Low Disk Space? Free up over 1GB !!!

[Zaccheus]

As I'm still using my old PC which has a 6GB hard drive, disk space was running quite low under WinXP (down to 400MB).

Then I found this:
Start>>>Programs>>>Accessories>>>System Tools>>>Disk Cleanup
which include the option to 'remove all but the most recent restore point'. As I never use the restore point, I 'clicked' and found myself with an extra 1GB of free disk space.


BTW, can I switch off 'restore points' alltogether or is that a bad idea?

[theBlackman]

If something does blow your computer, then you may have a real problem to reconfigure and get running again.

A good restore point or two is a good idea. You can turn it off, but you have no recovery options except to attempt to remove the offending programs you may have installed, clean out the registry and so on. And this is not always successful.

The system automatically creates a restore point when you install a new app., and will attempt to use the "last good" (which is not a restore point) to start your system if there is a failure. But this is not always effective.

Disc cleanup is also available through Properties of the individual drives.

[Mr. Perfect]

It can be disabled, yes. Open the control panel and use the "Services" program inside the administrative tools folder.

Restore isn't always a good thing. It has a habbit of restoring an old virus ridden backup just after you've removed them.

[vesselle]

Originally posted by Zaccheus


BTW, can I switch off 'restore points' alltogether or is that a bad idea?

if you're like me and have even the slightest, smallest tendency towards chaos in your life, you'd be wise to keep it running. it's saved my butt more times than i can remember.

V***V

[Old Man]

The user can create their own restore points too. So, just after you've installed something or changed something, and you're absolutely positively sure it's working okay, create your own restore point. Makes tinkering a snap after that. Just bash away knowing you can get back to that exact point. And I suppose you can remove the other restore points then too.

[theBlackman]

That's what I do. Clean up the system, run V checks and defrag, then make my own Restore point.

I usually only have two or three I know are good, and dump the rest.

[Salvage]

Is there any way to dump some of them individually(other than manually removing them)?

I have several that I made while re-installing(which were very useful - damn you Norton Ghost for not liking my RAID driver), and would like to get rid of some of them, but not all of them(I want to keep the 3 or 4 newest).

[theBlackman]

Originally posted by Salvage
Is there any way to dump some of them individually(other than manually removing them)?

I have several that I made while re-installing(which were very useful - damn you Norton Ghost for not liking my RAID driver), and would like to get rid of some of them, but not all of them(I want to keep the 3 or 4 newest).

Open the folder where they are. You should see a list. Check the dates and copy/paste the newest two or three elsewhere, then clean the file and copy the files back.

You can also clean your system to pristine condition, restart the computer and make your own most current one with CREATE RESTORE POINT.

Look in DOCUMENTS and SETTINGS>SYSTEM VOLUME INFORMATION on the C: DRIVE. Use MY COMPUTER to open the C: Drive.

[Zaccheus]

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

I'll give XP 200MB to play with for restore points.

Truth is, I'm very close to putting in a brand new hard drive anyway, and then I'll give this machine to my sister-in-law, when I get my brand new T3 ready wet dream of PC.


BTW, I needed the extra space in order to install the DirectX8.1 SDK. Lot's of super cool demos with full source code.
Did someone say: 'dynamic shadows'?