DelOld Documentation
====================

DelOld is a very simple program. It has hardly any user interface.
Its purpose is to DELete OLD files.

Version 1, 32 bit, written in Visual Basic

Version 2, 32 bit, written in Java

For precise version information of DelOld 1 go into Explorer or
File Manager and look at the Program version property. You should
see something like: 1.00.0015

DelOld is Freeware and in the Public Domain. I wrote it to clear out 
old files from my TEMP directory automatically.

DelOld 1 is a Visual Basic 6.0 32 bit native Intel code program.

DelOld 2 is a Java program, requiring the Java SE Runtime Enviroment
(JRE) version 5 or higher.

The distribution packet for DelOld 1, deloldx.exe, contains the
following files.

  DelOld.vbp (Visual Basic source)
  DelOld.frm (Visual Basic source)
  DelOld.frx (Visual Basic source)
  DelOld.bas (Visual Basic source)
  DelOld.txt (these instructions for use)
  DelOld.exe (executable program)

If you want to modify the program, have a look at DelOld.vbp first.
It's a text file. Some paths might be different on your computer.

The Java version consists only of one executable Java file:
DelOld.jar

If there experience any problems with the DelOld.jar file on
Windows, which happens only if the Java SE Runtime Environment is
damaged or not installed, you can use DelOld.exe instead.


DelOld 1 Instructions for Use
=============================

DelOld 1 requires MSVBVM60.DLL. Check whether you have this file 
already. If not, download it and put it into your Windows 95 SYSTEM  
or Windows NT SYSTEM32 directory.

DelOld will not automatically operate on subdirectories, only on the
directory you specify. But of course you can call DelOld several times
with several directories, file names and file ages.

In the command line you have to enter two parameters:

1. The file path in which old files are to be deleted, including the 
file name or file name wildcards complete with drive letter.
Example: C:\TEMP\*.*

If the path contains spaces, enclose it in quotes.
Example: "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\X\*.*"

2. The number of days before a file will be deleted.

Examples for proper DELOLD calls:

  DELOLD.EXE C:\TEMP\*.* 60

  DELOLD C:\TEMP\*.TMP 1

  DELOLD C:\TEMP\~*.* 2

  DELOLD D:\USERS\MIKE\GARBAGE\*.* 33

  DELOLD "C:\TEMP\User Logs\*.log" 8

You can call the program from a Program Manager icon. In this case 
put the complete call line including the two parameters into the 
call command line. You can also put the icon into your Startup group 
for automatic operation.

In Windows NT you can start it from a batch file. Example:

  start /low /wait DelOld C:\TEMP\*.TMP 1
  start /low /wait DelOld C:\TEMP\~*.* 1
  start /low /wait DelOld C:\TEMP\*.* 66
  start /low /wait DelOld "C:\TEMP\User Logs\*.log" 8

DelOld will display what it has done. It will stay on screen briefly
after finishing its work plus some more seconds for each file
actually deleted, so you can quickly get a glimpse of what it has 
done. Then it will close itself automatically.


DelOld 2 Instructions for Use
=============================

DelOld 2 comes in two different versions. Normally you want to
download and use the tiny DelOld.jar file only, which is also the only
one that runs on non-Windows computers. But if you experience any
problems with DelOld.jar on Windows, you can download and use the
somehwat bigger Windows exe file DelOld.exe instead.

DelOld 2 requires the Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE), which you
have to download from http://java.sun.com/ and install.

DelOld will not automatically operate on subdirectories, only on the
directory you specify. But of course you can call DelOld several times
with several directories and file ages.

In the command line you have to enter at least two parameters:

1. The file path in which old files are to be deleted.

The path can be absolute with or without a drive letter or relative to
the current folder. It can have a file name, which may include
the wildcard characters ? and *.

Examples:

   C:\TEMP
   C:\TEMP\
   temp
   temp\*.log
   \TEMP\datalog.*

If the path contains spaces, enclose it in quotes.

Example: "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\X"

This argument can appear more than once, i.e. you can enter multiple,
different paths.

2. The number of days before a file will be deleted.

This always has to be the last argument in the command line.

Examples for proper DELOLD calls:

   DelOld.jar C:\TEMP 60
   DelOld.jar \TEMP\*.tmp 1
   DelOld.jar D:\USERS\MIKE\GARBAGE 33
   DelOld.jar "C:\TEMP\User Logs\" 8
   DelOld.exe \TEMP 3

You can call the program from a Program Manager icon. In this case 
put the complete call line including the two parameters into the 
call command line. You can also put the icon into your Startup group 
for automatic operation.

In Windows NT, 2000, and XP you can start it from a batch file.
Examples:

   start /low /wait DelOld.jar C:\TEMP\ 1
   start /low /wait DelOld.jar C:\TEMP 7
   start /low /wait DelOld.jar C:\TEMP\ 66
   start /low /wait DelOld.jar "C:\TEMP\User Logs\*.log" 8

DelOld will display what it has done. It will stay on screen briefly
after finishing its work plus some more seconds for each file
actually deleted, so you can quickly get a glimpse of what it has 
done. Then it will close itself automatically.

If you want to stop it before it deletes any files, click on the
[Pause] button. You can then either click on the [Continue] button
to have the files deleted or on the [Abort] button to abort the
program and keep the files. Note that you have only between 4 and 8
seconds, depending on the number of files (1 file: 4 seconds, 9 or
more files: 8 seconds).

If the same file appears in more than one folder argument, it will
be listed multiple times, but it will still be deleted without
error message.

If you cannot start a JAR file directly in spite of Java version 5
or higher being installed, then the Java installation is damaged.
You have three ways to proceed.

1. Reinstall the Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE).

You can download it from: http://java.sun.com/

2. Precede the command line with:

   javaw -jar

or with:

   java -jar

Example:

   java -jar delold.jar "C:\TEMP\Log files" 30

3. Repair the association of JAR files in Windows.

* Open Windows Explorer.

* Click on the commands: Tools, Folder Options, File Types

* Search for: JAR

* If JAR is not in the list, click on the [New] button and enter
  it. Click on the [Advanced>>] button and link it to the file
  type: Executable Jar File

* If JAR is in the list, check its settings. The procedure is
  too complicated to explain here, but you may have success with
  removing the file type JAR and recreating it as explained
  above. If this fails, use method 1 or 2.

Hans-Georg Michna