Deleting backup files

[Syed Zaeem Hosain (Syed.Hosain@aeris.net)]

Forgot to mention (since you asked) ... if you want to clean the files in *all* subdirectories of where you are currently in, add the "/s" option to "del" like this:

	del  /s   *backup*  *.log  *.tps  *.tpdf

Btw, the first filename above does not have a "." in it (the other three do - to just specify the extension). 

Also note that the extension of the last item above is ".tpdf" not ".pdf" ... this is a leftover from when I discovered that sometimes, temporary files would be left behind when PDF'ing files - I don't remember seeing it recently and you may not need it either!

Of course, in this case, please consider making a backup of the full tree below the current directory first (i.e., not just like what I did with the "BACKFILES" subdirectory example I show below) to avoid potential mishaps!

Z


-----Original Message-----
From: Syed Zaeem Hosain (Syed.Hosain at aeris.net) 
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 8:41 PM
To: 'Theresa de Valence'; framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: Deleting backup files

1. Open a DOS command prompt window.

2. Navigate to the directory of choice. If the directory name is long, or has spaces in it, enclose it in double quotes (like this "cd  \tree  name\folder  name\"  for example).

4. Make a copy of everything before deleting the backups (in case something goes wrong!). I do it like this in the directory where I am:

		mkdir  BACKFILES
		copy  *.*  BACKFILES\*.*  /v

5. Then delete the FrameMaker backup and log files you want to (this is what I use for example):

		del   *backup*  *.log  *.tps  *.tpdf

	 Be careful above! Do NOT have any spaces beween the '*' characters and the other characters.
	The first one does not have a ".", 
	Also note that the extension of the last item above is ".tpdf" not ".pdf" ... this is a leftover from when I discovered that sometimes, temporary files would be left behind when PDF'ing files - I don't remember seeing it recently and you may not need it either.
	By the way, I keep the above "del" line in a text file called "cleanframe.bat" (in my DOS command path somewhere) so that I just type "cleanframe" rather than take a risk of accidentally putting in spaces in the wrong place and deleting the wrong files!

6. After you are comfortable that you still have what you need, you remove the other files *if you want*:

		rmdir  /s  /q  BACKFILES

	Again, be careful of what you are removing!

Ultimately, having a complete backup (in case of recovery needs) is a good a idea before you start any of this - just to be safe.

Good luck,

Z

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Theresa de Valence
Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 3:11 PM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Deleting backup files

Could someone please give me a command for deleting backup files in Windows (Windows 7)?

This is for the end of the project when I am no longer opening all the working files.

I'd like the command to work in the current directory and all subdirectories.

I vaguely remember how to do this in DOS, but I don't know how to navigate directories which are longer than 8 chars!

Many thanks,
Theresa
_______________________________________________


You are currently subscribed to framers as Syed.Hosain at aeris.net.

Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com.

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com
or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/syed.hosain%40aeris.net

Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.