Computer Hope

Microsoft => Microsoft Windows => Windows Vista and 7 => Topic started by: -Oscar- on October 27, 2010, 06:52:57 AM

Title: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: -Oscar- on October 27, 2010, 06:52:57 AM
Hi all,

I'm really confused about this issue. I have a 60 GB SSD drive which I use to run my OS(Win 7 Pro x64) and a few specific programs from. Not long ago its storage icon has become red due to the fact that it's reaching its maximum storage of 60 GB. Now I ask myself how this is even possible. If I open Computer and select everything on C:\ (ctrl+a), and check the properties I see that the total size of these files are only 34.1 GB. The selection includes the windows folder itself and my program files folder along with everything else. Where the heck are the additional 26.1 GB that I for some reason can not see?

I have already set my account associated folders such as My Documents, Pictures, Music etc to be stored on my other D:\ drive, so that's probably not the issue here. And I have also checked hidden files without luck.

Any help much appreciated.
Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: GW on October 27, 2010, 12:52:03 PM
You might want to see if the SSD manufacturer has issue firmware updates.  I have an Intel SSD and shortly before I bought it Intel issued a software upgrade to implement a feature called 'Trim' which is essentially a 'defrag' feature.  Running a standard defrag program on an SSD reduces it's useful life because of the writes and rewrites a regular defrag program does.  There is the possibility that your extra 26 GB are fragmentations of the programs on the drive.

Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: -Oscar- on October 28, 2010, 06:21:14 AM
Interesting idea, never knew that was possible.

Here's the model (CMFSSD-64N1): http://www.corsair.com/products/ssd_legacy/default.aspx

Can't find any form of trimming programs unfortunately. More ideas anyone?

Quote from: Corsair
Stutter free
That's a big joke  :P. Had to run a whole bunch of custom tweaks to get it stutter free.
Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: BC_Programmer on October 28, 2010, 07:24:35 AM
Where the heck are the additional 26.1 GB that I for some reason can not see?
System Volume Information, which stores All System Restore points as well as Volume Shadow Copy data.
Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: -Oscar- on October 28, 2010, 08:48:48 AM
Thanks, that sounds like it.

Is there any way to disable the shadow copy? How important is it?
Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: Allan on October 28, 2010, 09:40:26 AM
Just disable system restore if you like. And instead you can start using disk imaging software on a regular basis.
Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: GW on October 29, 2010, 07:47:34 AM
Oscar:

You may find this article helpful: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342534,00.asp

My C: drive is 80g and following the instructions in this article to bring up the vssadmin list shadowstorage data, the maximum Shadow Copy Storage space is 5% or roughly 4 g. It says nothing about the Restore function though.  Even so....
Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: Sykes on October 30, 2010, 10:54:13 PM
In Command prompt run below said command (in Administrator/elevated command prompt)

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /on=C: /for=C: /maxsize=4GB

This will reduce the size max to 4GB.

Title: Re: Free SSD C:\ drive space. Mysterious additional 26 GB!
Post by: -Oscar- on October 31, 2010, 05:06:13 PM
Thanks guys, very handy!