Comportamiento de los archivos temporales de Windows: ¿el sistema los elimina?

La respuesta corta: no se eliminan.

La respuesta larga: El gestionado Path.GetTempFileName() el método llama al Win32API nativoGetTempFileName() método, así:

//actual .NET 2.0 decompiled code 
// .NET Reflector rocks for looking at plumbing
public static string GetTempFileName()
{
    string tempPath = GetTempPath();
    new FileIOPermission(FileIOPermissionAccess.Write, tempPath).Demand();
    StringBuilder tmpFileName = new StringBuilder(260);
    if (Win32Native.GetTempFileName(tempPath, "tmp", 0, tmpFileName) == 0)
    {
        __Error.WinIOError();
    }
    return tmpFileName.ToString();
}

La documentación para el método nativo indica:

Los archivos temporales cuyos nombres han sido creados por esta función no se eliminan automáticamente. Para eliminar estos archivos llame DeleteFile.

He encontrado un gran artículo llamado "Esos molestos archivos temporales" (Archivado Oct. 2007) que parte de lo básico y toca algunos problemas menos obvios de manejo de archivos temporales, como:

• Cómo asegurarse de que el archivo se elimina (incluso si la aplicación se bloquea! pista: FileOption.DeleteOnClose y que el núcleo se ocupe de ello)
• Cómo obtener la política de almacenamiento en caché correcta para el archivo, para mejorar el rendimiento (sugerencia: FileAttributes.Temporary)
• Cómo asegurarse de que el contenido del archivo permanezca seguro, porque:
  • el nombre del archivo es aún más predecible con el método administrado que con el no administrado
  • se crea el archivo temporal, luego se cierra, luego se obtiene la ruta hacia él (solo para abrirlo de nuevo), dejando así una pequeña ventana de oportunidad para que el código malicioso/usuarios secuestren el archivo.

Código C# del artículo:

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Security.Permissions;
using System.Security.Principal;
using System.Security.AccessControl;

public static class PathUtility
{
    private const int defaultBufferSize = 0x1000; // 4KB

#region GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream

    /// <summary>
    /// Creates a unique, randomly named, secure, zero-byte temporary file on disk, which is automatically deleted when it is no longer in use. Returns the opened file stream.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>
    /// <para>The generated file name is a cryptographically strong, random string. The file name is guaranteed to be unique to the system's temporary folder.</para>
    /// <para>The <see cref="GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream"/> method will raise an <see cref="IOException"/> if no unique temporary file name is available. Although this is possible, it is highly improbable. To resolve this error, delete all uneeded temporary files.</para>
    /// <para>The file is created as a zero-byte file in the system's temporary folder.</para>
    /// <para>The file owner is set to the current user. The file security permissions grant full control to the current user only.</para>
    /// <para>The file sharing is set to none.</para>
    /// <para>The file is marked as a temporary file. File systems avoid writing data back to mass storage if sufficient cache memory is available, because an application deletes a temporary file after a handle is closed. In that case, the system can entirely avoid writing the data. Otherwise, the data is written after the handle is closed.</para>
    /// <para>The system deletes the file immediately after it is closed or the <see cref="FileStream"/> is finalized.</para>
    /// </remarks>
    /// <returns>The opened <see cref="FileStream"/> object.</returns>
    public static FileStream GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream()
    {    
        return GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream(defaultBufferSize, FileOptions.DeleteOnClose);    
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Creates a unique, randomly named, secure, zero-byte temporary file on disk, which is automatically deleted when it is no longer in use. Returns the opened file stream with the specified buffer size.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>
    /// <para>The generated file name is a cryptographically strong, random string. The file name is guaranteed to be unique to the system's temporary folder.</para>
    /// <para>The <see cref="GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream"/> method will raise an <see cref="IOException"/> if no unique temporary file name is available. Although this is possible, it is highly improbable. To resolve this error, delete all uneeded temporary files.</para>
    /// <para>The file is created as a zero-byte file in the system's temporary folder.</para>
    /// <para>The file owner is set to the current user. The file security permissions grant full control to the current user only.</para>
    /// <para>The file sharing is set to none.</para>
    /// <para>The file is marked as a temporary file. File systems avoid writing data back to mass storage if sufficient cache memory is available, because an application deletes a temporary file after a handle is closed. In that case, the system can entirely avoid writing the data. Otherwise, the data is written after the handle is closed.</para>
    /// <para>The system deletes the file immediately after it is closed or the <see cref="FileStream"/> is finalized.</para>
    /// </remarks>
    /// <param name="bufferSize">A positive <see cref="Int32"/> value greater than 0 indicating the buffer size.</param>
    /// <returns>The opened <see cref="FileStream"/> object.</returns>
    public static FileStream GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream(int bufferSize)
    {
        return GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream(bufferSize, FileOptions.DeleteOnClose);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Creates a unique, randomly named, secure, zero-byte temporary file on disk, which is automatically deleted when it is no longer in use. Returns the opened file stream with the specified buffer size and file options.
    /// </summary>  
    /// <remarks>
    /// <para>The generated file name is a cryptographically strong, random string. The file name is guaranteed to be unique to the system's temporary folder.</para>
    /// <para>The <see cref="GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream"/> method will raise an <see cref="IOException"/> if no unique temporary file name is available. Although this is possible, it is highly improbable. To resolve this error, delete all uneeded temporary files.</para>
    /// <para>The file is created as a zero-byte file in the system's temporary folder.</para>
    /// <para>The file owner is set to the current user. The file security permissions grant full control to the current user only.</para>
    /// <para>The file sharing is set to none.</para>
    /// <para>The file is marked as a temporary file. File systems avoid writing data back to mass storage if sufficient cache memory is available, because an application deletes a temporary file after a handle is closed. In that case, the system can entirely avoid writing the data. Otherwise, the data is written after the handle is closed.</para>
    /// <para>The system deletes the file immediately after it is closed or the <see cref="FileStream"/> is finalized.</para>
    /// <para>Use the <paramref name="options"/> parameter to specify additional file options. You can specify <see cref="FileOptions.Encrypted"/> to encrypt the file contents using the current user account. Specify <see cref="FileOptions.Asynchronous"/> to enable overlapped I/O when using asynchronous reads and writes.</para>
    /// </remarks>
    /// <param name="bufferSize">A positive <see cref="Int32"/> value greater than 0 indicating the buffer size.</param>
    /// <param name="options">A <see cref="FileOptions"/> value that specifies additional file options.</param>
    /// <returns>The opened <see cref="FileStream"/> object.</returns>
    public static FileStream GetSecureDeleteOnCloseTempFileStream(int bufferSize, FileOptions options)
    {    
        FileStream fs = GetSecureFileStream(Path.GetTempPath(), bufferSize, options | FileOptions.DeleteOnClose);

