Wheres the space on C drive going

Hi all,

I have a partitioned drive C: and D:, C:\ is the active that windows 98 installs on while D:\ is the one I use for installing most apps and for filing my documents in.

What I do not understand is how I can loose 200+ megs and even more after I have deleted all temp and internet temp files and cookies? It would seem to me that getting rid of these, which I do regularly, would free up C:\ space, but it seems that gradually more and more space is being taken up by something:confused:

C:\ drive is a relitively small partition about 1.6 gig. It has windows on it and only apps that refuse to install on D:\ (some do).

If anyone can help me free up my c:\ drive I would sure be glad. I also would like someone to explain where the constantly growing files are and if they can be reduced safely or at least stopped.:D

As far as I can tell there is no virus, at least one that can be detected with the latest Norton signature file.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks:)

Do you delete directly or to the recycle bin? I you delete to the recycle bin, try emptying it.

Empty all Temporary Internet Files every time you go on the Internet and press SHIFT when deleting files. Use the Disk Manager program or something like that to remove extra unnecessary files.

Hi and much thanks for the responses HondaNSX12 and kallikru,

I will explain what I do.

1. I delete the temp folder in Windoz using a disk wiping app which leaves only the current temp file for MS Office 2000.

2. I delete the temp internet files using the tools/internet options/delete mechanism which preserves the cookies in the internet temp folder, which I delete regularly.

3. I emptied the recycle bin plus the above and tonight I only show 49 mb available on c:\. This cannot be right as there is nothing that I can identify on c:/ that grows with time, most folders are fixed except the config safe file which stores snapshots on a schedule(weekly) and I only keep the original(installation) snap and three others. I haven't checked this folder and maybe there is something there.

At this point I am at a loss to find an explination and remedy for where the c drive available space is going:confused:

Maybe someone will help out before I loose all the c:drive space and the swap file runs out of space and things really brake down:D

Maybe I should just restore the image of c:\ that I made last month:)

That would not cure the problem because eventually I would get to where I am at present. I wonder if there may be a virus abord that Norton did not catch:confused:

Hi b1kra - anything is possible. Run an online scanner. Housecall is good. If you are given a clean bill of health, consider trying jv16 power tools to clean up your registry and your C: drive. Its freeware and you can download it here. Choose jv16 with Installer. Instructions for use below:

Install then restart your computer. Shut down everything in systray that will close and make sure that your browser is closed and you are off the net.

When you open the program, click on Registry Tool. It will give you a complete listing of the programs on your computer. Search that list VERY carefully and make sure that you put a checkmark in front of the ones that you KNOW that you dont have anymore (previously uninstalled) then click "Remove". On the same screen, click "Tools" then "Registry Cleaner". Make sure that there are checkmarks in "I want to manually verify deleted entries", "Show why each item should be safe to remove" and "Dont pop up the registry cleaner after scan". Make sure that the other options are NOT checked. Click "Continue", then uncheck Active X/Com (this is not functional yet) then let it find everything that its going to. Click "Select", then “Special Select” and click "All items that are safe to remove"" and then "Remove". Close that screen

Now to clean up your drive. Click on "File Tools". Go to Preferences and make sure that you select "Create a backup" Now choose your Source (drive) and select "Find Only Broken Shortcuts". Let it find them, "Select", "All" and "Remove".(at the bottom) Click on Find Broken ShortCuts again to unselect it and then do the same thing for "Temp Files" (dont use the other selections unless you really know what you are doing).

How big are these "snapshots" that are accumulating weekly?

