My anti-virus has started taking my longer to scan my computer than it used to and on further investigation I found that my C:\Windows\Temp folder has around 70,000 files. As this is a temporary folder, can I just delete them?

Deleting files by hand, especially in the Windows folder is always risky and should not be done unless you know exactly what files you’re messing with. The files in the Temp folder are meant to be Temporary and will be throw-away files, but the reality is that some of them will actually be in use when you try to empty the folder. Windows makes uses of this folder extensively and if a file is in use, it will be locked to stop you from deleting it.

The best way to go around clearing up unused files on your computer is to use the Disk Cleanup wizard which will clear out your Temporary Folder safely, as well as other location containing files you don’t need any more, things like report files and Temporary Internet Files (things like copies of www.microsoft.com and onewaytextlink.com . Click on your Start button and choose My Computer. Right-click on your C: drive and choose Properties. You’ll see a button under the pie chart that says “Disk Cleanup”. Choose this and a new dialog window will appear with a number of things you can clear down. Tick the ones you want and fire it away. Before you know it, you’ve reclaimed lots of space. Here’s that it looks like:

It’s always a good idea to clean out your Temporary Folders before doing things like defragging your hard disk. And doing it once a week will make sure your virus scanner is always running its scan as quickly as possible.
It’s always