Debug Dump Files and Setup Log Files in Disk Cleanup window

[Stewart Fluney]

The above two items appear in my Disk Cleanup window, and I would question if
it is o:k to delete them. The first occupies a space of 283 KB and the other
2537 KB. The description given of these two files in the Disk Cleanup window
is "Files created by Windows".

I have a second question: I have approx. 5 GB left as free space on my "C"
Hard Drive. Is this considered sufficient or should I have more? I am a
retired senior and only use the computer for basic items.

I have a Dell Dimension 4100 Desktop computer with Windows XP - Home Edition
Operating System - Service Pack 3, Pentium 111 with 930 MHZ, 20 GB Hard Drive
and 512 MB of RAM. The file system is FAT 32.

Many thanks for your co-operation and response.

 

[Leonard Grey]

"Debug dump files" are copies of the contents of your computer's memory.
When a program crashes, it will sometimes "dump" some or all of the
contents of RAM to a file on your hard disk. The file is only useful to
a technical support person who is trying to understand why the program
crashed. (Most tech support people have no clue what to do with a dump
file.)

Unless you've been asked to submit a dump file for inspection, feel free
to get rid of them.

Setup log files are files that "log" a program's installation. If you
look at one (they're really just text files - open with Notepad) you'll
see that they give a blow-by-blow description of how the program was
installed, in glorious detail.

If a program did not install properly, the setup log will tell you what
went wrong. If you haven't had an install go badly, feel free to ditch
these files as well.

On the question of how much free disk space is enough...there are no
standards. 15% of your disk needs to be unoccupied in order for Windows
built-in defragmenter to work. Beyond that, it's up to you.

Your CPU is another story. It won't be easy to find effective security
software that will operate on a P3. Even if you only use the computer
for basic items, an internet connection is basic enough for an online
criminal to find you.