Author Topic: C drive efficiency?  (Read 5239 times)

Offline Dottonedan

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C drive efficiency?
« on: September 28, 2016, 11:17:44 AM »
I am often trying to find where my space is being taken up on my C drive and clearing it out.

I've got a full backup to an external.

I store all work files and documents on another external.

The only thing I keep on my C drive is applications and the required Windows stuff.

I'd love to me able to view "folder size" to help see where this is building without having to go into each and get properties. So far, I can't change folder setup prefs to show folder size. That's not the biggest problem tho.

I can't seem to get my HD space down below the RED zone when I'm not adding anything to it.

One can easily say, "get a bigger HD"  but I still go back to (I'm not adding any programs or anything on here) for this to increase.
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Offline jvanick

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2016, 11:36:21 AM »
this is an excellent tool for figuring out where storage is being consumed.

https://windirstat.net/

Be VERY careful when deleting stuff on c: (especially in the windows directory) unless you know exactly what it is.

Offline Frog

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2016, 11:50:55 AM »
I went through this a few months back with a now-seemingly-wimpy 128 solid state C drive. There are plenty of sites with tips on what to clean and how, but I seem to remember dumping temporary files and restore points, and emptying the recycle folder helped me.
The built-in Disk Clean Up in System tools made it pretty easy and also showed what you could expect to gain before ever starting.
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Offline mimosatexas

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2016, 12:41:02 PM »
this is an excellent tool for figuring out where storage is being consumed.

https://windirstat.net/

Be VERY careful when deleting stuff on c: (especially in the windows directory) unless you know exactly what it is.

This and Everything Search are two of the tools I install immediately on any new system or after a reformat (https://www.voidtools.com/)

Offline BorisB

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2016, 12:52:03 PM »

Offline jsheridan

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2016, 04:18:04 PM »
Operating system drive you probably have a very large page file and/or other system Reserve space that matches your physical memory.

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Offline Dottonedan

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2016, 04:35:32 PM »
Operating system drive you probably have a very large page file and/or other system Reserve space that matches your physical memory.

Well, the odd thing about that is, yes, I have 8gb ram. My page file size is 8gb.   SO I read online how to assign that to be saved to another drive with more room...and I did that,  but the page file still stays on my C dive at 8gb.
Artist & Sim Process separator, Co owner of The Shirt Board, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 28 yrs in the apparel industry. Apparel sales, http://www.designsbydottone.com  e-mail art@designsbydottone.com 615-821-7850

Offline Dottonedan

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2016, 04:40:56 PM »
I went through this a few months back with a now-seemingly-wimpy 128 solid state C drive. There are plenty of sites with tips on what to clean and how, but I seem to remember dumping temporary files and restore points, and emptying the recycle folder helped me.
The built-in Disk Clean Up in System tools made it pretty easy and also showed what you could expect to gain before ever starting.

Thanks, I've done all that as well.  I never keep anything in the trash folder. Deletes instantly.  Then, I've also ran disk clean, defrag etc. All looks good.
Artist & Sim Process separator, Co owner of The Shirt Board, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 28 yrs in the apparel industry. Apparel sales, http://www.designsbydottone.com  e-mail art@designsbydottone.com 615-821-7850

Offline Dottonedan

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2016, 05:49:52 PM »
That was it fellas!

Application Data/Local/Temp/Files

I took out the Photoshop files and bavoom!  Instantly cleared out my 17 Gigs of my space. That one file at the bottom was 6gb alone. I still have 2gb total being taken up but I can live with that for a while. Wasn't sure if I can delete those other things.

Are these all temp files that can be trashed?  Why does it hold onto those?

THANKS A MILLION!!!
Artist & Sim Process separator, Co owner of The Shirt Board, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 28 yrs in the apparel industry. Apparel sales, http://www.designsbydottone.com  e-mail art@designsbydottone.com 615-821-7850

Offline Frog

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2016, 06:40:37 PM »
Whenever I got an otherwise simple vector file as a PS from some digital DaVinci with a bootleg copy of Photoshop, I would joke that even a blank page makes for an unnecessarily huge file in Photoshop!
I'm sure that you had some monsters.
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Offline Dottonedan

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2016, 08:05:48 PM »
I've had a few big files but it's been a very long time since anything that huge. Like have I had this thing hanging in there for 3-5 years?
Artist & Sim Process separator, Co owner of The Shirt Board, Past M&R Digital tech installer for I-Image machines. Over 28 yrs in the apparel industry. Apparel sales, http://www.designsbydottone.com  e-mail art@designsbydottone.com 615-821-7850

Offline screenxpress

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2016, 10:15:52 PM »
Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do.  Will Rogers

Offline Squeegie

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2016, 11:07:16 AM »
Glad you got it figured out Dan....BUT, a 136 GB C: partition is pretty small. Especially when you have all that available space elsewhere.
Not sure what the specs are of your drivesare, but a nice 250 GB or 500 GB SSD as your boot/C: drive would make your system come to life.



Offline Frog

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2016, 11:24:04 AM »
Glad you got it figured out Dan....BUT, a 136 GB C: partition is pretty small. Especially when you have all that available space elsewhere.
Not sure what the specs are of your drivesare, but a nice 250 GB or 500 GB SSD as your boot/C: drive would make your system come to life.

A few years back, SSD's were not as affordable as today, and 128 drives for the C were pretty common. That's my predicament.

That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Offline Admiral

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Re: C drive efficiency?
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2016, 03:31:59 PM »
Make sure your Photoshop scratch disk isn't on the C:\

Someones computer was full and inoperable (couldn't save a file anywhere even though it was on the network even) because it took up all of the free space of the drive.  The artists have a SSD for programs then 1TB drive with a lot of partitions for scratch disks, backup, etc.