Low on disk space

I'm making a calendar with PrintMaster 12 that includes about 100 photos, and I keep getting freezes and "Low disk space" warnings.

Win Me, Pent II, 233 mhz, 96 MB RAM, 4GB HD --- with 527 MB free after having removed Word 97 and 5 or 6 other programs.

Please, how can I solve this problem without removing everything else on my computer to free up space?

 

Low on disk space, con't

I forgot to say that I close down everything except Systray and Explorer when I'm working with this PrintMaster file.

 

Have you done a defrag? Also empty your window temp folder

 

TEMP folder has been emptied daily. I've defraged twice since I started working on this calendar 4 days ago.

 

aks

If you are getting messages regarding low disk space, I would see about getting rid of some not needed programs.

If the message is true and the disk gets loaded too heavily you may start losing things with no recovery available.

Defrag will not increase disk space. It just rearranges things.

The file(s) you are working with require a LARGE amount of disk space to work.

I would also see about using some sort of an image editor and cutting the size of the pictures down.

I myself use PhotoSuite and all of the pictures on my Web site are set to a vertical size of 200. Makes for a MUCH smaller file size.

BillyBob

 

BillyBob, thanx for responding. As I said, I have already removed several programs, including Word, which I thought would make a big difference, but it didn't. I'm scanning my photos at 150 resolution. Any other suggestions?
aks

 

Nope.

Not right now.

 

space

Look for the workspace folder your printmaster is using. Make sure there are no foreign/tmp files in the folder. Also scan fotos at 90dpi to make them under 100kb in volume size

 

Workspace folder, Rancher? How would I find that, pls? In PrintMaster, I know, but how do I identify it?

 

Hi aks
My first suggestion would be to take a look at those pictures and see if their sizes can be reduced? At 527MB, you are indeed running low. Definately time to start pruning. Download Belarc, to see what all you have installed and where. Go through your add/remove and see if you can live without a few programs. Clean out your temp files, do a search for music you may have downloaded etc, that you can move off of there? Just some ideas.

Daizy

 

Daisy, thanks so much for offering your advice.
I've scanned almost 100 photos at 150 resolution and don't really want to have to go back through the scanning process again.
I've removed 7 programs through add/remove, including my word processing program. I have nothing extra left.
I regularly clean out my temp files.
I deleted all my music.
I've cleaned off Internet cache files.
I close down everything but Systray and Explorer when I'm working with PM.
I will download Belarc and see if I can find anything else to remove.

While I'm at it, you may know the answer to this. I just condensed my 80,000 byte PM file and sent it to my Zip drive. Can I safely delete the file from my hard drive now and just work with the condensed version?
aks

 

Daisy, I can't download Belarc. I don't have enough disk space! Aaaarrg!

 

I * MAY * see the problem(s) ( or combination of ) here. It may be the the program itself just does not have room enough to work. But not being able to d/l Belarc it says other thngs are not up to par also.

Help me out folks.

Using ME. Are you runing the System Restore and other stuff that ME wants to load ? It so it takes a LOT of space. ( to me useless space ) I would suggest shutting it down. I can't tell you how but others can.

I think you * may * find that ME and the System restore are using more than 1/2 of that 4gig.

233mhz should be not problem.

96meg RAM * MAY * be a problem. when using that VERY heavy duty program making the File(s) that you are. And not enough space for the Swap file to work.

4GB HD with only 527MB free may not be enough space for using that program you are. With only 96meg of RAM that program needs a HUGH size swap file. And there is just not enough available.

Although I understand you have freed up some space. But apparently not enough.

Cutting down the size of the picture file * might * help.

But in any case, be careful that you do not overload the HD as it may start destorying things.

Daizy may be able to expand on my thoughts a little.

BillyBob

 

527MB free may not be enough space

I believe the alarms are usually set for 10%. If this is true then that would be 400meg. Leaving NO WHERE NEAR enough free space for the Swap file and the Program being used.

