Solved Windows7_OS (C:) 35 GB free of 463 GB

[guyinpasadena]

My wife's Lenovo shows 35 GB free of 463 GB.
I have similar machine - shows 266 GB free of 463 GB.
We put both into operation around same time - no partitions - just started using them right out of the box.
Should we be concerned about her machine eventually running out of disk space?
Thank you very much for your help!

 

[Ranger4]

It does depend on what you are using the computer for & whether you keep everything stored no matter how old it is. Also whether there are a lot of installed programs have been added.

You could download & install TreeSize Free which will show you what is on the computer & where it is. You can find that here:

Feedback for TreeSize Free

 

[file3456]

Another useful program that I use is called WinDirStat. https://windirstat.net/


I use it every so often and find my downloads folder is full of a lot of massive files I don't need anymore. I have a bad habit of not deleting things I should.

 

[guyinpasadena]

Thank you Ranger4 and F22 Simpilot - I will try both programs today - really appreciate the advice!

 

[Megahertz07]

There are many reasons to explain a low disk free space. The obvious is that she has more data than you do.
But can be a lot of trash (temp files, browser cache, win update files etc)
It can also be a problem on the disk.
Open a CMD window and type
chkdsk c: /f
It will say that the disk is in use and if you want to schedule a check disk on next boot = Yes
reboot
Pay attention on the results, specially bad blocks or bad clusters (that indicate the disk is dying)

 

[guyinpasadena]

Will do - thanks Megahertz07!

 

[wither 2]

I don't know what your wife does with her computer, but some programs such as video editors\transcoders create many temp files.

I suggest that you/she go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and run the Disk Cleanup on the C:\. When it says how much space it can save, checkmark the boxes for Temporary Files and Recycle Bin and then let it run. When finished, reboot. Does that help?

 

[Alejandro85]

Normally, there is no reason to worry about. 35GB is a lot of free space. Comparing both computers is mostly irrelevant, as they're unlikely to be used in the same way.

The only problem would be if there is a sudden drop in free space that doesn't correspond to your normal usage, in which case the previously suggested software can help identify and indicate removal suggestions.

Other than that, and unless you have additional space requirement, don't worry. Pretty much everything can work with much less free space.

 

[wither 2]

I don't disagree with you.

Although 35 GB is a lot of space, if one were say transcoding a 4k video, 50 GB might be needed due to the massive number of temporary files that are created. Of course, temporary files can severely slow down a system if not periodically removed, even on a large capacity hard drive.

 

[Paul Black]

Hi guyinpasadena,

You could try running Disk Cleanup [Extended] explained here => Disk Cleanup : Extended

It will show you what files you can get rid of and what the files are. It will also show you how much space you will be able to retireve. You obviously don't have to click yes to perform the cleanup, but at least you will know what you could retieve.

I hope this helps!

 

[guyinpasadena]

Thanks wither2, Alejandro85, and Paul Black - I used some of the methods you and previous posters suggested and was able to free up a significant amount of space. I truly appreciate the help - thanks you very much!

 

[Paul Black]

Hi guyinpasadena,

Thanks wither2, Alejandro85, and Paul Black - I used some of the methods you and previous posters suggested and was able to free up a significant amount of space. I truly appreciate the help - thanks you very much!

You are most welcome. I am glad your issue is resolved .