Foolestroup -

What you see may depend on settings. You can set up in Windows Explorer to "view web pages as single file" and it may affect what you see in the Temporary Internet Files folder. Each web page may display as a script and a folder with the same name containing any embedded graphics for that script. Other than that, there should be no sub-folders in Temp Int Files, if you're using only IE as a browser.

I don't know whether Windows may make separate folders if you use more than one browser, although there's no obvious reason why it should.

Assuming that you're looking in the ...\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files folder, you'll also see cookies. "Delete Temporary Files" in IE should not delete any cookies - only files with "page content." There's a separate button in IE - Tools - Internet Options to delete cookies. If you "Delete Cookies," you'll lose all your cookies, and you will have to log in again.

By definition, a "Temporary File" is one that's only intended to survive until you close the program that made it. With normal setup, closing IE should clear them all, but since other programs may depend on IE (and/or related Messenger) services, they sometimes fail to clear, and may "accumulate." By design, Windows won't delete a Temp file that's necessary for any program that's currently running. Any "needed" Temporary file will be created by the program that needs it, the next time the program is opened or, in the case of Temporary Internet Files, the next time the page is downloaded.

Most temporary files used by Windows have a file name that says that they are a temporary file. Generally, a filename that starts with the leading "~" character, and/or has a .tmp file extension is a "temporary file." The Temporary Internet Files folder is required because it is a "temporary archive of files" but the files themselves are only "temporarily there." The filenames would be valid as "regular" files if placed elsewhere. Their "temporary" use is only identified by where they are, not by their filename. This ambiguous identity is one of the reasons why it's preferable to use the "Delete Files" button in your browser rather than by going to the location and manually deleting stuff. It's just easier on your brain.

There is usually an immediately adjacent folder that's just called "Temp" that is also a sort of "special" thing. It is an archive of downloaded program stuff, saved as a backup for use by System Restore and/or other maintenance. This folder does typically have quite a few subfolders. It will not be affected by the "Delete Temporary Internet Files" button in your browser. (And if you're looking with an older DOS, in DOS, the truncation of filenames may make it difficult to tell the difference between ...\username\Local Settings\Temp and ...\username\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files.) It's generally "safe" to delete things from the \Local Settings\Temp folder, but you may lose some "go back" capability.

John