FREE in the commercial version. 

The commercial version of DelinvFile made available additional functions and requires licensing (registration).


The link for DelinvFile is - www.purgeie.com/delinv 


What / where is the "SharePrep" program that I hear about?

"SharePrep" is a utility program for SharePoint administrators to correct file and folder names in preparation for importing data into Microsoft's SharePoint or MOSS. The file and folder names within SharePoint have more restrictions than for normal Windows operation.  

 

SharePrep has scan and rename functions to assist in the automation of the file preparation project.

 

The link for SharePrep is - www.purgeie.com/shareprep 


What causes History to reappear after it is deleted?

It has been determined that some external programs access the Web using Internet Explorer functions in such a manner that the 'History' files are kept open.  When these programs are active, the 'History' files can't really be deleted.  In some instances, the files appear to delete but soon reappear.  This has been documented in a separate Webpage - www.purgeie.com/lockhist.htm.  Please visit this page for current information for the programs that cause this problem.

At the time of this writing, it appears that both Easy CD Creator 4 and Napster may be involved.


Why do entries automatically appear in the address bar after clearing both 'Typed Urls' and 'Visited URLs'?

I think that you are seeing the I.E. AutoComplete function in action. I had read on the Microsoft Website that 'Favorites', folders and filenames are now included in the data used by the AutoComplete function:

"The Autocomplete feature is another improved element of browser automation in Internet Explorer 5. Now, in addition to automatically completing Web site addresses previously entered, Autocomplete also attempts to match typed entries to Favorites or folders in your computer."

The Internet Explorer AutoComplete function saves previous entries you've entered for Web addresses. These are generally referred to as "Typed URLs".  Then, when you type information into the URL address field, AutoComplete suggests possible matches based on the stored data. 

In addition to the above, a record of the URL address of each Web-site you visit is recorded by I.E. These URL addresses are recorded in the I.E. indexing system as part of its History data. These are generally referred to as Visited URLs. This makes up a large part of the information used for the I.E. AutoComplete function.

If this does not explain the items you see appearing in the address bar, the Index.dat file used for Visited URLs could be corrupted. Please see the section "Symptoms of Corrupted Cache" at - www.purgeie.com/errcache.htm


What is meant by "Corrupted Cache"?

Basically, this means that there is an error in one of the primary Internet Explorer folders.  The error could be in one of the 'Index.dat' files or one of the data files.

Corrupted Cache is generally caused by power failures, system failures and improper shutdown procedures as any of these can prevent the complete updating of the cache on your harddrive.

This has been documented in a separate Webpage - www.purgeie.com/errcache.htm


How do I resolve the problem with "Corrupted Cache"?

PurgeIE contains an Emergency function for deleting Corrupted Cache.

This has been documented in a separate Webpage - www.purgeie.com/cachefix.htm


Does PurgeIE delete or shrink the 'Index.dat' files?

PurgeIE does not delete 'Index.dat' files.  PurgeIE does not shrink 'Index.dat' files.  These operations could only be done using DOS mode while Windows is closed.  Competing products that remove 'Index.dat' files require you to reboot your system to perform a real cleanup.

PurgeIE uses approved Microsoft program functions to remove the entries from the 'Index.dat' files.  

These API functions reset the URL information to blanks within the 'Index.dat' files which, effectively, eliminates the information that is of greatest concern to  privacy advocates.

PurgeIE does contain an Emergency function for deleting 'Index.dat' files should the need arise.  This would require a reboot.  This is described via the following link - https://www.purgeie.com/cachefix.htm 

An explanation for 'Index.dat' files and the structure for the primary Internet Explorer folders is available via the following link - https://www.purgeie.com/indexdat.htm  This also describes the interaction of the PurgeIE functions and the 'Index.dat' files.


Will the FireFox browser be supported?

A separate program, PurgeFox, has been developed to support cleanup for FireFox.  Note that PurgeFox is also known as Purge FireFox.

Please visit https://www.purgefox.com to learn more about PurgeFox.

Consideration was given to supporting FireFox cleanup via a Plugin for PurgeIE Pro.  This proved problematic as each installation of FireFox uses a unique name for its subfolder names.  This would require such a Plugin to be manually tailored by each user.

Further, a Plugin would not provide a means for retaining "good" Cookies.  The storage for Cache and Cookies was entirely different for FireFox from that used by Internet Explorer.


What does the new message "Ignore files modified in the last xxx Hours" mean?

This is due to a new option for the Temp Folders configuration sub-tab.  You can turn the option on /off and can specify the number of Hours to be considered for the age.    

The purpose of the option is to minimize the number of "Locked" messages from the Temp Folders option by skipping the purge of newer files in the Temp Folders.

The default setting is "on" and "8" Hours. You can access these settings by clicking the Configuration tab and then Clicking the Temp Folders sub-tab.


What does the "Error in URL" phrase mean in the displayed messages?

You have a form of Corrupted Cache.

The "Error in URL" means that there is an error in one of the Index.dat files.  The 'Type' field code gives an indication as to the Index.dat file involved.  The codes are:  "C" - Cookie, "N" - Non-Subscription (Online) Cache, "S" - Subscription (Offline) Cache, "V" - Visited URL.  Please see the FAQ question concerning Corrupted Cache for additional information.


