Solving backup "temporary file" errors in XP

If you get an error message when making a backup that reports an error writing to a temporary file, it may be due to a "stuck" file in your Windows "Temp" folder.  Sometimes having too many files in the temporary folder can cause a problem, or it may be due to a file marked "read only" which Campground Master can't delete.

The steps below will left you clean out your Windows Temp folder, and hopefully solve the problem.  This is actually something we do on a regular basis (at least once a month), because Windows and all sorts of other programs leave garbage files behind here, and it can cause problems with your system.

Note that these are for Windows XP.  A similar procedure for Vista is available now in newsletter #34.

1. If you have not rebooted your computer today (restarted Windows), reboot it before continuing.

2. Right-click on My Computer, and select "Explore"

3. Double-click on the C: drive (the first one under Hard Disk Drives) to open it.  (Note: if you have trouble double-clicking, then right-click and select Explore)

4. Double-click on Documents and Settings to open that folder

5. Double-click on the folder with your Windows user name (not All Users)

6. Here you should see a Local Settings folder.  If not, you need to show hidden files.  To do this:

-- In the menu, go to Tools, Folder Options.

-- Click the View tab.

-- In the list, under Hidden Files and Folders, select "Show hidden files and folders"

-- Click OK

7. Now double-click Local Settings to open it.

8. Double-click the Temp folder to open it.

9. Select all files dated prior to today, and delete them (highlight them and press the Delete key).  You should have a Date Modified column -- you can click on that column heading to sort by date modified to make it easier to select the old files.  Don't worry about any folders in here, just the files listed below the folders.

10. Also, if you see a file that's just the one character "~", or if it shows a file named "~.zip", then delete that one even if it's dated today.

Now try the backup and see if it works.