How to Manage Your Tilde(~) Files in Windows
A Tutorial on Dealing with Those Mysterious Tilde(~) Files
Many people wonder what this file is used for and whether it is safe to delete it. Sometimes, the tilde (~) files accumulate and clutter various folders and files.
A tilde file is usually created when you edit a contact in the Windows Address Book in Outlook Express. The tilde file serves as a backup of your Windows Address book. It appears as a result of the Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express of April 2003. This patch is installed for Outlook Express 5.5 or 6 as a response to a susceptibility that could allow hackers to run a code on the user's machine.
There is a bug in this patch however. Whenever you make changes to the .wab file, or Windows Address Book, Windows makes a backup of this file named username.wa~. The backup gets renamed to ~ after the patch is installed. The backup file is placed in the desktop most of the time because most people start Outlook Express from their desktop.
It is perfectly safe to delete this file. However, if it is deleted, you will not have a backup of your Windows Address Book. I wouldn't recommend deleting the file without backing it up. If a virus corrupts your Windows Address Book, you will have no way of restoring the address book.
Here's how to back up the file:
*First, right-click on the file and click Rename.
*Type in any name for the file and add ".wab" at the end so the file will be recognized as a Windows Address Book file.
*Insert a blank floppy disk into your floppy disk drive.
*Right-click the file and click Send To.
*Select 3 ½ Floppy from the menu.
You have now backed up your Windows Address Book, and can delete the tilde file. Every time you make changes, you need to back the file up again.
Another way to get rid of the tilde file would be to find the shortcuts to Outlook Express and right-click it.
*Click on Properties.
*Uncheck the Read-only option in the General tab.
*Click on the Shortcut tab
*Click change the "Start In" field to an alternative path such as C:
*Click Apply.
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- A tilde file is created when you edit a contact in the Windows Address Book in Outlook Express
- The tilde file serves as a backup of your Windows Address book.
- Whenever you make changes to the Windows Address Book, Windows makes a backup of this