Clearing My Caches, Or Cleaning Part Of Hard Drive

[PeaceBlondie]

My hard drive (drive C) is 99% full now, and cannot be defragged until I clear out some of the data. Consciously, I only use C drive for programs. However, it is jammed full of caches also. Can I just clear out certain files that are caches? Is there a chance I will accidentally delete needed files?

I have a H-P Pavilion A422d bought in 2004 in Chiang Mai. It has 40 Gb of storage space on the hard drive. I am thinking of upgrading it with a video card, and would not mind getting a hard disk with more storage space (although the D drive is nowhere near full).

Can I just clear my cache without cashing in my hard drive or clear-cutting virgin forests?

[webfact]

Download this program http://www.ccleaner.com/

It's called CC cleaner, is free and is doing the job very well

[jeffer]

If you're using Windows then do a disk cleanup and also delete old system restore files. Don't forget to clean out the recycle bin.

You can reduce the size of the disk space set aside for the recycle bin and system restore while you're at it.

If you're thinking of installing a video card to game then think carefully. If it's new games you wish to run then don't bother. Most old brand name computers with integrated graphics like yours are unlikely to have a modern PCI Express slot. Even if they do, the processor is going to be too slow for many of todays games. e.g. a socket 478. To add extra storage will mean adding a new PATA drive, available still but old technology again.

The best solution is a new computer. Even a 15,000 baht off the shelf computer will leave your current one for dead. Get one built to order for 20k with a decent video card and it will play most games at medium resolution on a 19" monitor. A 250GB harddrive sells for around 1500 baht compared to the 40GB drive you have now which probably sold for over 5k bt. when new. Upgrading what you have is a poor choice imo when you consider what is available new today at bargain basement prices.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, webfact. I have just downloaded that now, and it deleted some files off of my C drive. Not many, really. The C drive is still over 90% full and my degrag program wants 15% free. I am defragging now anyway.

Any more suggestions?

[Tywais]

Download this program http://www.ccleaner.com/

It's called CC cleaner, is free and is doing the job very well

Agree, very useful tool. The XP way would be to right click on the drive and select properties. Then click on Disk Cleanup which includes system restore files which can take a very large amount of space.

[JimmyConway]

Every web page you have browsed, every email you have read, everything you have printed, every image you have sent to the Recycle Bin gets sent to a index.dat file. Microsoft have made this extremely difficult to get to and clean completely. Over time this will get full with so many files it will slow your computer down.

This software is extremely expensive but has a free 30 day free trial so you can at least get up to date for now without spending any money. After you download go to Options then settings and make sure you select all browsers that you use (if you use more then one) Then go to Safe Restart sit back and watch in amazement what it finds.

[sbk]

If your D drive is nowhere near full move your photos and music to D. That could very well be whats filling up your C drive.

[khundon]

Try this link, download and then set wipe preferences to Gutmann 35 passes.

Then scan desired c drive

When scan is finished you will see all the thousands of junk files/pics etc that you have deleted.

Tick these (top tick box) then right click "secure delete checked" this will get rid of a big bunch of crap.

Should give you back some space.

http://www.recuva.com/download

Also try free trial version of cyberscrub

http://www.cyberscrub.com/download/

Run this to clear files slack and also to clear free space,(use gutmann 35 pass) takes a few hours but will give it a deep clean of all deleted crap that is taking up space.

Good luck.

[jeffer]

Another good way to get rid of old files forever is with Eraser. It's free and does a great job. Unless Peace Blondie is overly concerned that the FBI or the LM police are going to check out his hard drive then 3 or 7 passes is more than enough.

http://www.heidi.ie/node/6

[endure]

Every web page you have browsed, every email you have read, everything you have printed, every image you have sent to the Recycle Bin gets sent to a index.dat file. Microsoft have made this extremely difficult to get to and clean completely. Over time this will get full with so many files it will slow your computer down.

I think ccleaner removes index.dat files and it's free. Another program that removes index.dat files for free is Spider www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Browser-Tweak/Spider.shtml

[MKAsok]

If your D drive is nowhere near full move your photos and music to D. That could very well be whats filling up your C drive.

Good advice, but I think PB said he only used C: for program files. A re-partition may be in order.

[sbk]

If your D drive is nowhere near full move your photos and music to D. That could very well be whats filling up your C drive.

Good advice, but I think PB said he only used C: for program files. A re-partition may be in order.

Didn't catch that, but you might also be giving PB more computer skills credit than is due

[webfact]

My hard drive (drive C) is 99% full now, and cannot be defragged until I clear out some of the data. Consciously, I only use C drive for programs. However, it is jammed full of caches also. Can I just clear out certain files that are caches? Is there a chance I will accidentally delete needed files?

I have a H-P Pavilion A422d bought in 2004 in Chiang Mai. It has 40 Gb of storage space on the hard drive. I am thinking of upgrading it with a video card, and would not mind getting a hard disk with more storage space (although the D drive is nowhere near full).

Can I just clear my cache without cashing in my hard drive or clear-cutting virgin forests?

You also should consider to purchase an external HDD. i.e Buffalo Ministation (which I recommend) with 160 GB. It cost around 2300 Baht, maybe less.

Move all files you use infrequently to that drive. It gives your C drive air to breeze and that is much needed to defrag it!

