WD2000: Fax Wizard Leaves .tmp Files Behind (190650)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2000
This article was previously published under Q190650

SYMPTOMS

When you click the File menu to view the most recently used (MRU) list, a file is listed that resembles the following: 

   C:\...\~$CovSht@13-03-97,10-01-03.tmp


NOTE: The numbers in your file name will differ from the sample above. The numbers are actually the date and time the file was created.

CAUSE

This file was created and left on the system by the Fax Wizard.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, follow these steps to reset the most recently used (MRU) list:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. Click the General tab.
  3. Clear the Recently used file list check box, and click OK.
  4. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  5. Click the General tab.
  6. Select the Recently used file list check box and click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The Fax Wizard helps you create a cover sheet and fax a document. You can use the Fax Wizard to send a fax, to mail merge to a fax, or to print a cover sheet to send from a fax machine.

In the Fax Wizard, you can enter the recipients' names and their fax numbers. The Fax Wizard creates a Word document with a table containing these names and numbers for use during the fax process. Each time the Fax Wizard is run, a new file is created. Each of these files is about 20 kilobytes (KB) in size. After the process is complete, Word does not remove these files from your computer or reuse the information from the file in the Fax Wizard.

There is no way to prevent the Fax Wizard from creating these files or to have the Fax Wizard delete the file when it has finished. You must manually search for and delete these files from your computer.

NOTE: Deleting these files does not remove them from the MRU list.

The documents are named similarly to other temporary files created by Windows programs and are stored in the Temp folder. The Temp folder in Windows 95 is usually C:\Windows\Temp but may be different on your computer.

You can check the Autoexec.bat file, if one exists, for the location of the Temp folder. You may want to delete these files from your computer periodically by using the following steps:

To Remove Temporary Files

  1. Quit all Windows programs.
  2. On the Start menu, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
  3. Click the Name & Location tab.
  4. In the Named box, type "~*.*" (without the quotation marks).
  5. Make sure the Look in box displays the correct drive (for example, your hard disk drive, usually drive C), and make sure the Include subfolders check box is selected. Click Find Now.
  6. If any files are found, do the following:
    a. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
    b. On the File menu, click Delete.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/6/2000
Keywords:kbbug KB190650
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