Low Disk Space - What's using it up?

I've received a message upon start-up saying I am running low on disk space.

When I check the Properties of my Windows Folder is gives the size at 7.14 GB. However, when I go into the folder and use select all and then check it gives the size as 2.44 GB.

I can't seem to find what is taking up over four and a half gigs.

I have run Trend Micro Internet Security 2007 (updated today). I have also run Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - June 2007.

What is taking up so much space and how do I get rid of it?

 

Hello Chris and welcome to the Board,

Use this small app http://markd.mvps.org/ to look at folder sizes in Explorer in the size column along with file sizes.

Also un hide Hidden System files:

Go to My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View tab, scroll down to Show hidden files and tick, and uncheck the Hide protected operating system files option.

Regards - Charles

 

Recieved a PM from Chris:

Chris, appreciate the feedback

But please answer in the original thread next time.

Regards - Charles

 

do not know if this is a possibility .
Since you have xp .
What is your type of file format - ntsf ? fat ? - fat 16 ( vs fat 32) has an upper limit
But i do not know how you would of installed xp

 

Hi visionof,

Since FAT32 that has the upper limit - 4 GB, pretty sure the file system here is NTFS

Regards - Charles

 

A handy 1 page chart for Windows folder / file limitations / Features / Performance

 

Thanks Dennis for the link - added to favs.

Since the context of this thread is a large 4+ GB file, I was referring to file limits. I don't know what visionof was referring to, but the fact that there is a file over 4GB, that would rule out FAT32 as the file system on the partition that the file resides on.

Regards - Charles

 

Your welcome

 

Hi, Charles. Thanks for that link!

Since I suspect you have been using Mark Dormer's DirSize.dll for awhile and just keep the link handy for pointing people to it, I think you may not have noticed at the page you linked,

I don't know if/how you should unregister your current dirsize.dll before trying the "better version ".

Dennis, thank you too! Added that file system comparison page to my bookmarks as well.


EDIT: I just installed Folder Size from Sourceforge and I like it! (I haven't used Mark Dormer's DirSize.dll though so I cannot compare.) Folder Size installs as a Local System Service that dynamically monitors folder sizes for changes. Details about how Folder Size works are here.

CAUTION: Folder Size apparently is not compatible with 64-bit Windows XP or with Windows Vista (yet).

• Known issues

 

Hi mailman

I noticed, but Mark's version is good enough for my purposes when I want to look at folder sizes in explorer along with bare files. The folders sort by size just fine, the slight annoyance is that the folder size option in detail view has to be re checked sometimes.

I also use the last free version of a PC Mag utility called DiskPie which I use mostly to look at nested folder sizes.

Would have been nice if Vista had this natively incorporated. When and if the Source Forge version becomes compatable with Vista, I'll use there.

Regards - Charles

 

SequoiaView

There's a program called "SequoiaView" which gives a visual report of your file system.

"Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven. "
for questions, remarks or other stuff, feel free to mail us at Sequoia@win.tue.nl or visit the Sequoia Homepage at http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview/. "
(A quote from their help file)

It may not be more functional than those mentioned above (I'm not familiar with them), but the visual output is beautiful. Much more fun that watching your disc defragmenter.

 

Hi, alell. Welcome to Windows BBS!

Thanks for your tip! I investigated SequoiaView today and I must say it looks like it will be a fun tool to play with and will be especially useful should I decide to clean out long-unused stuff from my computer. I will certainly give it a try.

Looks like ChrisM might find it useful as well!


NOTE: There are 3 separate downloads of SequoiaView v1.3 currently available from the developer's web site ( "version 1.3 ", "version 1.3 XP ", and "version 1.3 ziped "). I downloaded all 3 because their release history isn't crystal-clear to me. I'll see if I can more precisely determine what might be different among them (though I probably won't have time to fully investigate for a week or two).


For "click-convenience" to people following this thread, here are some links.

• Wikipedia Information About SequoiaView: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SequoiaView

• TU/e WIN Department of Mathematics and Computer Science:
  • SequoiaView Homepage
  • Useful links
    "This page offers some useful links to other treemap applications and treemap research "
  • SequoiaView Revision History and FAQs
    One FAQ I found interesting is
    
  • SequoiaView Download Page

• Brief Background Information About the Concept of Treemaps and How They May be Used: http://orcs.bus.okstate.edu/jones98/treemaps.htm
  (with numerous research references linked)

• Google SequoiaView (currently about 53,200 search results)

Thanks again, alell! Your contribution is much appreciated.

 

Glad to have been of service

I just learned that Adobe Bridge caches thumbnail files in an obscure folder on C:\. They can add up to Gigs after a while, and they're not really necessary. There's a purge command: Tools > Cache > Purge central cache. This will get rid of all the thumbnails.