A Couple of Novel Tricks

[Tannhauser Gate]

If you're running out fo disk space, clear the cache. It's amazing how
much space is wasted by temporary files that have been copied from servers.
I usually get about 1.5 GB by doing that, and it gets me out of the jam
every single time. Since I learned this trick, I haven't had to clean my
hard drive for months.

Also, when clearing the cache to fix a routine headache, you don't need to
delete cookies or clear the history. "Delete files" takes care of
everything that can go wrong, and you can do the other two operations by
hand. That way, you aren't obliged to delete the cookies and history
addresses that you'd like to keep.

 

[dobey]

If you're running out fo disk space, clear the cache. It's amazing how
much space is wasted by temporary files that have been copied from
servers.
I usually get about 1.5 GB by doing that, and it gets me out of the jam
every single time. Since I learned this trick, I haven't had to clean my
hard drive for months.

Also, when clearing the cache to fix a routine headache, you don't need to
delete cookies or clear the history. "Delete files" takes care of
everything that can go wrong, and you can do the other two operations by
hand. That way, you aren't obliged to delete the cookies and history
addresses that you'd like to keep.

If you're refering to temp internet file, just set the reserved disk space
to 200 MB or so. you don't need a huge amount of space.

Reduce the System Restore and recycle bin reserved space as well.

Given the amount of cookies likely to be stored in the cache, weeding
through them by hand is really for the diehards.

I would suggest using Spybot or AdAware to weed out the trackers and you
could ignore the rest.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

If you're running out fo disk space, clear the cache. It's amazing how
much space is wasted by temporary files that have been copied from servers.
I usually get about 1.5 GB by doing that, and it gets me out of the jam
every single time. Since I learned this trick, I haven't had to clean my
hard drive for months.

Or you could just set Internet Explorer (and Java, for that matter) to
store no more than 50 Mb of temporary files..... And never have to worry
about it again. (sorry, I missed the "novelty" part of your suggestion.)

A primary space waster within each user profile would be IE's
penchant for storing copies (or significant portions thereof) of nearly
every web page your friend has ever visited. Try reducing the amount of
temporary Internet files cached, which is huge by default. I always
reduce it to a maximum of 50 Mb. In Internet Explorer, click Tools >
Internet Options > General, Temporary Files > Settings.

Same principle for the Java cache. Start > Control Panel > Java >
Temporary Internet Files > Settings.

The System Volume Information is the folder in which WinXP's System
Restore feature stores information used to recover from errors. By
default, WinXP sets aside a maximum of 12% of the partition's size for
storing System Volume Information, but the amount of space set aside for
this purpose can be adjusted by the user. Start > All Programs >
Accessories > System Tools > System Restore > System Restore Settings,
select the pertinent partition and click Settings. If you don't want to
use System Restore at all, simply turn off the System Restore feature
(Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore,
System Restore Settings) and reboot. This will delete all of your
Restore Points, freeing up the hard drive space.

Another great waster of space can be the Recycle Bin. By default,
this takes up to 10% of your hard drive capacity. On today's large hard
drives, this is tremendously wasteful. It can be set to a lower limit
by right-clicking the desktop Receycle Bin icon, selecting Properties,
and using the slider bar to lower the maximum size to something more
reasonable -- 1% to 2% should be more than enough space.


--

Bruce Chambers

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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Opinicus]

A primary space waster within each user profile would be IE's penchant for
storing copies (or significant portions thereof) of nearly every web page
your friend has ever visited. Try reducing the amount of temporary
Internet files cached, which is huge by default. I always reduce it to a
maximum of 50 Mb. In Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options >
General, Temporary Files > Settings.

Same principle for the Java cache. Start > Control Panel > Java >
Temporary Internet Files > Settings.

Jeeze! How long has this been going on? The damn thing was set for 1,000 mb!
Thanks for pointing this out.

How much of a performance hit would I take if I told it not to store Java
files temporarily at all, I wonder?