Also the Swap file itself may have been resized to a large amount and not leaving enough free space.

I believe the program being used combined with the lower amount of RAM may well be causing the problem.

Rebuilding the Swap file ( virtual memory ) might help. ( for the time being )

MY personal recommedation would be first to dump the SPACE HOGGING Windows ME. But that is me.

BilllyBob

 

Another thought is to add a hard drive as primary slave formatted as FAT32 so the system will see it as D: then copy all your files to the new drive. This way you will have C: for the OS & apps & D: will be all your personal documents. I do agree with BillyBob about dumping ME.

Just an idea

Bubba169

 

Well, I certainly don't agree about dumping Windows ME....it's a great operating system. If you're really pushed for room, I'd think about perhaps purging my restore points......but immediately creating a new one, once done, so I'd atleast have that one to go back to.

What all DO you have listed under add/remove?

What about pruning some of the excess windows components? Such as calculator, briefcase, games, etc?

Daizy

*rant*
Surely when people ask for help, our advice shouldn't be to dump a preferred browser or complete operating system. That can't be helpful? We all have our own favourites, but dispensing drastic advice should be saved when all other avenues have been exhausted?

 

Hi Daizy

My Personal Opinion on Windows ME. But, to each his/her own.

If you want I will send you my CD along with ( I think ) the plus pack for it.

I find SE doing a 100% better job in at least 1/2 of the space with MUCH MORE added software on the C: drive. And still only using 930meg.

But, my objection to Me in this case is not so much the OS as it is that there is not enough Disk Space for everything to be all on one partition. Especially if the System Restore is used. As the system grows so do the Restore point file(s). And then if there is more than one they use a LOT of space.

ME installed with the defaults needs at least 2gig. ( at least it used almost that much for me ) So in aks' case 4gig may not be enough when you take away the possible 400meg for the low space alarm, that only leaves 1.6bgig for everything else. including the swap file. Which in this case with the program being used needs at lot of space.

Again, my personal thoughts,

BillyBob

 

I didn't mean to offend anyone by agreeing with BillyBob but here's my case. My box is 64Mb, 3.2 Gig HD, AMD K6-2@400Mhz, TGUI 9660 1Mb Video, SoundBlaster ISA SND. card again a 3.2 Gig HardDrive. As far as ram, CPU speed & all that Win ME would run but There isn't enough of Hard Drive room for it with system restore and all the bells & whistles installed. If ME works for you then stick with it, Win98SE works better on this system for me.

Now I don't know of but 4 ways to create more disk space.

1. Delete or uninstall all unnessary programs or files (this has been done)
2. Use Disk Compression (If this will work then I think it would slow the system down alot)
3. Install a bigger harddrive (you will have to reinstall windows & all your apps--time consuming and there's no reason to trash a working hard drive)
4. Install a second harddrive as primary slave, formatted as FAT32 (this is what I would do as you could put the OS on C: & all the other stuff on D

Bubba169

 

you might use a memory manager such as (cacheman) which is a free utility to free up space in memory and limit swap file size.

Roger

 

Why do I get the feeling that I'm reading a different post than anyone else today? The only way I know to bump up my caffeine intake would be to main-line it!

The poster simply wanted to know how to make room so that this program would run.

Valid answers would be:
Clear out excess programs, temp files, music files, pictures, purging restore files, etc.
And even getting another hard drive, or re-writer to free up some space could be an option.
And of course.... formatting the machine, and putting a smaller O/S on it.....but surely that's getting a titch drastic?

If this was a freshly, formatted machine in front of me, I'd not choose to put Windows ME on it either, with the specs it has. But being that it's already on there.........

*edit*
Awwwwww Poop!
No more rants for me!
I just lost my whole post....and had to re-write it.
I clicked submit....and Lo and behold.... two more posts!
Bubba......... you summed it up much more eloquently.