dat files are also in your cookie folder and you can't delete that one. Thats Microsofts baby!

Why do I need this internet cleaner software?

Because all your Internet activities, like the places you have visited, are logged into index.dat files and can be read by anyone.
you need to try...

1. Deleting Temporary Internet Files including the corresponding index.dat file.
2. Deleting Internet Cookies including the corresponding index.dat file.
3. Deleting Internet History including the corresponding index.dat file.
4. Deleting auto complete web forms.
5. Deleting typed URLs.
6. Deleting the contents of Windows Temp folder
7. Emptying Recycle Bin
8. Emptying Windows Recent Documents folder.
9. Deleting Windows Search history.
10. Deleting Windows Run history.

What is an index.dat file?

There are three index.dat files residing in the following locations:

Cookies\index.dat
History\History.IE5\index.dat
Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\index.dat

index.dat files keep basically a copy of whatever there is in that folder and they continue keeping those records even after you have deleted the contents of those folders.

Thus in order to do an internet cleanup you need to delete index.dat files.

Why can't I find index.dat files on my hard disk?

Because index.dat files are hidden by default. However if you want to make the index.dat files visible, you can do that in Windows explorer folder options.

Can I delete index.dat files?

You can not delete index.dat files as long as Windows is running.

If you can delete the file, a new on is created as soon as Windows starts, ready to record your steps.

Does deleting index.dat files affect my PC in any way?

Deleting index.dat files is quite safe and besides freeing up some disk space has no other effects.

Is it possible to delete Cookies index.dat but keep other index.dat files?

No, because the contents of index.dat files are in close relationship with each other. Thus generally to delete the contents of any index.dat file, you have to delete all index.dat files at the same time.

How can I know that an index.dat file is clean?

The size of a clean Cookies index.dat file is 16 KB.
The size of a clean History index.dat file is also 16 KB.
When clean the size of Temporary Internet Files (Cache) index.dat file is 32 KB.

What is Windows Temp folder?

Windows programs create their temporary files in the Temp folder. But sometimes they fail to delete them after use. An example would be those time when Windows stops responding and you push the Restart button on your PC.


More?

Do you really think that the URL from a visited website couldn't be found, even when you've deleted the data from your directory "history" and "temporary internet files" .
When you delete those files in the directories, there always remains hidden secret files on your PC, several Mbytes.
When you use Internet Explorer all the visited URL's from the websites are stored in a hidden file, called: "index.dat". This file is stored in the directory "Temporary Internet Files", "Cookies" and "History", all subdirectories from the directory "Windows". When you delete those files (you can't in windows) you get the message "access denied" or an other error message.
In the directory "Temporary Internet Files" and "History" you can delete the visited URL's. But the "index.dat" file in that directory is not deleted, even when you use in "start – explorer – view – options – show all files(even hidden)" you can't see and delete them.
Some "index.dat" files are not showed in the search function "start – find – files or folders – find all files". When you see those files you can't delete them.

A 17 year Netherlands student, Ward van Wanrooij, discovered this "index.dat" files and wrote a program for it to show these files. He called it "SPIDER". The program is free to download at his page. The file "winsck.ocx" is also needed in windows - system.

get spider here,

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpo.../ie/ie_txt.htm

whew!
egghead