drive size incorrect

[David Whalen]

I've moved files from one drive to another but once
they've been copied the drive properties for the original
drive show 6GB used but the folder sizes only total to
2GB. Any ideas on why this happens and how to get this
missing space back would be appreciated.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, David.

Are those files still in the Recycle Bin on the first drive? If you're sure
you don't need them any more, empty the bin - and any other protection, like
the Norton Protected Recycle Bin.

There often are other hidden files taking up space, especially if you
haven't set Folder Options to show files with recognized extensions and
protected operating system files. There also could be a hibernation file
(hiberfil.sys), the page file (pagefile.sys), and others, perhaps hidden.
When you've accounted for all those, how much space is still missing? The
final piece of the puzzle could be "slack space", which results from storing
a 2-byte (for example) file, which takes a minimum of 1 cluster (usually 4
KB in NTFS) on the drive. (On average, with files of random sizes, each
will waste 1/2 cluster of space on the drive; a drive with 10,000 files in 4
KB clusters would typically waste about 20 MB total, which is not usually a
problem with today's multi-GB HDs.)

RC

 

[Cari MS-MVP]

Usually it's due to Hidden Files, System Files and System Restore Files not
being transferred.

Cari
www.coribright.com