Why is Windows 7 eating up my hard drive space?

Anonymous
2013-01-03T01:58:03+00:00

I'm having a repeat of an old problem with disappearing disk space. Previously I was told to use Treesize Free to determine where the issue was, but I finally had to have a technician re-install Windows 7. Ever since then I've periodically run Treesize Free scans for the purpose of comparison so I'll discern any unusual changes.

Now that the problem is recurring, my Treesize Free scan indicates the major changes from one period to the next are actually the Windows files, rather than any documents I save or programs I install. I can't figure why Windows would simply grow and get so large as to make my disk unusable.

This computer has a small 80GB hard drive. Below is a breakdown of scan results over the past months. I've usually recorded the 4 biggest items and then opened their sub-folders.

C:\ 63545.7 64763.9 65369 68179.1 70034.9 76777.3 77058.1
Users 37121.8 38379.7 34735.6 40946.6 36257.4 34577.5 32255.2
Windows 15620.8 15551.5 15263.4 15753.7 17128.7 24616.3 27655.1
Program Files 4305 4352.9 4398.9 4483.1 5069 4840.7 5169

You can see where as this has got worse, Users files have shrunk as we've deleted stuff, and Windows has grown rapidly. Can this be prevented or repaired without another re-install?

EDIT:

Sorry my chart lost it's formatting, but you're looking at 7 entries across, and the scans were done in MB rather than GB.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2013-01-03T21:12:47+00:00

Your problem is mentioned when I search with Google. Are you using Explorer PRO:

http://www.cloudberrylab.com/amazon-s3-explorer-pro-cloudfront-IAM.aspx

They may relate to something you are downloading like video?

Download and install cCleaner. A better programme than Disk CleanUp is cCleaner. cCleaner comes with a Registry tool. Do not use this tool as like any registry cleaner it can lead to the creation of very difficult to resolve system errors.

http://www.ccleaner.com/download

1.9. When you open cCleaner you will see four large icons to the left of the window. These are Cleaner, Registry, Tools, and Options. For routine maintenance you would normally access Cleaner (this is not the Registry Cleaner mentioned later). When using for the first time you can just accept the default settings.

1.10. Some comments on settings. On my computer I do not have boxes before Saved Passwords selected. In a less secure environment you might check this option and set cCleaner to automatically run on starting the computer. You may also not want to check boxes before Start Menu Shortcuts, Desktop Shortcuts and Autocomplete Form History. You need to check the boxes to suit your requirements. Getting options wrong first time causes irritants not disasters.

1.11. The second icon you see when you open cCleaner is Registry. One reservation many experienced users have regarding cCleaner is that it comes with a Registry Cleaner. This tool should not be used. Using a Registry Cleaner, however good it is, provides negligible benefits and there is always the risk of creating insoluble system errors, which can only be resolved by reinstalling the operating system and all that entails. You avoid any possible problems by not clicking on the Registry icon.

1.12 The third icon you see when you open cCleaner is Tools. If you click on this icon it gives you access to further routine maintenance options. The first two tools are Uninstall and Startup. I do not use these Tools, preferring to use other software options. The third Tool is System Restore, which is covered in the next paragraph. The fourth tool is Drive Wiper and you will find comments on this Tool later

1.13 Removing System Restore points can be important if you have limited free disk space. The ability to remove them is one of the Tools options. You can selectively remove those created at less important times. This makes it easier to hold restore points for longer periods without retaining large unwanted files, which the inflexible approach adopted by Disk CleanUp fails to offer.

1.14. You cannot remove the latest restore point using Disk CleanUp or cCleaner. If the latest restore point contains malware you can turn off and then turn system restore back on. This has the disadvantage that all restore points are removed when you may wish to retain older restore points that are not infected. The way to get round this problem is to create a new restore point when you are satisfied your computer is free of malware and then remove the infected restore point.

1.15. In normal circumstances you most likely will rarely need to use Driver Wiper. However, there are some situations like if you were giving the computer to someone else, then the Tool might be useful. Please note that Drive Wiper, when opened, generates a warning message, which should not be dismissed lightly. Using Drive Wiper for the wrong reason could have serious consequences!

1.16. The fourth icon is labelled Options. A lot of configuration options are available there. You can set cCleaner to run when you boot but remember this will slow the boot. Another setting enables you to include / exclude cookies. Yet another enables named files to be excluded.

Was this answer helpful?

1 person found this answer helpful.
0 comments

40 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2013-01-03T11:57:40+00:00

    @Gerry

    The breakdown based on last night's scan was

    Winsxx                                     8798.4mb

    System32                                  3008.2mb

    Installer                                     4189.0mb

    Assembly                                  -

    SysWOW64                               -

    I didn't record Assembly or SysWOW64 but could rescan if you think these are important to note. I also recorded Temp under the Windows breakdown on 2 of the scans 3 months apart - 6304.3mb and 8710.9mb. Could this be the real clue to it?

    I created the System Information file you requested, but got a bit lost with the SkyDrive sharing after I uploaded it. Please advise on this.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2013-01-03T12:14:27+00:00

    To expand on part of what Gerry C  listed above.  One possible reason, without discounting something

    more mysterious,  for the 'unexplained' growth -

    The folder called  winsxs.   Mine is 7.1 GB ( Total for Windows is 21.6 GB) .

    In addition to the extra HDD space used by Windows Updates this folder will grow over time for

    reasons explained in the first link below.

    • A lot of people suggest this folder, or parts of it, can be deleted, I'm not one of them,

    and agree that a decent  size HDD is the only viable option. 

    HDD's are historically very cheap.  You can buy 1TB for less than an 80GB  five years ago.

    Imaging your Win7 install to a larger HDD is a fairly painless operation.

    The two links below  give some information regarding   winsxs. 

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2592038

    Forum debate -

    .

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2013-01-03T12:37:31+00:00

    As others have said 80 gb is a small drive nowadays for a computer with Windows 7 installed. However, you can run Windows 7 on even smaller drives so it is not just a case of going out and buying a 2 tb hard drive. Many computers have more than one hard drive and this will be increasingly so as solid state drives become the norm.

    What is your computer make and model? Armed with this information it is easier to be able to make suggestions on what to do for a longer term solution. This is what prompted my request for the System Information file.

    It does seem that your Temp folder is a problem. Mine is currently 4 kb! Your's is 15 gb. Temporary files are not intended to be retained!

    To show hidden files In Windows Explorer type Folder Options in the search box above the Start button and select View, Advanced Settings and verify that the box before "Show hidden files and folders" is checked and "Hide protected operating system files" is unchecked. You may need to scroll down to see the second item. You should also make certain that the box before "Hide extensions for known file types" is not checked.

    In Windows Explorer locate the temp files. Place the cursor on a file and select Properties. Click on the Details tab and you wiil find details of the file and when it was last modified. Do not delete files unless you are absolutely certain that is is safe to do so. You can serous damage your system if you get it wrong. Microsoft hide system files to prevent inexperienced users deleting.

    What program are you using to maintain your computer. Is it Disk CleanUp, cCleaner or something else? Routine maintenance is important.

    Advice on using Sky Drive:

    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itproui/thread/4fc10639-02db-4665-993a-08d865088d65

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2013-01-03T12:51:29+00:00

    Have you run Disk Cleanup? It will take out a lot of the junk which accumulates over time..

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Delete-files-using-Disk-Cleanup

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments