Member Avatar for digitalrebel11

Hello,

I'm trying to create a batch file that will delete & remake temporary directories, but it isn't working. There are two directories that I want to do this two, and the second one doesn't work. here is the code:

@echo off
rd c:\windows\TEMP /s /q
md C:\windows\TEMP

rd C:\Documents and Settings\christ\Local Settings\Temp /s /q
md C:\Documents and Settings\christ\Local Settings\Temp

Are the spaces in the directory the problem? If so, how do i fix it?

Thanks,
Chris

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Generated

A few practical notes that solve both the “spaces in the path” symptom and the “locked/recurring BITxx files” problem.

As showed, deleting temp folders can fail for two reasons: the path contains spaces and some files are held open by running processes. was right that quoting paths fixes the space issue; a more robust approach is to use environment variables so the script works for any account and Windows version, and to delete the contents of the Temp folders (files + subfolders) rather than removing and remaking the folder itself.

Example batch (save as .bat and run elevated):

@echo off
setlocal

echo Clearing user temp: "%TEMP%"
del /f /s /q "%TEMP%\*" >nul 2>&1
for /d %%D in ("%TEMP%\*") do rd /s /q "%%D" >nul 2>&1

echo Clearing system temp: "%windir%\Temp"
del /f /s /q "%windir%\Temp\*" >nul 2>&1
for /d %%D in ("%windir%\Temp\*") do rd /s /q "%%D" >nul 2>&1

endlocal

For : recurring or undeletable BITxx files mean some process is creating or holding them. Troubleshooting steps, in order:

  • Run Process Explorer (Sysinternals) as admin, press Ctrl+F and search for the filename/prefix to find which process holds the handle; close the handle or stop the process.
  • Use Process Monitor (ProcMon) to watch CreateFile events in the Temp folder to identify the writer.
  • If a handle cannot be closed, delete in Safe Mode or schedule removal at boot (files locked by drivers/services are often removable before they start).
  • Temporary culprits: antivirus, background updaters, browser plugins, or a misbehaving app that keeps re-creating temp files.

Cautions: always run the script with appropriate privileges, test on a non-critical account first, and avoid deleting other users’ Temp folders while they’re logged on. If unsure which process is responsible, ProcMon + Process Explorer will find the source reliably.

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Member Avatar for Member #46692

yes, use quotes

Member Avatar for george ghanem

This will work as long as the TEMP dir is empty or it is not locked by another process.
Any solution for such scenario? I have "BITxx" files (where xx are random digits) that keep multiplying and growing in the TEMP dir. I can delete ALL of them except for ONE. Once I do that, I see more files being recreated. Please advise.

Hello,

I'm trying to create a batch file that will delete & remake temporary directories, but it isn't working. There are two directories that I want to do this two, and the second one doesn't work. here is the code:

@echo off
rd c:\windows\TEMP /s /q
md C:\windows\TEMP

rd C:\Documents and Settings\christ\Local Settings\Temp /s /q
md C:\Documents and Settings\christ\Local Settings\Temp

Are the spaces in the directory the problem? If so, how do i fix it?

Thanks,
Chris

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