Hard Drive Suddenly Full

eng415 · 09-02-2009, 04:59 PM

Hey Tech Support Forums,

Recently found out that my C Drive is very, very full. Got a few messages telling me that the drive needs more space to be efficient.

On a 108 GB hard drive, 107 GB are currently being used, with 751 MB left free.

No idea what programs/files could be taking up that space.

Have not deleted anything, simply because I am pretty lost when it comes to this type of stuff.

Running Windows XP with Service Pack 3. Everything runs fine, its just pretty slow, and I'm sure getting rid of whatever is taking up all this space will make it run smoother.

Any advice identifying what is taking up the space, and then getting rid of it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

deleted010511 · 09-02-2009, 05:06 PM

Get your self a external USB HDD. Move your Pictures, Music, Movies and important files from the C: drive to the new external drive (usually located in the My Documents folder). Make sure they are no longer on the C: drive. Download CCleaner, delete temp files run Registry cleaner too. Defrag computer. Right click the C: drive in My Computer/Properties and see how much space you have gained.

rosiesdad · 09-02-2009, 05:20 PM

Check your system restore files. Turn it off, (it will loose all the restore points) then turn it back on, then you should create a new restore point immediately.
Also set the size of system restore to something reasonable, or remember every couple months to manually dump them.

**ArmaTheGreek** · 09-02-2009, 05:46 PM

Well it's either you have lots of mp3, pics, games and softwares installed that's why you have used all the space of your hardrive.

I have 80GB and I have tons of pics and mp3 and few games and I haven't reached half of my space.

You might wanna check what programs you have or files in there that consumed the space. Go to start > control panel > add/remove programs > it'll show a list of programs with their sizes. Try removing programs that you don't normally use or not familiar with.

Other than that, you might be infected by a malware/trojan. If you have antivirus program try updating it first then run a thorough scan. You can also go to Virus/spyware thread of TSF so that they can take a look at it and see what causing the problem.

**AustrAlien** · 09-02-2009, 06:37 PM

Just a stab in the dark ... since you didn't provide much information ...

There have been some reported instances of AVG Free 8.5 antivirus dump files filling hard drives very rapidly: Do you use AVG Free antivirus?

eng415 · 09-02-2009, 07:50 PM

Thanks for the help everyone!!

Ok, I am pretty sure I found the source.

Recently reinstalled my windows after a screwy driver was not working properly.

Essentially, to update my computer to where it is now, I downloaded and installed:

Driver R86490
Driver R103372
Driver R86657
Driver R104295
Driver R88786
Driver R105605
Driver R94927
Driver R88851
Driver R105909
Driver R122672
Driver R140747
Driver R151519
Driver R151519a
Driver R155386
WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU (Self-Extracting Cabinet)
PRO2KXP_v13_5 (Application)
GWA-4040N_DELL_B107-windows-flash (Application)
Dell Boot Utility - DRMK 12417
SFDNWIN.exe (Application)
DV28EC D4H Updater.exe
JCS6_B103.exe
AD18.exe
NECND6500A_V203E.exe
NECND6650_V103D.exe

This file takes up about 70GBs:
USMT2.unc (file)

This last file is filled with DAT files (all beginning with IMG000..).

All of these files are sitting in "My Documents." I have installed all of these. The folder containing all the applications and drivers adds up to about 70GBs, while all my other files barely reach over 3GBs. This has got to be it.

Can I simply delete the apps, drivers, and this "USMT2.unc" now? Or will deleting them, essentially uninstall them from my computer, bringing my windows back to the basic Windows XP.

Thanks again for all the help!!

intelfan · 09-02-2009, 08:06 PM

The USMT folder contains data created/stored when using the files and settings transfer wizard, if you transferred files from your old computer, then if you’re finished transferring files you can delete it.

eng415 · 09-02-2009, 08:18 PM

yessir, thank you intelfan!!

Finished transferring the files a while ago, so went ahead and deleted the files. Now, my C drive has over 70GBs free.

Any advice on the drivers? They don't take up nearly as much space, but if they serve no purpose any longer, there is no need to have them take up space.

intelfan · 09-02-2009, 08:26 PM

If you already installed the drivers then it is safe to delete the downloads.

Chevy · 09-02-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spike2me

Get your self a external USB HDD. Move your Pictures, Music, Movies and important files from the C: drive to the new external drive (usually located in the My Documents folder). Make sure they are no longer on the C: drive. Download CCleaner, delete temp files run Registry cleaner too. Defrag computer. Right click the C: drive in My Computer/Properties and see how much space you have gained.

Before running a registry cleaner (which could turn out to be a very bad move) do a full backup of your system.