*.log files - (when) it's safe to delete them?

When, if at all, is safe to delete the *.log files on a win 2k PC

are there any of said files that should be NOT deleted?

I have this strange situation where I'm trying to install -as dual boot- linux (mandrake 10) on a cheap office pc with a 6GB HDD and a single NTFS partition.

The HDD was very heavily fragmented and was full to the limit (if I remember correctly there where ONLY 35K left free).

Now after some -heavy- spring cleaning I managed to achieve 1.9 GB of free space. BUT still Linux wouldn't install complaining of a heavily fragmented drive.

I relied heavily on Disk-Keeper (executive software) and on the list of fragmented files tells me there are only five of them left - (from a few thousand in thousands of pieces) all *.log files and all in the WINNT path. They can not be defragmented effectivly because of the constant access by the system. AND they sit in a very annoying way across the free contigius space in a way that I do assume makes the Mandrake installation think that the drive is too fragmented.

Now as far as I know, *.log files are quite safe to delete because the program would re-create them should they got missing. BUT not so sure about this occasion as I'm always extremelly wary of anything in the winnt\system32 path

Can I safely delete them or should I lokk for an alternative way around-it? (Buy a new HD would be out of the question - company PC)

Anybody has any suggestion on this?

The files in questions are:

\WinNT\System32\Config\Default.log
\Sam.log
\Software.log

\WinNT\Security\logs\Scepol.log
\WinNT\Internet logs\imsDebug.log

They are all 1k in size (after defrag, expanding up to 10K and more when in use) and always have 2 fragment (after defrag) with a note warning about "Excess Allocation" - the Diskeeper web site explains this as files being constantly accessed by the system.

you can turn off scepol.log

do not delete sam.log as it is part of the password system.

If you are using diskeeper, have you run the defrag at boot time? according to this it canot defrag the software.log file unless you use the boot time option.

1.9gig is very tight for mandrake 10....you may want to rethink this.

Yes NooNoo I have run (few times) the boot time defrag but still can not fully defrag (or relocate - to consolidate the free space) those five files.

About Mandrake 10, the web site list 500MB as minimun and 1GB (or more) reccomanded.

As I only intended to try it-out - get the feeling of the system and see if it could speed up (only a little bit) this PC- and wanted to assign 1.2/1.5GB to it, shouldn't that be enouth space?

Could I move/delete or otherwise dispose/rearrenge those *.log files?

I'm inclined to use Partition Magic next.

and thanks for the links NooNoo they shed some light, not enouth but still usefull.

According to the following "Microsoft Knowledge Base Article" there should be an entry that is somehow missing from my registry - or I'm missing something -

BUT the Value Name: PolicyDebugLevel Is NOT present in the registry while the file: scepol.log is present AND activelly being used by Window.

Could it be that the file is still being used (active) even if somebody got rid of-it some time at-go (it's not my system and so I can not exclude this possibility since doesn't seem something that is ON by default)

Any (logic) explanation and would I be safe by zipping-it


-------------------------------------------------
Use Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) to view the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SecEdit
Add the following registry value to the preceding registry key:

Value Name: PolicyDebugLevel
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Radix: Decimal
Value: 2
Note: The log file is generated in the %SystemRoot%\Security\Logs\Scepol.log file when LSA APIs are called.
-------------------------------------------------

Also on a side note has anyone used mandrake 10 on such a small partition?

Thanks again

Partition Magic refused to touch the drive.

claiming --- Error Code: 183 --- that it's a DYNAMIC DISK - instead of a BASIC DISK -

something that was introduced with win2k and as I never heard anything about it (yet) --- I'm off to see the big G (oogle)