How do i get rid of low disc space?

Question

I have deleted cookies, removed all programs I don't use, did disc cleanup and defragment, but it still constantly pops up "low disc space". What else can I do short of buying new computer with more memory?

Answer 1

Well If your constantly running out of space doing the steps you are doing is just a band aid for the real problem. You could buy another larger hard drive to solve to space issue. But if your in a pinch you could do the following:

1.)turn off system restore (this tends to use quite a bit of space, but note that if you have problems turning this off will not allow you to go back)
2.)Go start - run and type %temp% - This will show the system temp for your computer you can delete these files ***WARNING*** I have noticed that some applications will unpack themselves here and then install from here leaving some core files. Using Macromedia Dreamweaver extension I deleted my temp and the Extensions stopped working. I would suggest copying to another folder for a period to see if everything works and then Delete if it is OK.
3.)Go Start - Search - All files or Folders and search for *.tmp and Delete these files.
4.)I have found a program called Cleanup.exe that you can run and it will remove unnecessary files.
5.)Defrag - Defrag - Defrag I have notice that on some machines that are heavily fragmented even though files will copy the system slows way down and the Virtual directory will take up more space to compensate.
6.) **LAST** If all fails and your still low then I would suggest reformatting and reinstalling with bare minimum install **Please Note this is a last ditch effort for you will be removing all data!**

Answer 2

I've been getting this when I use my FireFox b/c even though I love firefox it has a memory leak when using the computer. This means that as more you use it, it consumes more and more memory. The only way to go about it is to close firefox and start it up again. So maybe you can do that with whatever program you are using. It could also mean that you are using many programs. Make sure the only programs that are runing are necessary. Scan the computer for spyware and other things. Also, Norton Firewalls can consume resources of the computer very quickly.
I think you should have plenty of space, if you can do defragment of the computer, this means that you have enough, b/c in order to defrag the computer you need to have at least 25% of memory. This should be plenty for your computer.

So make sure there are no programs that are running inthe background. Also, check to see how much space is left on the drive when the mesage pop-ups. The message might be a mistake.

It would be nice what kind of operating system you use and how big the hard drive and how much memory is left on it and also how much ram is left. It makes it difficult to determine exactly what the problem might be

Answer 3

click start > search... all files and folders

then in the box put *.* (which will display all files) then
what size is it > large (more than 1 mb)

then click search. When you have a list of all your larger files click on
view > details (only if it's not already selected)
then
view > arrange icons > size

All of this will give you a list of all your files bigger than 1 mb from biggest to smallest. Have a look at the biggest files and if you don't need them, back them up on CD or delete them (in particular movie files or images)
If you don't know what the file is for, don't delete it, move on to the next one. It might be one your computer uses.
Sometimes I've found single temp files in the internet explorer cache that IE has lost track of, and won't delete on the clear cache option, that can be hundreds of Mb. Anything in a temporary folder is probably deleteable... and lastly... remember to empty your trash can! ;)

Answer 4

Have you manually deleted files inside of folders named "Temp" and "Temporary Internet Files"? In Win98 and WinME, the folders are mainly located in the Windows directory, but WinXP also has folders of the same type in located in "C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Local Settings\". "Local Settings" folder is a hidden folder, so you'll have to set the folder options to be able to view hidden files/folders.

Turns out, I can't rely on Windows or other software to clean these out properly and they can fill up a massive amount of space.

Another reason may be because your Virtual Memory is too large, taking up all available space on the hard drive. Though, since that is a rare case, I'll leave that to a future question to be asked.

Answer 5

Try using compression to increase disc space.

Answer 6

Dude the best answer is #1 depending on your computer's specs and I do this stuff for a living just so you know!

Answer 7

may to delete some of the compacted files on the drive. go to drive c and see what you can remove

Answer 8

Buy a Storage Area Network (SAN).

Answer 9

Can you email me or chat with me.I want more details.Like the kind of pc you are using and space of your hard disc.Please come soon.

Answer 10

if u dont have money for a bigger hard drive , just get a program for clean up .