[PeaceBlondie]

If your D drive is nowhere near full move your photos and music to D. That could very well be whats filling up your C drive.

Good advice, but I think PB said he only used C: for program files. A re-partition may be in order.

Didn't catch that, but you might also be giving PB more computer skills credit than is due

Yes, the last re-partitioning in my lifetime may have been India and Pakistan.

Indeed, my million photos and music files are on D already. I have now lost an Excel spreadsheet I had faithfully maintained for years, up until this week. Not sure anything else is lost. Just as well, since LM may have been mentioned on it. L&M cigarettes, that is.

[PeaceBlondie]

I tried Spider but it was taking forever to download. Now I will try Eraser.

tywais, I could not follow your directions about richt clicking and we both learned to drive on the right side....

[webfact]

I tried Spider but it was taking forever to download. Now I will try Eraser.

tywais, I could not follow your directions about richt clicking and we both learned to drive on the right side....

Guess Tywais means - MY COMPUTER - right click on the drive ---> Properties

and this will come up

[colino]

If your D drive is nowhere near full move your photos and music to D. That could very well be whats filling up your C drive.

Good advice, but I think PB said he only used C: for program files. A re-partition may be in order.

Didn't catch that, but you might also be giving PB more computer skills credit than is due

Yes, the last re-partitioning in my lifetime may have been India and Pakistan.

Indeed, my million photos and music files are on D already. I have now lost an Excel spreadsheet I had faithfully maintained for years, up until this week. Not sure anything else is lost. Just as well, since LM may have been mentioned on it. L&M cigarettes, that is.

Hi PB

you might get that spreadsheet back if you use recuva ,

colino

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks to everybody

No, when I right click on "My computer," I just get a list of options, no pie chart. Whether I right click on the title itself, or on the C drive icon.

I found the spreadsheet, and made a copy on an external CD using Nero Express.

Eraser did not work.

If I take my entire unit to the local software and hardware shop, can I buy a larger capacity hard drive that fits right into my console, for less than 2000 baht, installed? Or would it be easier to get an external hard drive? Does the external hard drive just act as on offline storage medium, or is it hooked up for instant access?

Only one poster suggests I buy a new system. But that seemed to be for gaming, which I do not do. Do these systems last ten years?

[webfact]

Thanks to everybody

No, when I right click on "My computer," I just get a list of options, no pie chart. Whether I right click on the title itself, or on the C drive icon.

I found the spreadsheet, and made a copy on an external CD using Nero Express.

Eraser did not work.

If I take my entire unit to the local software and hardware shop, can I buy a larger capacity hard drive that fits right into my console, for less than 2000 baht, installed? Or would it be easier to get an external hard drive? Does the external hard drive just act as on offline storage medium, or is it hooked up for instant access?

Only one poster suggests I buy a new system. But that seemed to be for gaming, which I do not do. Do these systems last ten years?

MY COMPUTER - right click on the drive a sub-menu opens. At the very bottom you must see ---> Properties

If not, something seems to be wrong with your OS...

The external HDD will be usable for instant access. Plug it into an USB port - thats it.

Most of them are formatted already. If you buy a enclosure and a HDD seperately (the Buffalo I mentioned earlier is "ready"), tell the tech guy to format it for you, I suggest ONE partition only,

can I buy a larger capacity hard drive that fits right into my console

This will depend on how much the motherboard will support. I suspect the maximum capacity in your case is 60 or 80 GB only. You can not simply replace a 40GB HDD with a 160GB HDD.

[PeaceBlondie]

duh, there it was, the last item on the list, "Properties." C is over 90% full after I cleaned the disk of trash. Drive D still has 12 GB of free space. Should I let Somchai repartition my disk? Do I need more than 60 or 80 GB anyway?

[ronz28]

If you don't need your computer to Hibernate and have Windows XP Click on the control panel and then click on Power Options and click on the hibernate tab. That will display if you have selected hibernate and will show how much of the C drive it will use. Mine used about 1.5 Gig of space for that function that I disliked anyway so I unchecked the box and have that much more space on the C partition. The amount it allocates for hibernation on your C partition whether you go into hibernation or not is about the size of the RAM you have installed unless you deselect the hibernation option.

[MKAsok]

Drive D still has 12 GB of free space. Should I let Somchai repartition my disk? Do I need more than 60 or 80 GB anyway?

Having the drive where your operating system lives over 90% full is never going to be a good thing. It might well already be affecting performance and doesn't leave you any room for maneuver. If I were you, I'd do the following: Buy an external HD; make a back-up image of C: to the external using something like Acronis; uninstall any programs you don't use from C:; move all your music, photos and miscellaneous crap from D: to the external and also back them up to decent quality DVDs (you might additionally want to consider some kind of on-line storage for really important stuff); allocate more space to C: from D: by resizing partitions, but only after you're sure you have a working backup of C: Also, if there are any 'hidden' partitions on your HD which contain restore files, make sure they're backed-up. Oh, and format (or get someone else to do it) the external to NTFS (it will probably be formatted to FAT32 when you buy it) before you start using it.

[shriah]

If your hard drive is formatted to NTFS you can try compressing the C drive. You will be surprised how much space you can save by compressing the C:. You can also convert your hard drive to NTFS if its formatted as FAT32 without much problem.