Author Topic: 44 Gigs of data + 80 Gig Hard Drive = Full HD? (Read 6226 times)

electric_phoenix · « **on:** September 14, 2006, 08:02:08 PM »

I have only 44 gigs of data on my hard drive but windows shows it as full. Its an 80 gig harddrive. what can i do to remedy this?

Neil · « **Reply #1 on:** September 15, 2006, 07:05:31 AM »

Consider the following:

Your recycle bin - is it empty?
Hidden system files etc - are they included?
Your paging file - that can take up a gig or two.
Have you ran chkdsk? Start > run > cmd > chkdsk/f (you'll need to restart)

patio · « **Reply #2 on:** September 15, 2006, 08:49:15 AM »

Windows is correct...that HDD is full...it's your Documents and Settings folder that contains 44+Gig...

I'm suprised that machine even starts up.

You have some housekeeping to do. Back up what you need....free up some space (Windows recommends at least 15% free space ) and then run diskclean and defrag....it will take awhile.

patio. 8-)

electric_phoenix · « **Reply #3 on:** September 15, 2006, 11:40:46 AM »

No the hd's not full because of my docs and settings. Look.

electric_phoenix · « **Reply #4 on:** September 15, 2006, 12:11:36 PM »

Quote

Consider the following:

Your recycle bin - is it empty?
Hidden system files etc - are they included?
Your paging file - that can take up a gig or two.
Have you ran chkdsk? Start > run > cmd > chkdsk/f (you'll need to restart)

1) i dont use recycle bin i immediately delete files
2) i selected show hidden files and control + a in c:\ and did properties to get the 44 gig window
3) i ran system cleanup which should clear the paging file (2 gigs wouldnt fill 1/2 an 80 gig tho)
4) i tried it and no difference in the windows previously shown

electric_phoenix · « **Reply #5 on:** September 15, 2006, 12:14:46 PM »

ps if your reading this and think u can help please just IM me the forum will take forever to resolve this type of prob. my aim is Durtdeeler

patio · « **Reply #6 on:** September 15, 2006, 12:53:51 PM »

Quote

ps if your reading this and think u can help please just IM me the forum will take forever to resolve this type of prob. my aim is Durtdeeler

In the first screenshot your Doc/Settings folder was 44+G...
The total free space was 3+G...

Now the Doc/Settings folder is 25+G

You're missing the point.
You have some serious housekeeping to do... that HDD is almost full.

You can post as many screenshots as you like but you need to get things under control or you will continue to have problems.

p.s. the time lag of the forums is not the issue here... see my sig.

electric_phoenix · « **Reply #7 on:** September 15, 2006, 12:58:46 PM »

the reason it said 44 gigs (as i said 2 posts ago) is because i selected all in my c: drive and then hit properties, the second screenshot is of when i only selected documents and settings. and its impossibe for my hd to be full because i just did a format/clean install and then brounght back the 25gb of my docs to my computer. so there can only be, with the few progs ive installed 40-50 gigs of data on here total, not 75.

patio · « **Reply #8 on:** September 15, 2006, 01:14:00 PM »

I'm going on what you posted...period.

If Windows is reporting that HDD has 3 G of free space then chances are that is what you have no matter what you might think to the contrary.

Have you been customising your swapfile by any chance ? ?

I'd suggest DLoading SequoiaView from the link below which will report the real used part of that HDD...

http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview/

patio. 8-)

Neil · « **Reply #9 on:** September 15, 2006, 01:23:14 PM »

Patio, you need to be more observant, you've done this a few times.

Electric Phoenix this is indeed a very unusual problem. I've done this in my computer. C: properties say 62gig used, put right click properties on everything in C: is 53gig. I know that there is some difference between the way file size is reported (it's complicated about sector sizes if you really want an explantion I'll tell you) but I wouldn't have thought it would have been that bad. Do you have lots of small (few kb) files? They can cause this problem.

What is the size of shared documents and admins documents? Please take a look in your recyle bin, you never know. On your system properties, go to performance virtual memory, what is your paging file size?

Did you try using chkdsk? Try analysing your computer with defrag and take a screenshot of the graph.

Try deleted these files you've put on it, and seeing how the size looks then.

Aside from that all I can think to do is format, retry again and hope for the best.

electric_phoenix · « **Reply #10 on:** September 15, 2006, 01:27:59 PM »

is it possible that i did not format correctly and i still have all the files from before the clean install under another account name than i cannot see unless i am logged in as the admin?

Maksim · « **Reply #11 on:** September 15, 2006, 01:32:21 PM »

Try This.. Go to the C:/ Drive and right select all of the contents in that drive and right click and hit proporties and tell us how much everything is now?

electric_phoenix · « **Reply #12 on:** September 15, 2006, 01:36:50 PM »

44.9 gb same as pic 1 top right

Neil · « **Reply #13 on:** September 15, 2006, 02:33:58 PM »

@maksim "........."

@electric phonex try answering ALL my questions, and tell me what happens when you do my suggestions.

[highlight]Do you have lots of small (few kb) files? They can cause this problem.[/highlight]

[highlight]What is the size of shared documents and admins documents? Please take a look in your recyle bin, you never know. On your system properties, go to performance virtual memory, what is your paging file size?[/highlight]

[highlight]Did you try using chkdsk? Try analysing your computer with defrag and take a screenshot of the graph.[/highlight]

[highlight]Try deleting these files you've put on it, and seeing how the size looks then. [/highlight]

[highlight]http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview/[/highlight] from patio

Don't complain no one will help you when you haven't used all the help already provided.

