Windows Vista clean hard drive without formating

I have a compact presario laptop hard drive that I would like to clean without removing the os...and do not want to have to reformat....any suggestions?

 

In Control Panel -> Programs (and Features), uninstall any programs that are no longer necessary (be ruthless, because you could reinstall them again if needs be).

Go to the Start Search bar and type cleanup. Run Disk Cleanup.

Ccleaner is quite good:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4191.html
As a beginner, avoid removing things that may be system related (or get some knowledgeable help, as long as they are relatively cautious).

Look for where burning programs may store temporary files, for DVD's these can be over 4GB (each).

Finally, run Error Checking on the drive/drives. In Help and Support, search for "Check your hard disk for errors ". Then run a Disk Defragmentation.

Matt

 

To add to Mattman’s reply, I have compiled a list of ways of freeing up disk space on a Vista computer.

Most of them are straightforward but if you feel apprehensive about running something, just ignore it. Be particularly careful with number 3, here they are:

1. WinDirStat shows where disk space is being used including a nice graphical display. Just let the mouse pointer hover over the coloured areas to identify different file types. It won’t remove anything but it’s a good starting point in identifying the large "˜lumps’ of used space. Download it here http://windirstat.info/
2. Remove temporary files, click the Windows Orb (Start) > Run (if the Run command is not there, go to All Programs > Accessories and then click Run), type %temp% and press Enter. All the files that show can be safely deleted, there may be a few obstinate ones that refuse to be deleted.
3. Run Disk Cleanup. However, read this before running it http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/serious-disk-cleanup-problem-caused-by-broken-registration/ If you have any of the large files mentioned in the article, don’t continue with it but run the Vista Disk Cleanup error bug fix http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/175654-disk-cleanup-windows-error-reporting-bug-fix.html
Disk Cleanup is accessed by going to Windows Orb (Start) > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools.
4. If you don't use Hibernation you can save the equivalent in hard drive space as RAM that is installed by turning it off. In a Run window, type powercfg.exe -h off (note the two spaces) and press Enter. To turn it back on type powercfg.exe -h on and press Enter.
5. Reduce the amount of space used by system restore. Open an elevated command prompt by clicking the Windows Orb (Start) > All Programs > Accessories and right-click Command Prompt, then "˜Run as Administrator’. To display the current parameters type (or Copy and mouse right-click > Paste) "vssadmin list shadowstorage" (not the quotes but the two spaces) and press Enter. To reduce (or increase) the disk space allocated, type (or Copy and Paste) "vssadmin resize shadowstorage /on=c: /for=c: /maxsize=5GB" (not the quotes but the five spaces) and press Enter. This example assumes changing the space on drive C to 5GB. You may find that all the restore points have been removed after resizing so make sure the computer is behaving itself before reducing the space allocation. Also, make a manual restore point immediately after resizing.
6. Reduce the space used by the Recycle Bin. Right-click the Bin > Properties > Custom Size and amend as necessary.
7. The huge, Windows\winsxs (side by side folder) folder has a built-in function which identifies items that have been replaced by newer versions and removes them. Also, there is a "˜run-once’ program in SP1 that will immediately clean up all the components that were replaced in the Winsxs folder when SP1 was installed. NOTE that once you run the program you will no longer be able to remove SP1 should any problems occur, so make absolutely certain your computer is behaving itself before running it. Firstly, check the size of the folder by right-clicking it, choose Properties and make a note of its size and the number of files and folders. To run the program, open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32, look for the file VSP1CLN.EXE (the capitals are for clarity only), right-click it, select Run As Administrator then reply Y to the prompt. Now check its size again to see how much disk space you have reclaimed. It will be considerable.

There is no harm in running the program where SP1 was either included on the DVD or slipstreamed into the DVD before installation. Depending upon what has been installed, you may gain some disk space. The VSP1CLN.EXE program is described here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709655.aspx