Can C:\Windows\Temp be Relocated?

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
239
106
That folder grows like topsy - would love to move it to a different drive. Is there a way?
 

Dahak

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2000
3,752
25
91
Right Click My Computer, Properties, Advanced Tab, Enviroment Variables Button near the bottom, In the System Variables section, you will see Windows\Temp, double click it and type in where you want it.
Can aslo be done Per user as well in the User Variables.
Make sure that you change both the TMP and TEMP variables.
 

cubby1223

Lifer
May 24, 2004
13,518
42
86
Other solution, have in autoexec.bat file to delete all files in that directory. I'm assuming you've got Win9x, right? Or if I remember, doesn't TweakUI also let you select to clear the temp directory on startup? Isn't there a "Paranoia" tab in the Win9x version?
 

Nothinman

Elite Member
Sep 14, 2001
30,672
0
0
Right Click My Computer, Properties, Advanced Tab, Enviroment Variables Button near the bottom, In the System Variables section, you will see Windows\Temp, double click it and type in where you want it.
Can aslo be done Per user as well in the User Variables.
Make sure that you change both the TMP and TEMP variables.

That only works with apps that honor those variables, lots just assume you have a C: drive and don't care if they drop sh!t in Windows\Temp.
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
239
106
Thanks - apparently many apps really don't give a damn. I will try all of the above. I found 1375 files in that folder last night - a huge waste of space. Mostly log files which I could not care less about.
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
239
106
After action report. Dahak's solution worked perfectly - the \Temp and \Tmp files are moved to a large data drive, and it seems like all using apps are obeying the rules. Thanks!
 

R3MF

Senior member
Oct 19, 2004
656
0
0
the first thing i do when i install windows is create a 4GB partition which serves no other purpose than to hold:

system/TEMP
system/TMP
user/TEMP
user/TMP

and virtual memory

windows sits in its own 4GB partition in splendid isolation, which increases the time period before that horrid program manages to strangle itself and demand a reinstall.

i'd recommend it to one and all.
 

bsobel

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Dec 9, 2001
13,346
0
0
the first thing i do when i install windows is create a 4GB partition which serves no other purpose than to hold:

system/TEMP
system/TMP
user/TEMP
user/TMP

and virtual memory

Putting your paging file here just increases your seek overhead when you actually wind up using it.
 

bdoople

Senior member
Dec 29, 2004
318
0
0
Originally posted by: R3MF
the first thing i do when i install windows is create a 4GB partition which serves no other purpose than to hold:

system/TEMP
system/TMP
user/TEMP
user/TMP

and virtual memory

windows sits in its own 4GB partition in splendid isolation, which increases the time period before that horrid program manages to strangle itself and demand a reinstall.

i'd recommend it to one and all.



Care to elaborate more?
 

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
239
106
I have always put my paging file in a separate partition since Windows 3.1. Seek time is not a factor - with 1 gig of RAM, the paging file is only there for emergencies.

As for that file, I also have always followed other rules - fix the size by making max and min the same. That prevents the file from dynamically causing disk fragmentation of every thing else. That is especially bad if it is in the OS partition. And limiting the size - in the old days it was good at 2.5 x the size of real RAM. But beyong 512, that no longer made sense. For the past 2 years it has been 300 MB fixed - never a peep out of it. It is sort of Windows' security blanket.
 

Nothinman

Elite Member
Sep 14, 2001
30,672
0
0
As for that file, I also have always followed other rules - fix the size by making max and min the sam

All that does is remove your safety net if you ever do hit a situation where you need more pagefile space.

That prevents the file from dynamically causing disk fragmentation of every thing else.

The pagefile only expands at runtime, it can't shrink without a reboot. And the fragmentation of most files is irrelevant since they're paged in in small chunks as necessary.