Temporary files are not removed from the temp folders

Overview

MailEssentials users will sometimes experience Temp files accumulating at a huge rate in the temporary folders and it's affecting available disk space:

• ..GFI\MailEssentials\Temp,
• ..GFI\MailEssentials\AntiSpam\Temp,
• ..GFI\MailEssentials\EmailSecurity\Temp.

Solution

Latest version of GFI MailEssentials

In the case of the latest version of MailEssentials, the issue manifests when the system is not able to locate files in C:\Program Files (x86)\GFI\MailEssentials\Antispam\MiddleQueue. This means the files are either locked or getting deleted by a third-party application. When this happens the system will not be able to process the email file located in the temp folder as it needs the information stored in the MiddleQueue folder.

Follow the below procedure to get MailEssentials working optimally again if the temp folders are growing out of control:

1. Make sure there are no third-party processes that are locking the files and that exclusions are set for all running antivirus and backup programs as described in Recommended Anti-virus and Backup Exclusions.
2. Follow the maintenance procedure described in Virus and Spam Emails not Getting Detected by MailEssentials. This will be especially useful if users are experiencing problems receiving emails that should have otherwise been blocked as spam or containing malware.
3. Clean up/delete the temp files manually:
   • ..GFI\MailEssentials\Temp
   • ..GFI\MailEssentials\AntiSpam\Temp
   • ..GFI\MailEssentials\EmailSecurity\Temp
     Note

     Do not delete the temp folders, only the files contained. Ignore the files that Windows report as being in use.

4. Upgrade MailEssentials to the latest release and apply all available patches.

GFI MailEssentials 2015

This is a known issue affecting GFI MailEssentials 2015 (Build number 20140627) and older:

MailEssentials temporary files are not removed from the temp folders:

• ..\MailEssentials\Temp
• ..\MailEssentials\AntiSpam\Temp
• ..\MailEssentials\EmailSecurity\Temp)

This causes these folders to grow out of control, and in extreme cases, users will report receiving obvious spam that should have been blocked.

This was a known issue that has been fixed in the latest release therefore customers running older versions are advised to upgrade to the latest version of MailEssentials with all the patches installed.

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