Can't delete three .tmp files

[Gary T.]

I have three .tmp files that I cannot delete from C:\Windows\Temp when in the normal mode. I can delete them from the safe mode but once I reboot in normal mode they return and cannot be deleted. Are these a problem? If so how can I delete them premanently if necessary. They are ZLT037c8.TMP, ~df1978.tmp and ~dff354.tmp

Thanks for you input!

Gary T.

[DMR]

Programs (and the operating system itself) will automatically create temp files when they start up, and many of these temp files are needed in order for the program/OS to run. These necessary files can usually not be deleted until the process which spawned them has quit. Most of the time the process will delete the temp files as part of its shutdown routine, but sometimes that doesn't always work, leaving you with "orphaned" temp files (which you should be able to delete).

With that in mind, why do want to delete the files?

[Gary T.]

If they aren't necessary I just like to keep the locations clean of unwanted items. It seems that in the past I could always delete any file in the temp location but more recently I found these couple files that could not be deleted. I didn't know if they were planted by an unknown, unsafe source or not. But if they area safe it is no big deal.

Thanks for your reply.

Gary T.

[Zachery]

turn off all your virtual memory and boot into safe mode then you should be able to delete any files that you want.,

[DMR]

But if they area safe it is no big deal.

I couldn't verify if those files are legit or not. It certainly is possible that they shouldn't be on your system- you might want to do a full virus scan and also check for spyware. Read many of the threads in our Security forum for more info on detecting and removing spyware and the like.