        File.SetAttributes(fs.Name, File.GetAttributes(fs.Name) | FileAttributes.Temporary);

        return fs;    
    }

#endregion

#region GetSecureTempFileStream

    public static FileStream GetSecureTempFileStream()
    {    
        return GetSecureTempFileStream(defaultBufferSize, FileOptions.None);    
    }

    public static FileStream GetSecureTempFileStream(int bufferSize)
    {
        return GetSecureTempFileStream(bufferSize, FileOptions.None);
    }

    public static FileStream GetSecureTempFileStream(int bufferSize, FileOptions options)
    {
        FileStream fs = GetSecureFileStream(Path.GetTempPath(), bufferSize, options);

        File.SetAttributes(fs.Name, File.GetAttributes(fs.Name) | FileAttributes.NotContentIndexed | FileAttributes.Temporary);

        return fs;
    }

    #endregion

#region GetSecureTempFileName

    public static string GetSecureTempFileName()
    {    
        return GetSecureTempFileName(false);    
    }

    public static string GetSecureTempFileName(bool encrypted)
    {    
        using (FileStream fs = GetSecureFileStream(Path.GetTempPath(), defaultBufferSize, encrypted ? FileOptions.Encrypted : FileOptions.None))
        {    
            File.SetAttributes(fs.Name, File.GetAttributes(fs.Name) | FileAttributes.NotContentIndexed | FileAttributes.Temporary);

            return fs.Name;    
        }

    }

#endregion

#region GetSecureFileName

    public static string GetSecureFileName(string path)
    {    
        return GetSecureFileName(path, false);    
    }

    public static string GetSecureFileName(string path, bool encrypted)
    {    
        using (FileStream fs = GetSecureFileStream(path, defaultBufferSize, encrypted ? FileOptions.Encrypted : FileOptions.None))
        {    
            return fs.Name;    
        }    
    }

#endregion

#region GetSecureFileStream

    public static FileStream GetSecureFileStream(string path)
    {    
        return GetSecureFileStream(path, defaultBufferSize, FileOptions.None);    
    }

    public static FileStream GetSecureFileStream(string path, int bufferSize)
    {
        return GetSecureFileStream(path, bufferSize, FileOptions.None);
    }

    public static FileStream GetSecureFileStream(string path, int bufferSize, FileOptions options)
    {    
        if (path == null)
            throw new ArgumentNullException("path");

        if (bufferSize <= 0)
            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("bufferSize");

        if ((options & ~(FileOptions.Asynchronous | FileOptions.DeleteOnClose | FileOptions.Encrypted | FileOptions.RandomAccess | FileOptions.SequentialScan | FileOptions.WriteThrough)) != FileOptions.None)
            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("options");

        new FileIOPermission(FileIOPermissionAccess.Write, path).Demand();

        SecurityIdentifier user = WindowsIdentity.GetCurrent().User;

        FileSecurity fileSecurity = new FileSecurity();

        fileSecurity.AddAccessRule(new FileSystemAccessRule(user, FileSystemRights.FullControl, AccessControlType.Allow));

        fileSecurity.SetAccessRuleProtection(true, false);

        fileSecurity.SetOwner(user);

        // Attempt to create a unique file three times before giving up.
        // It is highly improbable that there will ever be a name clash,
        // therefore we do not check to see if the file first exists.

        for (int attempt = 0; attempt < 3; attempt++)
        {    
            try
            {    
                return new FileStream(Path.Combine(path, Path.GetRandomFileName()),
                                        FileMode.CreateNew, FileSystemRights.FullControl,
                                        FileShare.None, bufferSize, options, fileSecurity);
            }

            catch (IOException)
            {
                if (attempt == 2)
                    throw;
            }

        }

        // This code can never be reached.
        // The compiler thinks otherwise.
        throw new IOException();

    }

#endregion

}