some program is using my cookie index.dat WIn98SE

My laptop has been acting really wierd in the last few weeks. I know it is hanging on with its last breath. But at the moment I am trying to repair it here and there.

I have Norton 2005 Internet Security \running on it. Putting aside all the memory hog comments that I know will be forthcoming, suddenly in the last few days, Live Update which installs the latest virus definitions says it can't install because it is trying to write over a file that is already in use. I have gone to Norton's site to debug and I am now down to removing Norton and reloading. Whenever I do that, I really clean house and I want to get rid of my cookies. I have never tried to remove the cookie index.dat file and I tried to open it to see what was in there with wordpad but it gave me a message that another program is using it.

This just may be a coincidence and that is completely normal, but I have been having a feeling for a few weeks that something is not running right (or running that should not be there) on my computer. I have run Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad Aware. My e-mail is heavily scanned for viruses and ads and spyware by the servers my e-mail comes in on, before I even get it. Norton a week ago ran its own scan and found nothing. I also ran a diagnosis on Norton's own Internet Security product and it found nothing. Norton has an online program that will diagnose your machine that is really good but I didn't think of running it this time before I removed Norton Internet Security in the process of re-installing.

So with that long backdrop, is it odd that some other program is "using" my cookie index.dat?

 

Have you tried booting into Safe Mode, and then running Ad-Aware from in there?

Because, in Safe Mode, only the most crucial processes run. So, that program that is using the cookie file won't run.

Chaz

 

That is a great idea... And thanks for that great link....

Do you know, if I want to delete that index.dat, will I do any damage... I have no idea what files are safe to delete....I use the ad remove feature when I can but you know how pieces of programs hang out all over the place. SO far I have been pretty luck as to my guesses as to what is safe to delete (this is not the caus eof my reecent problems...I haven't done a real clean of my computer in over a year ---I know I should--but I have been too busy.)

I was wondering if someone can write program to keep track of what I am doing through this cookie index.dat file, even if I delete all the cookies?

Does anyone know if Win98SE will create a new one if I delete the current one?

 

Justitia,

Don't know the answer, but why don't you back up a copy of the file before you try to delete it? Put it on your desktop, or even on a memory stick, and then replace it if your internet isn't working after you delete. Just in case you can't restore it from the recycle bin.

Malia

 

It's really quite impossible to delete the index.dat files while running in Windows 98 because the OS has it open all the time for writing to (yes, it's the actual OS and not a program that's got a grip on that file), IE will use the cookies index.dat file for writing to and has it open all the time and would block deletion. These files store data in binary, so opening them will just show gobbly gook, you'd need a hex editor to open it up and see meaningful stuff.

If you want to delete your index.dat file, which is a good idea if you're say giving your getting rid of your PC or selling it to somebody (privacy issues) then you'd have to boot into DOS and use the old fashioned "delete " command and then the file location of the index.dat file you want to delete. If you booted back into the OS things would work and a new index.dat file would be generated and then held open by the OS for writing to.

 

b

Thanks, you all provided exactly the info I needed.

Abaxtor, apat from waqnting to get rid of the index file if I let someone else have my Laptop, is there a reason I would want to delete it now? Can spyware use it for anything?


BTW, I realize my computer goes into safe mode when there is a problem loading windows but I have no idea how to elect to go into safe mode. Can anybody give me an idea?

 

To get into safe mode, press F8 during startup and choose "Safe mode".