dissapering memory?

[buds_420]

alright ... i deleted something that was about 263 mb, and after that it showed i had about 480 mb free space on my hard drive. after about 2 hours i got the little message saying "you have low disc space" and when i checked i only had 30 mb of free space left, i wasnt downloading anything in those 2 hours, so i had roughly 450 mb disc space that just 'dissapeared'. is it possible this is a virus that takes memory? or the possibility of downloaded files coming back? thx for the help in advance.

[TechBee]

even 450 mb is very low disk space...can u tell if you are referring to the hard disk space (C drive)....

if you stil receiving error low disk space, go to Run, type msconfig...clear the start up..restart the comp and try.

[GX1_Man]

You may want to delete a lot more before it ceases to function until you solve this  mystery. 15% free space is the minimum recommended for Windows to function properly.

[buds_420]

@ response1: yes i am reffering to C: space, and @#2 i only got roughly 5gigs on my hard drive, deleting alot more things is nearly impossible. i do have another hard drive in my comp but i dont think its recognized in my BIOS, which raises another quick question, i use xp, do i need my xp disc in my cd rom to enter my BIOS? i hit DEL at the startup of my comp and found no mention of anything relevant in the startup settings, thx again.

[soybean]

What are your settings for virtual memory?  Are you letting Windows manage it?  If so, I think that may explain why you see the decrease in free space.  In other words, maybe Windows is recalculating the size of virtual memory during one of your computing sessions; this is, recalculating to a larger size.  Space set aside for virtual memory is included in the calculation of total space used.

Also, even though you were "not downloading anything", were your browsing websites?  If so, your system could be accumulating temporary internet files.

[buds_420]

yes this is a good point you brought up, i was browsing websites, and opening and closing many programs... the regular stuff, you know. is there a way to edit this?

[soybean]

@ response1: yes i am reffering to C: space, and @#2 i only got roughly 5gigs on my hard drive, deleting alot more things is nearly impossible. i do have another hard drive in my comp but i dont think its recognized in my BIOS, which raises another quick question, i use xp, do i need my xp disc in my cd rom to enter my BIOS? i hit DEL at the startup of my comp and found no mention of anything relevant in the startup settings, thx again.

So, the hard drive's size is 5GB.  Is that right?  Wow, that's awfully small to be running Win XP.  What size is the other hard drive?  Has Windows ever recognized it under your current hardware configuration?  Is it currently mounted inside the computer and connected to the power cord and data cable?

To limit the amount of space allocated to temporary internet files in IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, and click on the Settings button on the General tab panel.  To see your virtual memory settings, right click on My Computer and select Properties, select Advanced, click on Settings, under Performance, Advanced, and then click on the button named Change.  

Have you run Windows Disk Cleanup utility?

[buds_420]

yes, the drive is 5gb, the other hard drive is properly put into my computer and connected etc, it was recognizable before, as well as accessable, until i reformatted my computer. since then my computer has not recognized it.

as for the virtual memory, here is a pic... not sure what it means but maybe you can recommend something for me to do until i get more space? again the help is much appreciated  

[soybean]

Ideally, you would be able to leave it as is, since the current setting is probably a good one for many users, with 512MB of RAM.  But, under the circumstances, I think you may simply have to experiment some with it.  The generally recommended amount of virtual memory is related the amount of RAM installed.  I suggest you read this: How can I optimize the Windows 2000/XP/2003 virtual memory (Pagefile)?, and maybe some other references that can found via a Google search on Pagefile sizing.  

I'll suggest setting the maximum size to the same size as the minimum size, or 768MB.  Again, you'll probably need to experiment and see how your computer runs under certain settings.  

And, continue to pursue the problem of the other drive not being recognized, or get a larger drive to replace your 5GB drive.

[buds_420]

alright i will experiment some and find out what works for me, just 1 more question and im done.  

if i had previously had memory put into a different computer, is it possible to take that memory out and put it in the one i have now?

[soybean]

It depends on whether both computers use the same type of memory.  Here's a reference: Different RAM Types and its uses.  You could visit www.crucial.com or http://www.kingston.com/ and use their memory selector tool; you need to know the make and model of your computer or your motherboard; you can use them to determine the types of memory your two computers use; you don't need to actually make a purchase.