Also, what does Window's Disk Cleanup detect when you choose drive C? Does doing it that way detect more temp files to delete that your 3rd party app does?

are you sure all your internet files have been deleted?
using the method you descibed often leave files behind.
any time your system crashes on the internet your cache folders get rewritten leaving the old behind.

a good check would be is to browse to the temorary internet files folder then right click on it and select Find.
leave the search blank then hit search.
if there are alot of files left then I'd suggest deleting the folder outside of windows.

with something like

smartdrv

DELTREE.EXE C:\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1

first use smartdrv to make it go quicker
then deltree and you should get a confirmation
then type y if it asks if you want to delete the
C:\WINDOWS\TEMPOR~1
folder

other than that browse thru the C drive selecting the properties of each folder to see there size.

then try to narrow it down where the files are.

http://www.thegorx.net/Windows/General.htm

TheGorx

How much disk space does ScanDisk or a bootable floppy disk say there is on your hard drive. It might be a miscalculation or a virus or something.

Goto search>files and folders.

Type in the serach box

*.tmp.

Hit find now and let's see what you get.

Hi B1kra

Just a thought, where are your e-mails stored? Do you have people sending you e-mails with pictures or sound files as attachments? Do you delete these? Do you clean out your deleted e-mails folder?

Also have you set your folder properties in explorer to show hidden files? BF

My thanks for all the input.

I will print out each and double check everything.

1 AnnMarie: I have both the old JV-16 and the new version. I have the new version installed at present - think I like the old version as it identified new registry settings as one of its features. Your suggestions for house call and JV-16 will be are great. Thanks

2. manunkind: Don't know the size as I haven't looked into the snapshots yet - coul well be this thats doing it. When I use the windoz disk clean up there is nothing being shown as being present (sometimes there are temp files and they get deleted every time).

3. TheGorx: As far as I can tell the temp files in the Windows/ temp folder are gone except for the current office file usually about 32 mb.
When I look at the temp internet folder there are only cookies left.

I even deleted the cookies there and then went to windows/ cookies and dele;ted them just to see what happened. I went so far as removing things from the programs files that I never use. There was very little improvement in space available then that went away too.???


4. HondaNSX12: Havent checked last time I checked in My Computer there was 49 mb out of a 1.6 gb partition and that was after all the deleting.
:confused:

5. TJolly: Will have a look see using the tools/ find files or folders and look for the *tmp files.:)

6. BigFred: Good point I do have a lot of saved emails in outlook, some of which have jpg attachments and text attachments. Yes I automatically delete the deleted emails. Could be the saved stuff tho. don't lnow where they are stored but I sure can delete some of the older emails that are saved and mayve that is the key. Thansk for this suggestion - will check it out.

My thanks for all the impiut I will post back in this thread what I find:D

Hi all,

Just an interim on what have done at this point:

1. I ran scandisk and defrag (I use the win ME version).

2. I tried to run House call 3 times and each time there was an error (102 I believe) which was a defect that prevented the houscall scan.

3. I ran norton configured to examine all files and found nothing. (Has a recent signature file)

4. I ran a search for .tmp files and folders in explorer and there were lots of files. I tried to copy and paste it here, no go. Tried to copy and paste to a word doc, no go, so needless to say a bit frustrated - but there are a flock shown both folders and files:confused:

I will manually delete temp files in the temp folder and Internet temp folder again

The situation is even worse at the moment than previously stated the C:\ partition is almost 2 gig (1.9) and I have less than 13 mb showing???? at the moment seem to be loosing the battle of c drive space rapidly. Seem that everything I do to make more just gets filled up by whatever is causing this problem.

More later HELP!:D

Did you check your swap file?
(Usually in c:\windows\win386.swp)

If your swap file isn't the problem you can download a free version of Treesize to narrow down your problem

Are you using KaZaa?

Hi all,

Just another report:

I finally got Housecall to work and it found 4 instances of 2 separate viri

I had them deleted successfully. They were in the internet temp file???

No virus found anywhere else. But the question remains why the internet temp file??

I had deleted the folder contents prior to going to the house call site and scanning:confused:

Must have been a cookie, that's all that I can think of since I used IE /tools/internet options/ and clicked on the delete files, which usually leaves only cookies:confused: :confused:

Is it possible that a cookie contains a virus? Oh well, the puter is clean now. After I post this I will check the available space agaain, and reboot.

