• 1 Resettings Offline Folders for Windows 2000 / XP and Vista / 7
  • 1.1 For Windows 2000/XP do the following
    • 1.1.1 Method 1
    • 1.1.2 Method 2
  • 1.2 For Windows Vista and Windows 7 do the following

Resettings Offline Folders for Windows 2000 / XP and Vista / 7

The following information is put here for your convenience. The original text can be found in KB230738 and KB942974 on Microsoft(tm).

For Windows 2000/XP do the following

Method 1

The Offline Files cache is a folder structure located in the %SystemRoot%\CSC folder, which is hidden by default. The CSC folder, and any files and subfolders it contains, should not be modified directly; doing so can result in data loss and a complete breakdown of Offline Files functionality.

If you suspect corruption in the database, then the files should be deleted using the Offline Files viewer. After the files are deleted out of the Offline Files viewer, a synchronization of files may then be forced using Synchronization Manager. If the cache still does not appear to function correctly, an Offline Files reset can be performed using the following procedure:

In Folder Options, on the Offline Files tab, press CTRL+SHIFT, and then click Delete Files. The following message appears:
The Offline Files cache on the local computer will be re-initialized. Any changes that have not been synchronized with computers on the network will be lost. Any files or folders made available offline will no longer be available offline. A computer restart is required.

Do you wish to re-initialize the cache?
Click Yes two times to restart the computer.

Method 2

If you cannot access the Offline Files tab, use this method to re-initialize the Offline Files (CSC) cache on the system by modifying the registry. Use this method also to re-initialize the offline files database/client-side cache on multiple systems. Add the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\NetCache

Key Name: FormatDatabase
Key Type: DWORD
Key Value: 1
Note The actual value of the registry key is ignored. This registry change requires a restart. When the computer is restarting, the shell will re-initialize the CSC cache, and then delete the registry key if the registry entry exists.

Warning All cache files are deleted and unsynchronized data is lost.
Use Reg.exe
You can also automate the process of setting this registry value by using the Reg.exe command line editor. To do this, type the following command in the Reg.exe window:
REG.EXE. REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\NetCache" /v FormatDatabase /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

For Windows Vista and Windows 7 do the following

1. Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
2. Locate the following registry subkey, and then right-click it: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CSC
3. Point to New, and then click Key.
4. Type Parameters in the box.
5. Right-click Parameters, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit)Value.
6. Type FormatDatabase, and then press ENTER.
7. Right-click FormatDatabase, and then click Modify.
8. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
9. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

Note Make sure that files are synchronized before you add this registry entry. Otherwise, unsynchronized changes will be lost