This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Natao arisiva ity resaka mitohy ity. Mametraha fanontaniana azafady raha mila fanampiana.

Firefox loads C:\documentsandsettings\username\localsettings\temp with empty files and it clogs the system. Tried IE and it does not do that. What is answer?

  • 3 valiny
  • 3 manana an'ity olana ity
  • 1 view
  • Valiny farany nomen'i lindamblair

more options

When Firefox runs it creates a series of empty temp files in C:\documentsandsettings\username\localsettings\temp. These files become so numerous that they clog the system. I tried IE and other software and they do not cause the problem. Only Firefox does it. If it's malware, and it probably is, what do I look for? AVG and Malwarebytes full scans have not found anything. The file names are a succession of hex numbers with a .tmp extention; such as 4f23.tmp 4f24.tmp 4f25.tmp etc. If I don't delete these files after every firefox session they will accumulate into the hundreds of thousands of empty .tmp files slowing the system to a halt. This only came about very recently. Firefox used to work just fine on this system with no problems whatsoever. The machine having this problem uses Windows XP with Service Pack 3.

When Firefox runs it creates a series of empty temp files in C:\documentsandsettings\username\localsettings\temp. These files become so numerous that they clog the system. I tried IE and other software and they do not cause the problem. Only Firefox does it. If it's malware, and it probably is, what do I look for? AVG and Malwarebytes full scans have not found anything. The file names are a succession of hex numbers with a .tmp extention; such as 4f23.tmp 4f24.tmp 4f25.tmp etc. If I don't delete these files after every firefox session they will accumulate into the hundreds of thousands of empty .tmp files slowing the system to a halt. This only came about very recently. Firefox used to work just fine on this system with no problems whatsoever. The machine having this problem uses Windows XP with Service Pack 3.

Vahaolana nofidina

Doing a Firefox Refresh solved the problem. Be sure to delete unwanted/unneeded files to recover drive space. Also, restarting in Safe Mode did not help.

Hamaky an'ity valiny ity @ sehatra 👍 0

All Replies (3)

more options

WinXP isn't supported beyond Firefox 52 and 52 ESR.

Which version are you using?

more options

Firefox uses the TEMP folder for downloads, but the cache is separate, so I don't know what those files are.

Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement? (More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode)

more options

Vahaolana Nofidina

Doing a Firefox Refresh solved the problem. Be sure to delete unwanted/unneeded files to recover drive space. Also, restarting in Safe Mode did not help.