Cleaning up C drive

robmar0se

closed wrote: »

To do that, the OP would probably have to shrink d, move d, then expand c - which if it fails at any stage, wouldn't be a good idea without a backup.

Closed: That is correct, apart from the second step which shouldn't be required - we use it all the time especially with the large hdds, using this tool without mishap..however it is always wise to have backups whatever the circumstances..........Have you used this tool?

closed

Haven't used that particular one, but many others, and seen numerous failures, disk repartitioning always carries an element of risk.

robmar0se

Give it a go - much simpler, easier to use, and less troublesome than Paragon, for example

GunJack

especially if it's vista (but the method/principle is the same for all windows OS's, try this:-

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=25746315&postcount=7

it may at least give you some room to play with....

Iconic

I have a similar problem. The hard drive is split C=22gb and D(data)= 44gb .

The C drive had less than 1GB free. CCleaner found 2GB to remove.

I have run WinDirStat and the biggest file on the C drive was in the Common Files Folder and is 'Symantec Shared' This size of this folder is 13.3GB!

The previous owner must have removed Symantec because it isn't showing in Program Files. Is it safe to remove these Common Files?

zzzLazyDaisy

GeoffX wrote: »

If your C and D partitions are on the same physical hard disk you could delete D, having backed-up its contents, and extend C to use all of the space.

I wouldn't delete the D drive. I use it to store all my personal documents, photos, videos etc. If you have to do a factory re-install, it doesn't affect your D drive, and all your documents etc remain intact afterwards.

rhcp

Thanks for the input, a few things to think about.

andy2004 wrote: »

How big is your harddrive?, or how big is C and D ? or have you got a really small harddrive?

It is an old computer, but it serves my needs. I have XP, and the C drive is 14.9GB with just under 1GB free space. The D drive has 22.2GB with 18.3GB free space.

GunJack

Iconic wrote: »

I have run WinDirStat and the biggest file on the C drive was in the Common Files Folder and is 'Symantec Shared' This size of this folder is 13.3GB!

The previous owner must have removed Symantec because it isn't showing in Program Files. Is it safe to remove these Common Files?

yes it should be, run the norton removal tool first though:-

https://www-secure.symantec.com/norton-support/jsp/help-solutions.jsp?lg=english&ct=united+states&docid=20080710133834EN&product=home&version=1&pvid=f-home

rmg1

I would seriously consider getting a bigger HDD. 40GB isn't anywhere near enough these days, and a bit of hunting around can still get you some good deals. You may have to pay slightly extra because (I assume) it will be IDE not SATA connectors.

The good news is, once you have your new HDD, you can clone the current one onto it using various free bits of software so you keep your current setup. You can then expand the partitions as necessary with the details above.

andy2004

rhcp wrote: »

Thanks for the input, a few things to think about.




It is an old computer, but it serves my needs. I have XP, and the C drive is 14.9GB with just under 1GB free space. The D drive has 22.2GB with 18.3GB free space.

ouch. things i would do. move all my files, not installed programs but files you have downloaded, mp3, movies, apps, pictures, etc, onto the free 18.3gb freespace.

if you have any games installed look for the saved folders, to free some space up copy the saved folder to your d drive and then uninstall the game/s, reinstall them on the D drive, copy the saved game folder into the newly installed game.

2 windows update. when windows update installs its updates it usually leaves a load of files behind in a hidden drawer. These are safe to remove if you are not going to try and uninstall them. instance they've been installed for 2years.
C:\Windows\$NtUninstall...... folders (hidden)

Those hidden "$" folders are waiting (and waiting.....) for a Windows update-uninstall. Of course, this will probably never happen! If Windows is working properly and stable after the latest Windows updates, you can delete those folders. The folder $hf_mig$ is the only exception to this rule. It is advised to keep this folder as it is, although removing it doesn't result in problems.
C:\I386\
C:\Windows\Driver Cache\I386\
C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\I386\

Do you really want to save space? Delete above folders (or burn them on CD), but at your own risk! The I386 folder contains setup files (including hardware drivers). If everything is working properly, you won't need them, but if your system needs a change you might!


C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch

This folder contains information about the regular started applications. Without any problem, you are allowed to delete the files in this folder (the files in the prefetch folder will be rebuild after a restart of Windows). The prefetch files in this folder are used for 'preloading' applications to start them quicker. At first you will probably notice a slower start of your favorite applications, but this will quickly be restored.