Deleting Superfluous Files

[mabrowndog]

I'm running Win 7 on a Lenovo x120e notebook, and my replacement Lenovo just arrived (x140e, also Win 7). As I look to migrate files over and/or back them up on external HDs, I'm stunned by how much crap is in my Desktop/Name/AppData/Local/Temp file. It's 4.5 GB in nearly 15,000 files and 2,268 subfolders. And that's after deleting about 2.5 GB worth of Google Earth stuff.
 
Is it safe to delete everything in the Temp folder? Or is it case-by-case making this too broad a question to answer?
 
FWIW, the Local folder (not including the Temp folder) includes another 3.85 GB in 50,000 files and 7,600 subfolders, so I'd love to be able to clear some of that stuff out as well.
 
Are there reliable utilities for ferreting this crap out?
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[Jnai]

CC Cleaner used to be a good utility for this kind of stuff.
 
https://www.piriform.com/CCLEANER

 

[Couperin47]

Yes there are a gazillion utilities that will help clear this stuff. Most default to keeping stuff from the last 5-7 days. In fact, it's safe to remove all of this.  The 2 utility suites I have used for years that do these things efficiently (also cleaning things like your registry) without ever doing any damage are:
 
Macecraft jv16 Powertools     http://www.macecraft.com/
 
Yamicsoft Windows 7 Manager   http://www.yamicsoft.com/
 
both include a ton of other useful tools, all of which can be trusted to work and do no harm (as long as you understand the options they offer). Both highly recommended.
 
Both also 'available to examine' sans cost if you know where to look...

 

[Nick Kaufman]

No need to install an external cleaner. Everything that's in the temp file can be deleted.
 
In general, and for your next migration, make sure to have your docs, pics, music, video and downloaded files in properly organized folders separate from the OS. That way, whenever you move computers, you aren't worried about accidentally deleting anything.

In my book, this also means not saving documents in the default windows default folder, because many programs now install their settings directories there and it can get messy. Also don't confuse separate folders with the libraries microsoft offers, because that also might be a recipe for problems.

 

[Couperin47]

No need to install an external cleaner. Everything that's in the temp file can be deleted.
 
In general, and for your next migration, make sure to have your docs, pics, music, video and downloaded files in properly organized folders separate from the OS. That way, whenever you move computers, you aren't worried about accidentally deleting anything.
In my book, this also means not saving documents in the default windows default folder, because many programs now install their settings directories there and it can get messy. Also don't confuse separate folders with the libraries microsoft offers, because that also might be a recipe for problems.

 
All true. The default locations under Users on your C: drive are about the worst place possible to keep anything, especially for the kind of person who never adjusts the default settings of their File Explorer to actually show all directories, extensions etc. There is also more than one temp dir buried in there and that sort of person probably shouldn't be mucking about anywhere around there. Old School has all your files, at the very least, somewhere on a separate logical drive and if you're Antediluvian School, like me, you actually have them on separate physical drives...even on your laptop. If you know all this, you don't need a cleaner, but they can make things a lot easier, they are inexpensive or...ahem, free, and to those who really shouldn't be wandering around on their boot drive erasing stuff, an extremely good idea.