Help With Disk Clean-Up

Howdy to all!
I am having a problem with XP Pro and the Disk Cleanup program. When I start to use this program, it get to three marks, saying it is complressing old files, then gets stuck. The CPU usage is at 100% during this time, and it just sticks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Here's a tip I picked up, see if it helps, Tom >>>>> Every time I go to do Disk Cleanup it stalls on Compress old files. I go to Task Manager and it is sitting there nonchalantly as though nothing happened, eating up upwards of 99% processor time and a bit of system resources. Any ideas? I had the same problem and used the following fix that I located at another xp forum to correct.. go to start/run/type regedit..hit open...navigate to the following key..[hkey-local machine\software\microsoft\windows\current version\explorer\volumecaches\compressoldfiles] r click on registry key and select export and save file to were you want...delete the above key ..reboot and run disk cleanup...once completed you can go to saved reg. file and r click and select merge the key will be merged back into registry..credit moskowa1 at yahoo for the fix...i do not plan to merge reg file back in that is your option.. take all necessory precautions in dealing with the registry...hope this helps

 

July must be a bad month. Had the identical problem with the home edition of xp.

Was going crazy trying to fix it.

Hope Bill tried your fix - it worked great.

thanks Tom

 

ephemarial Your Welcome, it pays to save tips!

 

Thanks to all for the response! I just did the fix, and man, the system had over 100,000 KB is stuff to be done away with !Anyway, I have not added the key back, and was wondering what happened if I didn't add it back? Would the system be damaged? I just had to replace my modem, and I cannot have other problems yet... !
Thanks for the help!

 

bill. myself i would merge it back in, can always take back out, but the choice is yours

 

Thanks for the help! My computer is now running better than ever. I just have to get used to this new modem.

 

If the key isn't merged back in you simply won't have the choice (in disk cleanup) of compressing old files. The option isn't there.

Since I don't need the extra space and don't compress old files I left it out. Get impatient - got used to disk cleanup NOT taking the extra few seconds to calculate how much space I'd save by compressing.

Of course I saved the key -- just in case I ever change my mind. What - me change my mind?