multiple ntuser.dta files

[fubar387]

I was browsing my user's folder and found I had 9 ntuser.dat files (see attached png file). I have a couple of questions:

1 -- Why does Windows 7 has write so many and with file names so long.
I now each user, including system users such Administrator, etc. have a .dat file allocated to them, however in this test bed I am in a single user configuration. I also know that by default Windows hides these files from the user. I have always been suspect of a company that has to HIDE its product from the user, of course understanding there are a number of Brain-Dead operators out in cyberspace I think it better they hide the computer from them.... LOL.

2 -- If they are no value can they be deleted.

 

[zigzag3143]

I was browsing my user's folder and found I had 9 ntuser.dat files (see attached png file). I have a couple of questions:

1 -- Why does Windows 7 has write so many and with file names so long.
I now each user, including system users such Administrator, etc. have a .dat file allocated to them, however in this test bed I am in a single user configuration. I also know that by default Windows hides these files from the user. I have always been suspect of a company that has to HIDE its product from the user, of course understanding there are a number of Brain-Dead operators out in cyberspace I think it better they hide the computer from them.... LOL.

2 -- If they are no value can they be deleted.

Have you been editing the registry or saving the reg in a reg cleaner?

No idea what they are yet

 

[logicearth]

You can delete them but only do it for the current logged in user and leave the files that are in use alone. When you delete explorer will prompt about the locked files, tell it to ignore those.

 

[zigzag3143]

You can delete them but only do it for the current logged in user and leave the files that are in use alone. When you delete explorer will prompt about the locked files, tell it to ignore those.

LE

What are they from?

 

[logicearth]

LE

What are they from?

One set is a backup of the HKEY_CURRENT_USER for that particular user, the other set is the real one. You can delete the backups if you don't need to restore anything. At least that is the conclusion I came up with after some quick research.

I've gone though and deleted these items before, the really important ones are locked and cannot be deleted anyways.

 

[fubar387]

Zigzag3143,

Nope, I haven't touched the registry .... YET! .... LMAO. It's a fresh install. The only software added to the notebook have been the 64 bit drivers -- albeit Vista 64 bit drivers -- for the hardware. iTunes, Winrar and WinZip have been installed. I stopped installing when I discovered all these wierd .dat files.

logicearth

I'm not sure which ones are the backups. I imagine they are from the software installs though.

 

[zigzag3143]

LE

What are they from?

One set is a backup of the HKEY_CURRENT_USER for that particular user, the other set is the real one. You can delete the backups if you don't need to restore anything. At least that is the conclusion I came up with after some quick research.

I've gone though and deleted these items before, the really important ones are locked and cannot be deleted anyways.

LE

Looks like you are right. Just curious as to why an app would back up the reg in the root of the OS

ken

 

[logicearth]

I'm not sure which ones are the backups. I imagine they are from the software installs though.

You can only delete the backups even if you select all of them. You will get a message about the locked files this is after the "Do you want to delete system files" type message. Just say ignore when you get that dialog.

 

[fubar387]

I did manage to delete all but 4 of the files. The rest are locked. Wierd names though. Random generated I suspect, but for what will remain yet another unsolved mystery -- or misery depending on your point of view -- in the WWoW (Wacky World of Windows).

 

[paulwall]

Simple fix

Not sure how this happened to you but those files are always on your computer but they may have had the hidden property removed from them, if this is the case you can simply fix it by opening the cmd prompt and using these two commands

( note that C is only used because it is the letter of my main drive use your main drive letter)

dir :c\

attrib +s +h *.*


.....after you type those 2 commands in to the command prompt with the correct drive letter assigned you should find that the files are hidden again