Can anyone tell me the easiest way to clear up my C drive without compromising my PC? It is nearly full.

Get another drive, let's call it D for DATA drive. Then move all your User folders, pictures, documents, videos, downloads etc to that drive using Properties, Location, Change for each of them. You could also put your One Drive folder onto that D Drive, move the User folders to that and only keep what you really need to, the rest is up in the Cloud. It works for me.

50 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Get another drive, let's call it D for DATA drive. Then move all your User folders, pictures, documents, videos, downloads etc to that drive using Properties, Location, Change for each of them. You could also put your One Drive folder onto that D Drive, move the User folders to that and only keep what you really need to, the rest is up in the Cloud. It works for me.

I did similar to that many years ago, but the added drive eventually became nearly full again, requiring a repeat process: 

 

 

One advantage of not filling up the C drive with user data is that the System Images that everyone makes every few months ???? aren't so big. 

3 minutes ago, JetsetBkk said:

I did similar to that many years ago, but the added drive eventually became nearly full again, requiring a repeat process: 

 

 

One advantage of not filling up the C drive with user data is that the System Images that everyone makes every few months ???? aren't so big. 

Ok, can you tell me what I can remove from my c drive that won't compromise my PC?

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

Ok, can you tell me what I can remove from my c drive that won't compromise my PC?

All your User Data files.

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Get another drive, let's call it D for DATA drive. Then move all your User folders, pictures, documents, videos, downloads etc to that drive using Properties, Location, Change for each of them. You could also put your One Drive folder onto that D Drive, move the User folders to that and only keep what you really need to, the rest is up in the Cloud. It works for me.

After nearly 20 years without any C drive problems, it now decides to start. No wonder I sometimes cannot understand computers.

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

Ok, can you tell me what I can remove from my c drive that won't compromise my PC?

And if for any reason your Windows goes tits up, and you have to reinstall, you don't lose your data.

Just now, KannikaP said:

And if for any reason your Windows goes tits up, and you have to reinstall, you don't lose your data.

That's true, but I just want things to be like they were for the last 20 years.

Best thing to do is pull off all the user files. Give yourself some time so you don't miss anything.

 

Get your bookmarks file and things of that nature.

 

Reformat the drive and reload the OS.

 

Just use C for the OS and applications.

1 minute ago, TheScience said:

Best thing to do is pull off all the user files. Give yourself some time so you don't miss anything.

 

Get your bookmarks file and things of that nature.

 

Reformat the drive and reload the OS.

 

Just use C for the OS and applications.

Thanks, but I'm not computer literate enough to understand that.

3 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Thanks, but I'm not computer literate enough to understand that.

You'll want a proper, clean install disk. Bring it to a shop and have it done right. Otherwise, you'll just be in the same situation as before in a few months or years.

12 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

After nearly 20 years without any C drive problems, it now decides to start. No wonder I sometimes cannot understand computers.

If your drive is twenty years old you might spend 2500b on a new drive.

 

I didn't notice this before...just get a new computer lol. I swap mine out every eight years.

25 minutes ago, TheScience said:

Best thing to do is pull off all the user files. Give yourself some time so you don't miss anything.

 

Get your bookmarks file and things of that nature.

 

Reformat the drive and reload the OS.

 

Just use C for the OS and applications.

And while you are at it, install Windows 11. There are ways to do it even if your PC is not up to spec. Google it.

 

19 minutes ago, TheScience said:

You'll want a proper, clean install disk. Bring it to a shop and have it done right. Otherwise, you'll just be in the same situation as before in a few months or years.

Easy enough to do it yourself. Download W11 Media Creation from Microsoft. Get a new SSD of say 128 GB or 256 GB. Disconnect the current drive.  Install W11 onto that drive, then all your data is on the old one. Delete all Windows folders on the old, D (now)  Drive

33 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

That's true, but I just want things to be like they were for the last 20 years.

Then re-install Windows 7!   LOL

I suggest ask an expert to exchange your C drive with a bigger drive. Then everything will be exactly like it was except you will have more space.

 

Sometimes I visit "normal users" and help them with their computers. For us experts it is sometimes difficult to understand that normal users don't even understand the basics. I.e. when I moved files from My Documents in C to a new folder in D I was asked how they can now access the data and I explained it.

