A few years ago, the storage capacities of hard drives were limited. At present, hard drives have improved and can already hold a lot of files. In fact, hard drives continue to get bigger due to the advancements in technology. Then again, despite such improvements, hard drives still seem to lack space. Users just do not seem to have enough space for all their files and programs.
If you use your computer often, you may have a similar problem. This is especially true if you have an SSD or solid-state drive, which is much smaller than a traditional mechanical hard drive. Anyway, there is no need for you to buy a new computer. These tips on how to clean up disk space in Windows should help you solve your hard drive problems:
* Run a disk cleanup. Your Windows operating system includes several built-in tools. One of these is the Disk Cleanup, which can delete unimportant data and temporary files. To run it, just right-click on your hard drive and choose Properties. Then, click on Disk Cleanup and choose the files that you want to delete. It is recommended that you get rid of temporary files, recycle bin files, and log files. Press OK and you are done.
* If you want to remove your system files, just click on Clean Up System Files. Take note that system files usually do not appear on the list of files. Then, click on More Options and choose Clean Up to delete your system restore data. Remember that this button removes everything except the most recent restore point. Hence, you need to make sure that your computer is properly working before you use this function. Otherwise, you will no longer be able to use system restore points that are older.
* Remove applications that take up a lot of space. When you uninstall some of your programs, you will be able to have more free space. However, there are programs that do not really use a lot of space. So if you want to free up a lot of space, you should choose programs that use a lot of them. Go to your Control Panel and check out Programs and Features. Then, select Size to find out how much space your programs are using. If you cannot find Size, click on Options at the top right corner and choose Details.
* Analyze how much disk space you have. You can download a hard disk analysis software program to scan your hard drive and find out which of your folders and files take up the most space. See to it that you do not accidentally delete vital system files. Just delete your personal data files. You can also view Program Files and uninstall the programs that take up a lot of space. Sometimes, the size of space that programs use is not displayed in Programs and Features. This is why you should get a tool that displays exactly how much space your programs are using.
* Delete temporary files. You cannot delete temporary files using Disk Cleanup. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browser caches, for instance, cannot be cleared and they can take up a lot of your hard disk space. So in order to get rid of temporary files, you need to use a registry cleaner. A software program like this is useful in removing junk files and preventing "DLL, SYS, and EXE" errors.
* Scan for duplicate files and delete them. You can use a special application to search your hard drive for unnecessary duplicate files. If you want to have more free space, you should remove the files that clutter up your hard drive.
* Reduce the space you use for System Restore. This can reduce your restore points and copies of files to restore, but it can free up a lot of disk space. Then again, you may only want to do this method if these features are not as important to you as the hard disk space that they use.
* Disable System Restore. If you feel that reducing the space you use for System Restore is not enough, you can disable the feature completely. Just keep in mind that doing so will no longer allow you to restore your system to a previous state.
* Disable Hibernation. Each time you hibernate your computer, the data of your RAM are saved in your hard drive, particularly in the C:hiberfil.sys file. Because of this, its system state is saved without having to use power and you are able to access your data immediately when you open your computer. If you disable hibernation, you will remove such file and free up some disk space.
These tips on how to clean up disk space in Windows are easy and useful. However, disabling System Restore and Hibernation are not ideal unless you are in desperate need of disk space. Also, make sure that you review your files before you delete them.
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