RyanTAdams.com

Technology Advice by Ryan Taylor Adams

Empty “Debug.log” File Appears on Desktop

December 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Printer Friendly Version

WARNING! THIS POST IS MORE THAN 180 DAYS OLD!

While I make an effort to update older posts to keep them relevant and technically accurate, the rapidly changing nature of the tech world makes it possible that the content of this post may no longer be relevant, current, or even accurate. Additionally, because of this post's age, adding new comments has been disabled. If you would like to contribute new information to this post, or have questions pertaining to this post, please use the Contact Form.


I, and many others, have recently noticed a “debug.log” file appearing on our desktops. The file is empty and there are no obvious indication of where it is coming from. Deleting the file results in it being recreated shortly. The culprit has finally been found! Read on to find out how to remove the “debug.log” file once and for all.


The culprit is the Google Talk Plugin, which creates this file every time the Google Talk Plugin is called by Internet Explorer. Generally this plugin is loaded on on the Gmail website and on the iGoogle page for those that have added a Google Talk widget to their iGoogle home page. At this time, the only way to prevent the “debug.log” file from being created seems to be uninstalling “Google Talk Plugin” via Add/Remove Programs. Some users have reported that they have been able to reinstall or repair install the plugin to resolve the issue, but for most it seems to be a glitch in the current plugin version, and therefor only completely removing the plugin will prevent the “debug.log” file from being created.

0 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Ryan Adams // Dec 2, 2010 at 5:38 PM


    Note: This problem existed previously with the Google Talk Plugin as far back as mid 2010. However, it appeared to be fix until recently when the issue started again.