Purging aged files from the filesystem

This post provides information on a simple batch file to purge files based on a specified age. There are many more clever ways to achieve this - VBScript, PowerShell, cleanmgr job, but this is a very simple method that provides all the functionality with verbose logging, with next to no effort.

To use this, copy the text below to a batch file, and then schedule it to run every day/week. There are only two lines required - using Robocopy to move the files, and then another call to delete the files. It would be even easier if Robocopy supported a NUL destination, but there are advantages to moving and then deleting, for example you could move files every day, and then delete them weekly/monthly.

Note that the target below is the %temp% directory, usually on C: drive. Therefore if you are purging large quantities of data from a disk other than C:, using the system/boot disk is not really appropriate, perhaps change to a directory on the disk you are purging (which would therefore not require any extra space as the files are being moved locally).

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Set FileAge=30

Set Directory=c:\Dir\To\Purge
Set PurgeDir=%Temp%\Purge_%Random%

for /f "tokens=1-8 delims=/:. " %%i in ('echo %date%') do Set DateFlat=%%l%%k%%j
Set LogFile=c:\logs\%~n0_%DateFlat%.log

Echo %Date% %Time%: Purging files from %Directory% older than %FileAge% days, logfile: %LogFile% >> %LogFile%
robocopy %Directory% "%PurgeDir%" *.* /minage:%FileAge% /v /fp /ts /mov /e /r:1 /w:1 /log+:%LogFile%

If Exist "%PurgeDir%" echo Deleting files moved with robocopy: 'rd /s /q "%PurgeDir%"' >> %LogFile%
If Exist "%PurgeDir%" rd /s /q "%PurgeDir%"

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References:
how to create your own registration of an existing handler (such as the disk cleanup handler).
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776782(VS.85).aspx


Wayne's World of IT (WWoIT), Copyright 2008 Wayne Martin.