Rob Pomeroy · « **Reply #14 on:** September 15, 2006, 03:41:46 PM »

Quote

Patio, you need to be more observant, you've done this a few times.

Steady on there, young 'un. Before you start flinging stones about in your greenhouse, take a good look at the top of the right hand dialogue box first posted in this thread. Patio noticed what no one else seems to have spotted.

I would be interested to see a full disk defrag report on this drive.

Neil · « **Reply #15 on:** September 15, 2006, 04:22:17 PM »

The first properties box is of all the files and folders in C: that's why it says All in C:. The second properties box is of his documents and settings folder only, and simply says location C:. If you property more than one folder it tries to list them in the title, but obviously you aren't going to fit many names (one in fact) on the title bar.

electric_phoenix · « **Reply #16 on:** September 15, 2006, 06:22:58 PM »

Quote

Do you have lots of small (few kb) files? They can cause this problem.[/highlight]

[highlight]What is the size of shared documents and admins documents? Please take a look in your recyle bin, you never know. On your system properties, go to performance virtual memory, what is your paging file size?[/highlight]

[highlight]Did you try using chkdsk? Try analysing your computer with defrag and take a screenshot of the graph.[/highlight]

[highlight]Try deleting these files you've put on it, and seeing how the size looks then. [/highlight]

[highlight]http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview/[/highlight] from patio

1) No
2) Admins Documents = 25GB / recyble bin = empty (never used) /virtual mem =1.5GB
3) ran chkdsk/f no change / cant defrag need 15% free HD for that
4) Minimal change
5)Sequia view showed i had files that i had not installed for programs that were on th pc bofore the format

i appreciate everyones attempts to help but we're making little if any progress, i backed up my 44gigs of data and my hd's a blank slate till i get home. then ill install windows and let you guys know what happens.

soybean · « **Reply #17 on:** September 15, 2006, 07:09:45 PM »

electric phoenix, I see differences between the first image of Documents and Settings that you posted and the second one. For Location, the first one says, "All in C:\". The second simply says, "C:\". And, the second shows "Created:", which is completely missing from the first image. And then, the first image shows "Multiple" for Type, while the second one shows "File Folder". And, the second image has a tab named Sharing; the first does not.

It looks we're trying to compare apples and oranges, here. How did you create the freaky first image? What version of Windows are you running?

GX1_Man · « **Reply #18 on:** September 15, 2006, 07:16:18 PM »

Quote

Don't complain no one will help you when you haven't used all the help already provided.

Best advice given so far.

patio · « **Reply #19 on:** September 15, 2006, 10:31:43 PM »

Quote

Quote
Don't complain no one will help you when you haven't used all the help already provided.

Best advice given so far.

I give up...i'd say turn the light off but there's no light here.

patio · « **Reply #20 on:** September 15, 2006, 10:46:22 PM »

Quote

[highlight]3) ran chkdsk/f no change / cant defrag need 15% free HD for that [/highlight]

I think this observation bears out my original points...

Neil · « **Reply #21 on:** September 16, 2006, 08:23:35 AM »

Soybean in the first image he selected all the files and folders on c:, on the second image he selected his documents folder only. It sounds like he is going to reformat, which is probably a good idea. It also sounds like he didn't format he harddrive properly the first time round. Electric phoenix, what is the percise procedure you are using to format?

soybean · « **Reply #22 on:** September 16, 2006, 08:51:57 AM »

Thanks, Neil, that's clear to me now. I should have deciphered that before my previous post.

Perhaps reformatting is the best, even the only, solution. Still, I'd be curious to see whether just downloading and running CCleaner would make a significant difference in this situation.

Rob Pomeroy · « **Reply #23 on:** September 16, 2006, 11:37:53 AM »

Erm... I think the stuff about improper formatting is possibly a red herring.

What you can tell from the first images is that the option "Hide protected operating system files" is selected. So the file count will not be complete. In any case, you can't really rely on the Windows folder properties dialogues to give accurate file size counts for multiple files where there exist multiple system folders and hidden folders. Windows Explorer does not compensate for the peculiarities of system folders - e.g. Fonts.

I'd still be interested to see what a defrag analysis would say about this drive...

patio · « **Reply #24 on:** September 16, 2006, 03:05:57 PM »

I'm still waiting as well...
However he did state that defrag would not run because free space was under 15%.

Rob Pomeroy · « **Reply #25 on:** September 16, 2006, 03:18:48 PM »

Yes, but in XP I think the drive analysis should still produce a meaningful report...?

patio · « **Reply #26 on:** September 16, 2006, 03:26:24 PM »

Yep...

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Author Topic: 44 Gigs of data + 80 Gig Hard Drive = Full HD? (Read 6226 times)

electric_phoenix

Neil

patio

electric_phoenix

electric_phoenix

electric_phoenix

patio

electric_phoenix

patio

Neil

electric_phoenix

Maksim

electric_phoenix

Neil

Rob Pomeroy

Neil

electric_phoenix

soybean

GX1_Man

patio

patio

Neil

soybean

Rob Pomeroy

patio

Rob Pomeroy

patio