Hard drives

[Robintheboywonder]

Robin:

As for the full hard drive: windows uses a page file as "virtual memory". If in your settings it isn't limited, windows will use up all free space. Let me know is you're using XP and I can send you instructions on how to correct this.

You might also want to run the defrag option in windows. Sometimes the open areas are so small and fragmented windows won't see them as usable space....

Tboy, I'm using VIsta and still have the problem. I've used Checkdisk, Space cleaner, I've removed old programs, i've deleted tons of unwanted pics and videos, I ran nortons, Kaspersky, Mcfee, malware, trend macro all find no virus. I've googled , read different sites and now I'm about to throw my laptop into Sillygirls bag of poop containing her hard disk!!!

 

[tboy]

Ok, it certainly sounds like windows is using up all your available space.

I don't know vista very well but it is usually in
Control Panel
Performance and maintenance
system
advanced tab
Performance (setting button)
Advanced

Then at the bottom there's a virtual memory area. It will say something like Page file size for all drives and give a number. There's a button for "change", click on that

You should see a list showing the drive letter, the space available, then various windows for size of the page file.

There should be three options:
Custom size
Maximum size
Then selectable options:
system managed size (this is probably selected therefore using up all your free space)
No page file

I have mine set for 2046 mb but I have a gig of memory. 2046 mb is 2 gig of page file size. My hard drive is 120 gig but I have 3 hooked up.

Depending on the size of your hard drive, and what you use your computer for, I'd set it for around this and see how it goes.....

Have you run a disc defrag though????

Just a thought: have you emptied your recycle bin recently? Just because you deleted something doesn't remove it from your pc until you delete it out of your recycle bin.......(there's a setting somewhere where you can set this to happen automatically every day/week/month) but unless you set this, they just sit there taking up space.....

 

[Robintheboywonder]

Ok, it certainly sounds like windows is using up all your available space.

I don't know vista very well but it is usually in
Control Panel
Performance and maintenance
system
advanced tab
Performance (setting button)
Advanced

Then at the bottom there's a virtual memory area. It will say something like Page file size for all drives and give a number. There's a button for "change", click on that

You should see a list showing the drive letter, the space available, then various windows for size of the page file.

There should be three options:
Custom size
Maximum size
Then selectable options:
system managed size (this is probably selected therefore using up all your free space)
No page file

I have mine set for 2046 mb but I have a gig of memory. 2046 mb is 2 gig of page file size. My hard drive is 120 gig but I have 3 hooked up.

Depending on the size of your hard drive, and what you use your computer for, I'd set it for around this and see how it goes.....

Have you run a disc defrag though???? No would not let me.

Just a thought: have you emptied your recycle bin recently? YES it was the first thing I did Just because you deleted something doesn't remove it from your pc until you delete it out of your recycle bin.......(there's a setting somewhere where you can set this to happen automatically every day/week/month) but unless you set this, they just sit there taking up space.....

Thank you I haven't tried the virtual memory adjustment, I will try it right now. Thank you Tboy!!!

 

[tboy]

and don't forget to check to make sure your recycle bin is empty.

Hit windows button + e
Right click on the recycle bin
Click properties
It should read zero

 

[Jawbone]

With limited disk space running Defrag may be a problem. I had the same problem last year and had to reformat and start fresh. Try and back up your important data while you still can.

 

[Transient]

Just using windows delete will only mark the "deleted" portions of the disc as available space. The data is not deleted. I have viewed data from formatted drives using free downloaded software. Paying $80 for the full version allowed me to recover 95% of the data. With data only marked for deletion, the software always can recover 100% of the data as long as it has not been overwritten. As tboy said, damage the drive to where the platters are fucked and no one short of James Bond will access the data. Sledgehammer or maul should do the trick. Wear safety goggles and swing away!

For those interested in the recovery software, google GetDataBack.

 

[tboy]

With limited disk space running Defrag may be a problem. I had the same problem last year and had to reformat and start fresh. Try and back up your important data while you still can.

You're correct, you do need some space available for the program to copy fragmented files into while it clears space.....

3 times in the past however I've come across a computer with no space on the hard drive and each time it was the windows page file.....(ok this is WAY back) I worked for a company who wanted me to do autocad drawings. Only problem was their 40 MEGABITE hard drive had 38 MB of page file and 1.5 MB of programs so that left .5 MB of space to save anything I did.

 

[tboy]

Just using windows delete will only mark the "deleted" portions of the disc as available space. The data is not deleted. I have viewed data from formatted drives using free downloaded software. Paying $80 for the full version allowed me to recover 95% of the data. With data only marked for deletion, the software always can recover 100% of the data as long as it has not been overwritten. As tboy said, damage the drive to where the platters are fucked and no one short of James Bond will access the data. Sledgehammer or maul should do the trick. Wear safety goggles and swing away!

For those interested in the recovery software, google GetDataBack.

That's true but a couple of things have to happen first: 1)whoever finds the drive (if someone ever does) will have to have the desire to do that and 2) the know how to actually achieve that.

I realize that there are a lot of people who are computer savvy but frankly, if I ever "found" a hard drive the last thing I'd do is hook it up to my pc. It could be virus infected or who knows what. Hard drives are way too cheap to be messing with something out of the garbage.

 

[Transient]

SG has expressed that she would like the data inaccessible. For peace of mind, smash the fucker, screw it up physically then you can be sure. Physically damaging the drives makes it much harder to recover and you don't have to know how to attach the hd externally to use erasure software. And it's more fun.

 

[Madman]

Robin try DiskMax, it's a very powerful disk cleaner and the best part is it's free.

 

[SillyGirl]

Thanks everyone for all the input, I appreciate the help. :smiling:

 

[Robintheboywonder]

Thanks everyone for all the input, I appreciate the help. :smiling:

Sorry for taking up some of your thread Sillygirl. I'm done with my laptop, I've tried everything and cannot clean out my hard drive. I have given up and going to go shopping for a new laptop.

Any suggestions, should I buy Acer, HP, Dell, Sony or maybe a Toshiba??

 

[tboy]

Hey, a LOT of places (walmart even) have decent laptops on for under $300.00. I didn't pay that much attention but most are duo core, amd or intel, with decent video and audio and HDD.

Now sure where you are Robin but you might want to take it into the geek squad and see if they can clean it up for you. If it's a decent laptop it might be worth the $50.00 (and no matter what, $50.00 is a lot less than $300 if it is a good piece of hardware).

One thing we never discussed: a complete re-format. If you have your windows discs you can just re-format and reload windows...(this isn't a bad idea to do every year or so anyways, cleans out a LOT of crap).