I am searching all the directories on my computer to identify files which are no longer needed and I can delete to free hard drive space. Within the “Local Settings” directory I found several folders called: fm59842, fm80268, fm81196, fm82794 and fm83706. These folders total 2.075 GB. Can I safely delete these folders, or are they system required? The computer is running Windows XP.

The Local Settings directory is normally a hidden folder under each user profile in Windows XP, and contains user-specific program settings and data for that particular user profile. You may also notice that under the Local Settings directory there is a “Temp” directory, which contains temporary files. This “Temp” folder can generally be safely purged, as the files contained within are temporary files. However, it is normally best to complete this using the “Disk Cleanup” utility located in the “Start” menu > “All Programs” > “Accessories” > “System Tools” program group. This will ensure that you do not accidentally delete any important files or folders. With regard to the “fm” folders in your Local Settings directory, I have been unable to find any reference to these folders when researching your question, most likely because the folder names and numbers are generated on-the-fly by a program and are not assigned a specific name. So, without knowing the content or purpose of these folders I cannot provide advice on whether they can be deleted. Therefore, I suggest that you do not delete these folders since we are unsure of their purpose. If you do wish to clear space on your hard drive, I suggest the best method is using the Disk Cleanup utility as described previously.