Does PurgeIE utilize a system service?

Yes.  Beginning with PurgeIE 6.02 and PurgeIE Pro 2.02, a system service was implemented. The service is used to access the Windows Registry to process the Clear AutoComplete Forms function. 

In prior versions of PurgeIE, this function internally executed the Internet Explorer Internet Options screens to clear this data. This data is very well protected (hidden) in the Windows Registry and a service was required to enable deletion of the data.

The old method was not working for non-English versions of windows. This was due to the window title lines (captions) being in different languages.  PurgeIE was searching for the windows based on their title lines as the Internet Options windows displayed on the screen. 

Implementation of the service made the function usable on non-English versions of Windows. As PurgeIE has registrations in over 55 countries with many customers running non-English versions of Windows, this change became necessary. 

Rest assured that this service is not monitoring any activities and is not 'calling home'. The service is not an active process. The service only responds to requests from PurgeIE, or PurgeIE Pro, to perform the above function.


Is there a Tutorial for PurgeIE?

Thanks to a few very persuasive individuals, a Tutorial has been implemented on this Website.  You can access it via the PurgeIE homepage.  Its direct link is - www.purgeie.com/tutorial/tutorial.htm.  We would like to know whether you find it useful.


How do I upgrade to the new version of PurgeIE (or PurgeIE Pro)?

You can download the new version from this WebSite via www.purgeie.com/download.htm 

You should then install the new version in the same directory (folder) as your current version is installed in. This preserves your settings for your options, your protect file and your registration information. Do not uninstall the old version as this would delete these settings, etc...

For additional information, use the following link - www.purgeie.com/upgrade.htm 


How do I specify which Cookies to protect?

Press "Protect" on the 'Main Window'.  Then press "Cookies" on the 'Protect Window'.  Designate the Cookies by selecting and then pressing the "Protect" button.  Multi-Select may be used in this selection process to select multiple cookies (press a <Ctrl> key while clicking each Cookie).


How do I automatically execute PurgeIE at each System Startup or Login?

Beginning with Version 3.02, this is supported.  You can choose this as an option of the new Configuration Window.


Can PurgeIE Execute in 'Stealth' mode?

Beginning with Version 3.02, this is supported.  Using the new Configuration Window, you can choose Disable for the Splash Screen and choose Disable for the Main Window.  You can then choose to have PurgeIE execute at System Startup and/or generate a "Purge NOW" shortcut to execute with these display options.


How do I use PurgeIE as a Track (footprint) Cleaner?

This has been documented in the "Suggested Operation" section of your Help file and on the "Suggested Operation" Web-page.


How do I use PurgeIE as a Cache Manager?

This has been documented in the "Suggested Operation" section of your Help file and on the "Suggested Operation" Web-page.


What do the codes in the Type field mean?

The codes mean: 

"C" - Cookie  
"N" - Non-Subscription (Online) Cache 
"S" - Subscription (Offline) Cache, 
"V" - Visited URL.


Can I delete a single entry in the URL Address drop-down list?

PurgeIE does not support such a function.  However, A&RC has made available a FreeWare program for managing the "URL address dropdown list".  It is "EditURLs" and can be downloaded via - www.aandrc.com/editurls.  This provides for editing of the entries as well as deleting entries.  "EditURLs" also provides for saving a sacred set of URL entries for restoring on demand.


Does the Internet Explorer have to be shut down while PurgeIE executes?

It is not absolutely necessary.  It is recommended that you shut Internet Explorer down if you are Purging via the "History Folders" option.  Generally, the "History Folders" are allocated whenever the Internet Explorer is active.  However, you should not be actively surfing while PurgeIE is executing.  A file could possibly considered to be a 'Stray' just prior to its being entered into the associated INDEX.DAT file if data were being downloaded from the Internet while PurgeIE were executing.

For IE-5 and above, you should select the option "Close unused folders in History and Favorites" within the Advanced Internet Options and shutting down Internet Explorer before running with PurgeIE's "History Folders" option.  If you feel uncomfortable trying to change the Advanced Internet Options, you can still accomplish this by use of the A&RC program 'InitPurg'.  This is one of the 'supporting Utility programs available via - www.purgeie.com/download.htm.

The "Typed URLs" function is ineffective if an Internet Explorer window is open.  Even though PurgeIE deletes the Typed URLs from the Registry, Internet Explorer saves a new set from Ram memory when it closes.


Does PurgeIE support Netscape Navigator?

No.  The processing for Cache, Cookies and Web History is entirely different between Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.  


Is there a similar program for Netscape Navigator?

Other vendors have similar programs for Netscape.  However, Assistance & Resources for Computing, Inc. has not produced one.


What if I lose my Registration Code?

You can request a copy of your Registration Code by filling out a simple form and sending to the vendor.  You can access this form via the "Support" page -  www.purgeie.com/support.htm.  On the "Support" page, select 'Lost Reg Code' to access the form.


Assistance & Resources for Computing, Inc
Copyright © 1999-2015.  All rights reserved.
Revised: January 20, 2022