Any app' that will clear "free space" on XP Pro drive?

[Mark Conrad]

Is anyone aware of a defrag app' that can "clear" the free-space on a XP
Pro boot drive, i.e. set the free space areas to hex zero, without
screwing up the regular files and OS on the disk?

Reason I need such an app' is because I am running out of disk storage
space, and am going broke buying drives to store all my bootable backups.


I find when backups have their free-space cleared, that those backups
then compress down a lot better, take less space on my storage drives.

Mark-

 

[Phil Weldon]

Heard of incremental backups?

 

[Mark Conrad]

Heard of incremental backups?

Yep, they are the kind that don't help if:

1) My boot drive fails.
2) I experiment with a new technique
and it messes up my boot drive.
3) Malware zaps my system files.
4) RAM fails and messes up my system files.
5) Free utility app's zap system files.
6) Defrag' app' misbehaves when moving system files.
7) When I want to quickly change to a different OS
and/or different partitioning scheme for special jobs.

....then quickly change back when the special job is done.


I can't understand why people pay good money for incremental backup
app's when it is so easy to back up documents by drag-and-drop.

I keep all my in-process doc's in one folder. At the end of a work
session, I drag that folder to an external drive, drop the folder there,
walk away from my computer.

Computer makes the file transfer, then goes to sleep.

If too long goes by before I return, computer powers off.

I assume you have nothing to offer on the main topic of the thread?

Mark-

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Is anyone aware of a defrag app' that can "clear" the free-space on
a XP Pro boot drive, i.e. set the free space areas to hex zero,
without screwing up the regular files and OS on the disk?

Reason I need such an app' is because I am running out of disk
storage space, and am going broke buying drives to store all my
bootable backups.


I find when backups have their free-space cleared, that those
backups then compress down a lot better, take less space on my
storage drives.

Heard of incremental backups?

Yep, they are the kind that don't help if:

1) My boot drive fails.
2) I experiment with a new technique
and it messes up my boot drive.
3) Malware zaps my system files.
4) RAM fails and messes up my system files.
5) Free utility app's zap system files.
6) Defrag' app' misbehaves when moving system files.
7) When I want to quickly change to a different OS
and/or different partitioning scheme for special jobs.

...then quickly change back when the special job is done.

I can't understand why people pay good money for incremental backup
app's when it is so easy to back up documents by drag-and-drop.

I cannot believe people pay good money for incremental backup apps when they
come with the OS and there are many free options...

I personally prefer differentials.. but...

1) Yes - it does - because you will have a full backup followed by the
incrementals...
2) See (1)
3) Hmmm... System Restore would probably fix that - but so would (1)
4) (1) again?
5) (1) again?
6) What do you know? (1) again...
7) (1) again? Yeah.

You cannot have incrementals with a full thrown in there - the more often -
the better.
You should use an imaging applicatin to be most effective with some of those
examples.

How To Use Backup to Back Up Files and Folders on Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308422

Yes - you still need some sort of external media to store the results
on, but you could schedule the backup to occur when you are not around,
then burn the resultant data onto CD or DVD or something when you are
(while you do other things!)

Another option that seems to still be going strong:

Cobian Backup
http://www.educ.umu.se/~cobian/cobianbackup.htm

A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup their system
so that they would not have to go through the trouble of a reinstall..
I'm going to voice my opinion here and say that it would be worthless to
do for MOST people. Unless you plan on periodically updating the image
backup of your system (remaking it) - then by the time you use it
(something goes wrong) - it will be so outdated as to be more trouble than
performing a full install of the operating system and all applications.

Having said my part against it, you can clone/backup your hard drive
completely using many methods - by far the simplest are using disk cloning
applications:

Symantec/Norton Ghost
http://snipurl.com/13e00

Acronis True Image
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/

BootIt™ NG
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

You could use all sorts of other free backup applications and freeware
imaging solutions... Back up over the network or to an external HDD or just
another HDD in the system. You could even backup to CD/DVD in some cases.

As for your original problem - I just don't get it...

Reason I need such an app' is because I am running out of disk
storage space, and am going broke buying drives to store all my
bootable backups.

Wha?
Your backups have to be bootable?
You cannot write them to CD/DVD?
You need to keep EVERY single backup?!

I believe you need to rethink your backup scheme and what you backup.

I deal with many different setups and many different OSes on any given day
and I am not taking up that much space to store the assorted backups to make
my life easier on restoring one OS or another to a working state and then
the data I really want therein.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Is anyone aware of a defrag app' that can "clear" the free-space on
a XP Pro boot drive, i.e. set the free space areas to hex zero,
without screwing up the regular files and OS on the disk?

