http://www.toejumper.net/maintain4/del4.htm

there is reference to a Microsoft link on problems that can occur and what to do about it

- Can resolve some problems with updating if the problem is due to accumulated .inf files

Seem like to much mumbo to me but I did notice that Windows Me does tend to accumulate these two types of files and removing them requires know how.

That's a very old guideline for removing files, but is still rather valid. Windows doesn't require an autoexec.bat or config.sys file to function, but may need one or the other to set special parameters for certain programs. If a program doesn't function properly after removing these files, reinstalling the program over itself will restore the proper settings.

.inf files are installation information files primarilly used for installing the proper drivers required by a program or hardware. I haven't encountered anh .cpy files in Windows 2000, so I don't have anything to offer regarding these.

The largest 'bloaters' are the system Temp folder and TIF folder. Emptying these can improve operation a lot, especially if done right before a defrag. The TIF folder is good to retain if you're on a slow dialup connection since it can reduce page loading time considerably. The system Temp folder (C:\Windows\Temp in ME, as I recall) contains nothing that is required between one bootup and the next, but will quickly fill up with left-over files from installs, etc.

Be cautious with any of those listed files. Although most .diz files, for example, are good for deletion, sometimes a program will use this (or another common extension) as important program files.

Thanks for the tip and replying. Every little bit helps. And I need remimders to think ten times before deleting anything ...

Have a great day!