Then wait to see if all the temp file found can be deleted safely, as some were in other folders.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

PS checked the snapshot file sizes they are only 2 kb and compressed.

There are only 5 which is my setting. So config safe is not the culpret.

More of this episode later.

When you used Norton, were the newest dat files being used?
Did Norton just miss them? :confused:
PS: There is a worm that seems to spread among KaZaa which slowly fills the HDD. :eek:

as I mentioned earlier using the ie tool to clean doesn't aways work.
and simply clicking on the temopary internet files folder to see if there is anything there doesn't work.
since windows does a real hall of mirrors trick so you can't see the cache folders.
that's why I suggested using Find.
It's the easiest way to see if corrupt cache folders have been left behind.

TheGorx

There are some W.32 types that go directly to the C:\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5 folder. They come in by email. So, guess where they are now. In your inbox and when you open them again, you will be reinfected. Also, once in a while you need to open OE , go to File, Folder and select compact all folders to regain the space that the deleted messages occupy.

Hello again:

Just a response:

1. Thanks for the suggestion TheGorx I will consider that as the Index dat file still exists with the other means.

2. XOR: How or rather is it not best to let windoz manage the size of the swap file? Explain please the use of the app you suggested. If I were to download treesize and run it, what would it do or allow me to do? Right now there is certainly something run out of controll as I have never encounterd this problem before.

At this point I would consider reformating c:/ and installing the previously copied image of c:/. But if i can get this fixed I would rather use other means since the system has not crashed yet? Which leads me to believe that what I am seeing is not the real picture.

2. Buffalo: Yep the latest signature files as of yesterday or the day before. I do not use Kazza but have recently used WinMX, same hold true???:confused: If so what has to be done?

3. BigFred: I had a lot of emails saved. I use Outlook, a Microsoft Office program. Most of the saved emails, especially those that had attachments, I deleted.

Did not cure the problem but worth the attempt. I will explore anything that may be taking up the C:/ drive space. I don't use C:/ drive for anything but windoze, everything else is on my D:/ or F:/, G:/ or H:/ drives which do not have a problem with available space (10 gig plus)

Still working on the problem, will post back:D

Don't know.
Run Housecall again.
Be gone for several days.
Post back with the solution.
:D

Just an idea. You have your hard drive already partitioned. I don't like keeping my swap files on my C: drive. I keep them on D:. I think I did it by Control panel/ System/ properties/ virtual memory/ and then chosing D: let windows manage. It might have been TweakAll but this path will get you there. Takes up 400 megs and I do have the benefit of 512ddr ram, so don't need to use swap often. There are pros and cons to this but it works for me.

Bilbo

Forgot to add. This doesn't solve your problem. It only gets rid of a possible source. If C: continues to grow, I leave it to other, more knowledgeable, posters to help out.

Bilbo

Hi All-

Kept up the attack and I think I found the files? that were causing the problem. It's a long story but what finally fixed or at least regained 200+ mb of accessable room on the C:\ drive was deleting not only the usual temp files and Internet temp file, (which did very little) but also the content of the IE subfolder in the internet temp folder. It took for ever to wipe the contents of the IE subfolder but when done There was an acceptable C drive accessable number. A number that was only about 50 mb from what was shown most of the time previously. There must have been a massive corruption in that folder and wiping the contents did it.:D :confused:

Don't know what happened there but it did and that's apparently the fix.

Train: I'll keep the information regarding email in mind. I deleted all of the retained Outlook emails, especiall those with attachments. But if this happens again I'll check there first.

Thanks all for the input. Puters are funny things and M$ can sure play some strange tricks that's for sure:D

C:\WINDOWS\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\E7Z4MPTT\Experts.scr - Win32.Klez.H worm. Deleted.

A copy paste from my eTrust log.