Reason I need such an app' is because I am running out of disk
storage space, and am going broke buying drives to store all my
bootable backups.


I find when backups have their free-space cleared, that those
backups then compress down a lot better, take less space on my
storage drives.

Your statement, "I find when backups have their free-space cleared..."
leaves me wondering just how you did that?

 

[Mark Conrad]

You cannot have incrementals with a full thrown in there

Retrospect does incremental backups without requiring a full.

You should use an imaging applicatin to be most effective
with some of those examples.

No need to, I roll my own imagining app' by using the Unix
tool "dd" which is part of the built-in software
in my computers.

....except for my one "real" PC, a ASUS laptop which I am
forced to backup with Ghost.

The resulting Ghost backup is not nearly as "robust" as
my hand-rolled Unix backups, but it is adequate.

A lot of people have wondered about how to completely backup
their system so that they would not have to go through the
trouble of a reinstall.. I'm going to voice my opinion here
and say that it would be worthless to do for MOST people.
Unless you plan on periodically updating the image backup
of your system (remaking it) - then by the time you use it
(something goes wrong) - it will be so outdated as to be
more trouble than performing a full install of
the operating system and all applications.

As you mentioned, that is the best course for MOST people.




Fortunately for the rest of us, image backup suffices for our
unique backup requirements.


When I feel my image backup is getting too out of date, I create
a new image backup. About every 3 months in my case, no big deal.

As for your original problem - I just don't get it...

Very simple, my backups compress better when the large empty disk
areas are cleared, especially that area on Windows disks near
Microsofts "unmovable" system files.

Very easy to prove the compression benefits of clearing free space.

Wha?
Your backups have to be bootable?

In my case yes, I see no point in backing up a boot drive if
it will not boot when it is supposedly "restored".

You cannot write them to CD/DVD?

Hard drive space is cheaper and more spacious.

You need to keep EVERY single backup?!

No, I cull them periodically.


I have many different OSs and many versions of those OSs
clamoring for their share of my limited storage.

I deal with many different setups and many different OSes on any
given day and I am not taking up that much space...<clipped>...

Oh I agree as far as backups are concerned, however I _also_
have vast quantities of data competing for my limited storage.



To get back on track, I take it that the free-space utility
which I am seeking is not all that easy to find for Windows?

Unfortunately, my Mac utilities will not work for clearing
the free space on a Windows hard drive.

Mark-

 

[Mark Conrad]

Your statement, "I find when backups have their free-space cleared..."
leaves me wondering just how you did that?

Oh that! - I can see where it would cause you some confusion, given my
original request about _needing_ a utility that will clear free space
on a Windows hard drive.


Explanation: In a previous lifetime I ran Macs exclusively, where I had
ready access to several utilities that were capable of clearing free
space on a Mac hard drive.

Now that I also run Windows XP Pro and Vista Ultimate, I am looking for
similar free-space clearing software that will work on a Windows hard
drive.

Does that clarify it?

Mark-

 

[BillH]

Best one I've found is Eraser. It's free, been using it with no
problems for several years, & never yet a hint of any malware or
spyware coming along with it:

http://www.heidi.ie

 

[Mark Conrad]

Thank you VERY much, that is exactly what I was looking for.

....although at the last moment I got sucked in by the added features of
Shred_Agent from the same company.

I think Shred_Agent will do everything that Eraser does, plus it will
clear out a lot of the Internet Explorer files that often consume a lot
of disk space.

Hope I did not screw up by assuming that Shred_Agent would do everything
that Eraser would do :-/

I _need_ Shred_Agent to set all "free space" to hex zero, without
deleting any legitimate files on disk.


The company had no mention in their website about whether they are going
to create a Vista version.

Mark-

 

[Mark Conrad]

Whoops, I forgot to include the website for Shred_Agent:

http://www.aks-labs.com/solutions/wipe-disk-free-space.htm


There are 3 very similar products, I think all of them from the same
website you recommended for "Eraser".

1) Eraser (free)
2) QuickWiper (do not know how this compares to Eraser)
3) Shred_Agent (...a faster and more costly QuickWiper)

Mark-

 

[BillH]

Re "I _need_ Shred_Agent to set all "free space" to hex zero,
without deleting any legitimate files on disk." Eraser does this,
plus plus wipes (overwrites with zeros) individual directories and
files you select. I think this guy's pay products do what eraser
does, plus offer additional features.

I never found a way to make Eraser wipe a whole hard drive, but then
every hard drive manufacturerer I've encountered has a utility that
does this.