What are these files, and is it safe to delete them?

Question

Some files have recently appeared on my desktop (or I have just noticed them) which are named in the form:-

{EightHexDigits-FourHexDigits-FourHexDigits-FourHexDigits-TwelveHexDigits}.tmp

There are three of them and they are very large (11,213,746 KB each, identical in size).

I am not in the habit of creating files with names like that so I assume something has done so on my behalf. Does anyone know what these files are and whether it is safe to delete them?

Answer 1

No modern / compliant executable in it's right mind would choose to create temporary files on your Windows Desktop, so I am guessing either:

a) A legacy or badly written executable run from your Desktop has created the temporary files and not cleaned them up properly afterwards, or

b) A document stored on your desktop has been opened and the executable handling the document has used the document's location to create temporary files.

Either way, restarting your machine will mean the temporary files should no longer be in use (except for a couple of very fringe scenarios).

So once you've restarted, check your desktop each time you run a new program, and if they reappear, you've found the executable creating the temporary files.

I would then head to that executable's support site / author / vendor for more info on what the temporary files are all about.

Answer 2

First, lets understand what these strings mean.

A {xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx} with alphanumeric characters are called a GUID. Windows has them in many places, such as the registry and they're like a serial number to reference an object or file.

It is possible to create a folder and add .{GUID} to it, and if you have the correct number, that folder will for example open Control Panel if you double click it. If you really understand how it works, you could even create something special when opening that folder. Anyway, your file has a .tmp extension, so its likely that this is some kind of temp file.

The question is, where is this file stored on your harddrive? The location will tell you what program is responsible for this. Could be an installation file or windows update or anything else.