Free Space on a Partition

[Guest]

When I click on a partition on my hard drive and select properties it shouws
that 11.8 GB is used and 3.20 GB is free space. But when I select all the
folders in the root directory and then click properties the total space
occupied by them comes to a total of around 6GB. Where is all the extra space
going?? This happens in the other partition as well.
I tried showing the hidden and system files but still the same thing. I
also emtied the recycle bin and all, but no effect.

 

[Guest]

Are you also including the Protected System Files? If no, then open any
folder click Tools - Folder option - uncheck "Hide Protected System Files
(Recommanded)" option. Furthermore, scan your all partitions.

Let us know!

 

[Guest]

Thanks, when I did that I saw all the space. But I don't understand why a
folder named System Volume Information occupies 3.5GB of my hard disk space???

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Thanks, when I did that I saw all the space. But I don't understand why a
folder named System Volume Information occupies 3.5GB of my hard disk space???

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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