what is index.dat ?

**cable** · June 5th, 2002, 10:02 AM

It is in my cookies folder and I wanted to open it to see what it is but I couldn't because another program was using it. I was told it keeps track of your session on the computer.

**DANIMAL** · June 5th, 2002, 10:53 AM

<a href="http://www.purgeie.com/indexdat.htm" target="_blank">This explains it better than I could.</a>

**kato** · June 5th, 2002, 10:54 AM

indeed it does keep track of visited sites. There was an article posted here recently about it Can't find it right now, but here is a link to a site that will tell you about it. <a href="http://www.****microsoft.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.****microsoft.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml</a> (had to be mispelled due the swear filter)
You can't edit the file in Windows, but if you edit it in dos, you will see a lot of junk characters, but nestled in between all the garble will be internet sites you've been to, even if you've deleted the history <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

**DiR[ëctory]** · June 5th, 2002, 03:26 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by kato2274:
indeed it does keep track of visited sites. There was an article posted here recently about it Can't find it right now, but here is a link to a site that will tell you about it. <a href="http://www.****microsoft.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.****microsoft.com/content/ms-hidden-files.shtml</a> (had to be mispelled due the swear filter)
You can't edit the file in Windows, but if you edit it in dos, you will see a lot of junk characters, but nestled in between all the garble will be internet sites you've been to, even if you've deleted the history <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <hr /></blockquote>kato, i believe you are wrong about editing the file in windows.

I have used Corel Wordperfect I do believe to look at and edit the file.

I am downloading it write now to see if was the correct office suite.

Also, I do believe there are programs that clear your index.dat file for you.

**kato** · June 6th, 2002, 07:10 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by DiR[ëctory]:
 kato, i believe you are wrong about editing the file in windows.

I have used Corel Wordperfect I do believe to look at and edit the file.

I am downloading it write now to see if was the correct office suite.

Also, I do believe there are programs that clear your index.dat file for you.<hr /></blockquote>weird because when I tried to edit it, it told me it was already in use even with IE 6.0 closed.
<img src="http://www.bentcom.net/~sknox/locked.bmp" alt=" - " />

**DiR[ëctory]** · June 6th, 2002, 10:09 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by kato2274:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by DiR[ëctory]:
 kato, i believe you are wrong about editing the file in windows.

I have used Corel Wordperfect I do believe to look at and edit the file.

I am downloading it write now to see if was the correct office suite.

Also, I do believe there are programs that clear your index.dat file for you.<hr /></blockquote>weird because when I tried to edit it, it told me it was already in use even with IE 6.0 closed.
<img src="http://www.bentcom.net/~sknox/locked.bmp" alt=" - " /><hr /></blockquote>I said with Corel Wordperfect.

**kato** · June 6th, 2002, 11:01 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr /> originally posted by DIR
I said with Corel Wordperfect.<hr /></blockquote>I was just pointing out that on my computers here will not open the file to edit in windows because it is in use by another application. which was the basis for my earlier statement. If word perfect works for you that's great. (You're the first person I know who still uses word perfect suite though)

I don't want to squabble over something this silly.

The main point is that if someone is worried about getting their internet activity traced, they should learn to delete all their cookies and purge the index.dat file in addition to clearing the history and deleting temp internet files.

**DiR[ëctory]** · June 6th, 2002, 01:43 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by kato2274:
 <blockquote>quote:<hr /> originally posted by DIR
I said with Corel Wordperfect.<hr /></blockquote>I was just pointing out that on my computers here will not open the file to edit in windows because it is in use by another application. which was the basis for my earlier statement. If word perfect works for you that's great. (You're the first person I know who still uses word perfect suite though)

I don't want to squabble over something this silly.

The main point is that if someone is worried about getting their internet activity traced, they should learn to delete all their cookies and purge the index.dat file in addition to clearing the history and deleting temp internet files.<hr /></blockquote>I don't use wordperfect. But I know that it opens the .dat file.

I don't want to get in a squabble either

Those are valid arguements on how to delete your history...

**Stalemate** · June 6th, 2002, 02:34 PM

Here's another user of the WordPerfect Suite, because my wife would kill me - or worse, make me sleep on the sofa - if I ever uninstalled it from our home PC. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

As for that particular file, index.dat, <a href="http://www.softkits.com/engineering.htm" target="_blank">here</a> is more info on its purpose and how to view it, along with some other interesting files.

edit: <a href="http://www.historykill.com/index.asp?filename=19" target="_blank">HistoryKill</a> supposedly gets into these files. See screenshot below.
<img src="http://www.historykill.com/screencap-windows.gif" alt=" - " />

**DiR[ëctory]** · June 6th, 2002, 04:32 PM

Alright I knew I had a copy of Corel Wordperfect lying around somwhere. It is version 8. I installed and if you go to Open- Index.dat - open as ANSI Windows Text you can view the file, some characters are screwed up but you can see web addresses etc.

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