Aug 06, '07 07:30:00AM • Contributed by: etatoby
I don't suggest a solution to the issue, nor an explanation; just a cool workaround to have that file delete itself every time you open its containing folder. It does so by means of a Folder Action. Folder Actions are pieces of AppleScript code to be executed automatically every time you open or close a folder, or add/remove items to/from it.
Here's how to create the one we need. Open Script Editor (in Applications » AppleScript) and type the following script and then click Compile to test for (most) spelling mistakes:
on opening folder
tell application "Finder" to delete file "profiles.bin" of home
end opening folder
Save the script as Delete profiles_bin somewhere appropriate, such as in Home » Library » Scripts » Folder Action Scripts (this is where Automator saves its folder actions), then open a Finder window. Control-clik on your home folder in the sidebar and select Enable Folder Actions. From the same menu, choose "Attach a Folder Action" and point it to the file you just saved
Done! Now every time you open your home folder in Finder, if a "profiles.bin" file is there, it will be deleted! Obviously, you could easily modify the above script to work on any other unwanted files that are automatically generated.
[robg adds: From what I can find on Google, it seems this issue only affects non-English versions of Office. I checked my machines, and none of them had the file. There are other solutions to this problem, of course. For instance, you could use Terminal and a cron job set to run once a day (or whenever) to check for and delete the file if found.]
