Windows 7: Massive drive usage throughout day

I have a 64GB SSD for my main drive.. so space is fairly critical..

Anyway.. ive noticed as I use it lately (2-3 months).. I will have 16-17gb free.. then muck around in firefox, maybe photoshop,3ds max,dreamweaver (and sometimes NOT).. play a few games etc.. and suddenly I have 100-200 MEG left !..
I try using crap cleaner etc.. doesn’t work.. system reset doesn’t work.. clear out individual application temp files/directories manually etc doesn’t work

Then all of a sudden 6 hours later I notice 16 gig free !

Any clues on how to track down how my space is filling and clearing so fast… I don’t know what apps/games are doing it.. (don’t think it’s a game)

Install Treesize Free from JAM Software. It will show you exactly where the space is being used.

Thanks.. it turned out to be the pagefile.. 16.3 gig atm !

The pagefile should be set to 2GB. The hiberfile should be deleted with the powercfg -h off command. And you should also look whether system restore points (shadows) take any space. Run the vssadmin list shadowstorage command.

For small SSDs it is preferable (and much more reliable) to work with images rather than restore points. I keep no restore points on my SSDs and make an image 3 times per week.

Setting pagefile to 2GB is a bad idea considering he uses memory intensive software (3DS Max). If a 2nd drive is available, I suggest moving the pagefile to that disk and setting Windows to manage the size. See this guide

Move your Windows 7 Pagefile to a New Location | Worldstart's Tech Tips Newsletter

With his size RAM he will probably never need the pagefile regardless which programs he is using.

The poster said his pagefile was 16GB. Lets agree to differ.

Right, that probably means he has 16GB of RAM - 8GB minimum.

I was just going by the OP's system specs showing 6GB ram + him saying pagefile 16GB