windows 7 still eating disk space

[darmok47]

Hi,
i open this topic because i did not found solution anywhere!

I have windows seven 64bit,
disabled/canceled all restore points
limited shadow copy to at maximum 320MB
limited pagefile.sys to at maximum 2gb (and is now 1GB)
cleaned C: with utility
canceled history

and windows STILL EATING SPACE!
i had the same problem with vista that was eating 300/600MB at each reboot
win7 seems to do it also, but less obviously.
And the worst is that files (included hidden system files) on disk look to be the same number and with the same size!

what the hell is happening?

 

[ccatlett1984]

what are you using to determine your free space? windows, or some third party utility?

To find out what is taking up your space, try WinDirStat - Windows Directory Statistics

 

[musiclover7]

I am guessing hyberfil.sys is the culprit.. That is the file that gets created when you hybernate your system. Mine was a bout 6gb till I got rid of it.

I like to use WinDirStat to get a nice graphical representation of what is eating disk space:

WinDirStat - Windows Directory Statistics

 

[darmok47]

I have disabled hybernate option, so i have not hyberfil.sys.
For disk space i have used windows, viewing properties of all folders and then disk properties

windirstat open also hidden files and folder that i dont own?

 

[ccatlett1984]

I have disabled hybernate option, so i have not hyberfil.sys.
For disk space i have used windows, viewing properties of all folders and then disk properties

windirstat open also hidden files and folder that i dont own?

Yes

 

[reghakr]

If you disable hibernation,. the hiberfill.sys file will be deleted.

if not,. manually delete It.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
try TREESIZE.EXE
I posted it in this thread - don't worry about the Music Thread / Post - the attachment is what you want

http://www.sevenforums.com/music-pictures-video/41266-deleted-music-but-no-free-space-showing.html

cheers
jimbo

 

[Win7User512]

Viruses can eat up disk space.

 

[fseal]

There is also the issue of file links :/

They have been around a long time but until vista Windows itself didn't use them much, now it does. The \Windows folder is full of them and depending on wher eyou are looking for a total file size or what program you are using to so it yo ucan get some pretty bogus numbers because it counts the size of the original file, then every single file link to the same file.

If I can remember when I get home I can post an example. You can right click the \Windows folder and get a value for the entire folder size. Then, inside the windows folder is another folder of hard links to nearly every system file and that folder alone looks like it is the size of the entire Windows folder even though there is really "nothing" in it (nothing taking up space that isn;t already counted externally anyway).

Is it possible that a daily restore point is making a snapshot of the critical system files as hard links, therefore making it appear that the windows folder is growing when it really isn't?

 

[pparks1]

Even if it were hard links causing the disk space to appear used...looking at My Computer or going to a cmd line and running dir would show the proper amount of space. It's usually apps like TreeSizeFree and WindirStat and explorer which show the wrong size of a particular folder.

It seems in this case, the OP is seeing disk space dropping by 300MB+ at every reboot and that isn't normal. If you do a disk cleanup, do you see a rather large amount of system dump files? Maybe something is writing a new dump file at every reboot.

 

[reghakr]

Download Powerdesk 6 Free Download

And use the file Finder feature om the Details tab, and choose your size in bytes.

Try 100000 as a start.

 

[mushroomboy]

System restore eats a lot of space. A lot of files get put in "System Volume Information" and was started in Vista (wasn't there prior). So you can save a lot of space by turning off auto-matic restore and then delete all restore points. But you'll have to manually create them now.

 

[darmok47]

i have installed windirsta and monitoring from now, i will be in touch, thanks to all.

P.S. is not at each reboot, sometimes happen that i leave pc on alone without programs to work for hours and when i come back more space is gone, but now i'm monitoring proper with windirstat, so thanks for now

P.P.S. and.....i'm not a noob, i know that viruses can be the cause, but the system is new (weeks) and i made periodical scans with ANTIVIR, and the same behavior was found from me in VISTA, that was eating very fast my disk space so....

 

[mushroomboy]

same hardware?

 

[darmok47]

yes, is the same hardware

 

[Frostmourne]

Try a full system scan in safe mode with superantispyware and malwarebytes after updating:

Malwarebytes.org

SUPERAntiSpyware.com | Remove Malware | Remove Spyware - AntiMalware, AntiSpyware, AntiAdware!

 

[w6fxj]

I have the Same Problem with Win 7 64 eating disk space

Darmok -

I have a near identical problem with Win 7 64-bit eating all available space on the disk with Win 7 64 installed on it! I have also limites the page file size, followed the detailed instructions on Win 7 Disk Cleanup routines removing old system files and deleting all but the most recent restore and shadow files.

It keeps using disk space until I get a low disk space alarm pop up. Then, the only way I can get back to the original space is to do a Restart. Then it takes several minutes to close down and a couple of minutes to get back to the desktop.

For instance, at startup my 200 GB Win 7 64 bit partition uses 94.7 GB. Fortyfive minutes later the the space used is 122 GB leaving 77 GB left. After about three hours nearly ALL space is gone and the Low Disk Space Error pops up and I have to RESTART AGAIN.

When I try to find what is using the disk space it seems to be well hidden from Windows Explorer even when the show hidden files and partitions box is checked. Does anyone else have similar problems or know what will fix this pesky problem?

Bill, W6FXJ

 

[mushroomboy]

could be a mem leak and paigefile? Idk lol I haven't ever seen this.

 

[darmok47]

here we go, again,
i leaved my computer switch off for a week, then come back yesterday and this morning we are at 478MB of free disk space, from a month it was a 1,28GB free (after eating 1 GB from 2,28GB free)
I have tried anithing, install new programs on other partition, clean periodically system files and everything else...
and this morning ONLY 478GB, i think i'll go crazy for that!!!!

there is something new about this problem?

 

[Win7User512]

here we go, again,
i leaved my computer switch off for a week, then come back yesterday and this morning we are at 478MB of free disk space, from a month it was a 1,28GB free (after eating 1 GB from 2,28GB free)
I have tried anithing, install new programs on other partition, clean periodically system files and everything else...
and this morning ONLY 478GB, i think i'll go crazy for that!!!!

there is something new about this problem?

Reformat and clean install.