And then, weeks later, I get this "question": I don't see my data, my data is lost". It wasn't lost, it was exactly where we put it, on drive D. But they user forgot.

 

So to make it easy just get a bigger drive. And make sure whoever installs it knows what he is doing.

6 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

And while you are at it, install Windows 11. There are ways to do it even if your PC is not up to spec. Google it.

Why? What is the advantage of Windows 11 for a normal user?

Windows 10 does the job just fine and it won't be obsolete for years.

get 2 gb ex hdd transfer files to it.....

46 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Ok, can you tell me what I can remove from my c drive that won't compromise my PC?

any files but not programmes

possum,   your PC is 20 years old ...  are you still using floppy disks ?      

 

geeeeze,   just go and buy a new PC like I did. 

33 minutes ago, big dendrobenaes said:

get 2 gb ex hdd transfer files to it.....

HDD?

1 hour ago, TheScience said:

If your drive is twenty years old you might spend 2500b on a new drive.

 

I didn't notice this before...just get a new computer lol. I swap mine out every eight years.

If your mechanical drive is 20 years old you might submit it to Guinness World Records.

Always good to create a partitions on a hard disk to separate windows from the user disk partition

 

(C:) as the main drive for windows 10 or 11 about 70GB takes care of that.

(D:) as the user partition to store all the files etc... the rest of the harddisk space.

 

Create and format harddisk partitions in windows can be used for that.

 

If something goes wrong with windows then you always have your data on a separate partition.

4 minutes ago, DrPhibes said:

If your mechanical drive is 20 years old you might submit it to Guinness World Records.

I also still have some harddisks from 2003 and they work fine.

 

Also have a usb key 500MB from that 2003 and remember it being in the washing machine, took it out and dried it in the sun for a few hours, blow dried it and it still functions perfectly today for temp small file transfers.

The OP computer is NOT 20 yrs old its relatively new, he was referring to the time he'# been using computers and easier times than he is experiencing now.

 

My suggestion: Get a larger drive, clone what you have on to it, then you have everything as is and more space.Then use the removed drive as a storage drive to store future larger files movies/music etc on to so it doesnt fill up again.

A local PC store can do this quite easily

3 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Can anyone tell me the easiest way to clear up my C drive without compromising my PC? It is nearly full.

How big is it?  Drives do not last forever so probably best to clone it (you mention 20 years but hope it is not that old).  Copy of current drive to an SSD (if size OK) would leave everything as it was but make computer much faster operating.  But if you have 500GB or larger drive now would be a cost issue - but a new larger drive would still be a good investment even if have to stay with HDD.  Knowing nothing and trying to move is not a good path for most of us - but if you must take that route have professional help.  

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

HDD?

I have Hdd on both my desktop and laptop.

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Then re-install Windows 7!   LOL

No!

 

 

 

XP!  

My old XP PC cost 37,000 baht to build 9 years ago, and it's still my main PC for emailing.  ????

My Windows 10 PC is about 2 1/2 years old - same Samsung monitor, same Gigabyte MoBo, similar CoolerMaster case and PSU. I only use that one when I can't access sites on my XP machine because Google Chrome says: "Aw, Snap! Something went wrong..." or "Your clock is ahead. A private connection to xxxxx can't be established..."

 

I suppose one day I'll have to convert all my emails (from 1996 onwards) to the latest Outlook and make the move permanently to Win10.

 

Until that happens, I'm using one mouse and keyboard to access both PCs with the help of a nice little utility called "Input Director" - the mouse can jump from one screen to the other, and which ever one it's on is the one the keyboard talks to.

 

Have you actually tried to use the inbuilt disc cleanup system?

Right click on "C" and click clean-up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

I have Hdd on both my desktop and laptop.

Sorry, I meant SSD, I think that may have something to do with my problem as it has happened in both my desktop and laptop.

58 minutes ago, fangless said:

Have you actually tried to use the inbuilt disc cleanup system?

Right click on "C" and click clean-up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I have, it has not made much difference, I think CharlieH has the best solution Thanks anyway.