Pesky Outlook Secure Temp Folder (Outlook 2003/all)

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We’ve all, at some time, probably experiencing issues with users losing things to the Outlook Secure Temp Folder like this post ; and most, by now, know you can’t just browse to that through Windows Explorer and get it — you have to instead find the registry path for the OLK temp folder and open it in a browser window , or, map a network drive to the users’ machine and C$ drive and you can then see the temp files from your machine.

However, does any one here know if there is a way to control how much this folder accumulates, and/or automatically delete the temp files in there?

We have had users recently who have been receiving messages that their temp file was full, thus not allowing them to open attachements at all. I can clean out the folder for them and all is well, but I’m wondering where it is setting that “full” limit; and why it isn’t automatically deleting the temp file when they close the attachment.

My Microsoft Knowledge Base search on this was fruitless.

pribb

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By default it is part of the Temporary Internet Files structure. So, I’d guess that the TIFF limits in IE would be the upper size limit. The only time I’ve had files not get deleted from that folder is if I’ve had Outlook crash or I’ve had to terminate it using Task Manager. The files may be deleted only when Outlook is properly terminated.

Joe

--Joe

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Well, now Joe, that makes perfect sense (that the limit is set by our limits of temporary internet files). Don’t know why I didn’t realize that.

However it is still puzzling why those files that are supposed to “go away” once the user closes the attachment aren’t doing so. I can see that happening if it crashes, but when we are talking about several hundred, or thousands, of items in the folder, I think we would be hearing about it if it crashed that often.

thanks
pribb

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Joe knows the server side, and .. I don’t!

But IIRC, if an attached file is opened from any Outlook Item, and changes Saved without specifiying another path, the file is permanently saved to that OLK TIF location and NOT cleared when the Item is closed and Outlook closed.

You can prove one of us correct by testing it and letting us know.

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Does Attachments remain in the Outlook Secure Temporary File folder when you exit Outlook 2003 offer any additional information?

Joe

--Joe

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Ah — you know I ran across that KB article when I was researching this, but now that I read it over again from your link, I realize I missed the point.

I had simply dismissed it with frustration when it said [indent]

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Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem

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[/indent] and thought “that isn’t very helpful”.

But now I see in the very first paragraph it says [indent]

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You exit Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 while e-mail attachments are open that are from e-mail messages that are in a secure Outlook folder.

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[/indent]

And I’ll bet that is what these users are doing. They are opening their attachments (Excel sheets or Word docs or whatever) and leaving them open even when closing the original message or Outlook, and that is causing those temp files to permanently remain.

In which case, I doubt I can teach our 1800+ users to quit doing that.

pribb

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Maybe you could (or get your systems folks to) push a change to the Outlook temporary folder in the registry to a known folder (that you make up) in the normal temp structure. Then change (or have the systems folks change) their logon script to empty the folder.

Joe

--Joe

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that’s pretty cool, John (and Joe!) Those are both great ideas!

thanks for the help!

pribb

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If you allow the Windows Scripting Host on your corporate PC’s, the attached should help – perhaps you can keep it just for your IT gurus to run when there is a problem. Attached as a TXT file, rename it to .VBS for use.

(I need to get a life! )

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The OLK “TIF” used to share space with the total TIF, perhaps it does still. See if clearing the TIF in IE – Tools | Internet Options | General Tab | delete Files button in the TIF section of the dialog. In a brief simple test, it appears that this does NOT clear the OLKnn folder contents.

(If I don’t get paid work assigned, maybe I’ll mess with writing a vbs for this. But the page you refer to already has a more multifeatured tool …)

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Yes, it is just very puzzling to me as to why Microsoft designed it in this way — to make it so difficult for an average user to know where that folder is or how to access or clean it out. (Most average users we don’t want messing with the regedit file).

And, as you say, when a user deletes their Temp Internet Files through their web browser settings, it doesn’t even touch the TempOutlookSecure folder.

There isn’t a lot of logic in that.

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