Does Anyone Know Of A Program.........?

Does anyone know of a program which deletes a file after a set time by itself??



thnx!

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umm does that make sense?

Other than some form of Virus, nothing I can think of...

hmmmm ur probably rite.............darn it

Dear Serena,

The DOS command 'DEL' can be used to delete a file, e.g.

DEL c:\midi_folder\myworstmidi.mid

A command file could easily be created with NOTEPAD, which could contain the above DOS command only. You should use 'SAVE AS...' and give it a name ending with .CMD (or .BAT on pre-Windows NT/2K systems).

e.g. DELETEMYMIDI.CMD

So now you have the command to delete the file in a command file. All we need to do now is tell Windows to execute the command file and when.

You use the "Task Scheduler". It's wonderful.

Look under Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks. Add a task. The program to run is your .CMD (or .BAT) file, but if you are using a wizard, just select the 'Command prompt'. You can select a range of options regards time, e.g. Daily, weekly, one time only. You need One Time only. Tell Windows when you want it to execute. You may need to supply your username and password depending on which Op. Sys. you are using.

If you were using a wizard, the you need to use the advanced options, to change the program from the Command prompt to your .CMD(or .BAT) file. Replace the name of the command prompt program (...\COMMAND.EXE or ...\CMD.EXE) with your filename and path (e.g. C:\DELETEMYMIDI.CMD).

Obviously, your system should be running when the task is due to execute. Not sure what happens if its not.

Good luck.

Hint: Try it using a non-destructive DOS command first, e.g. DIR /S. When the task executes, a window should pop up and you should see the effects of the command within the window.

Clear as mud, huh?

Regards
David

thnx there wil.....i was thinking more along the lines of a program that u can attach or embed into another file or prgram which will automatically delete the file after a set period

thnx again

Mmmmm!, Errrrrrrr!, how to say this???

Data is data. Anything that isn't a program (.COM, .EXE or a script (.CMD, .BAT etc)) is data. Programs are lists of instructions. Only programs can do things (like delete files) and only then when the op.sys. is told to execute them.

So... the bottom line is wot those other guys said earlier... ie, not possible.

But, is that a problem?. There's quite a bit of power in good old DOS commands. You may not be able to do what you want your way, but I bet you can using the tools supplied by Microsoft.

All the best
Wil...

hmmm....i think artisan is rite, either its a virus or its not possible.

Wil...i know u can delet from dos but i was looking for something that will delete by itself.....like if i sent a file to my other computer a could put something with it that will delete it by itself, leaving no trace

thnx

Without knowing the ins and outs of what you are doing and why, it difficult know what to suggest, but, how about.

1. Create a temporary directory on your target pc
2. Create a scheduled task to run on that pc every ??? week, which delets the contents of the directory

Anyway... by the way, a virus is a program. Even viruses have to execute to do their damage.

Cheers

dos commands do not work in non-dos based environments

e.g. in win XP dos doesn't exist anymore so any dos command will not be recognized and where do you want to execute your commands?

Windows 95, 98, NT and 2K all have virtual DOS environments in which many DOS commands work (plus extras). Real DOS programs dont usually work of course. You have to use the equivalent programs provided within the virtual DOS environment.

Don't know about XP.

I'll stop there. We arent talking unix and its various flavours here are we?

Sorry §ereña - looks like I interpreted what you were asking incorrectly - I was in left field. I took it to mean that you were missing some files (or something) and were wondering about possible causes.

Wilk is Right and I was on the wrong track.
If you were to send a batch of files to another machine, (providing you had some form of access to that machine) you could set up a scheduled task to run a .cmd/.bat file to remove them (just as Wilk was saying).

However, if you are trying to do this to someone elses machine (as a method to protect copywritten material or what have you) - it could be very tricky. If they place the files in an unknown location, move them or rename them - it could be very very difficult. And very illegal if you go about it the wrong way.

But on your machine(s) you could definately follow Wilk's suggestions and get the results (it sounds like) you're looking for.

What exactly are you tryking to do (if you don't mind my asking)?

thnx for the advice guys!

*lol* artisan, im not working for the FBI is thats what ur implying j/k................i know it sounds suspicious, but i was watching something the other day and wanted to try it out.........just embedding a hidden file into something so it will delete after a set period without a trace............something to play around with, don't worry, i don't plan to take over the world

*strokes white cat and laughs evilly*

oh and, theproducer, did u say there's no DOS in XP??? or did i just misread as usual