The capacity of any hard drive is limited. Even if it holds a terabyte of data, sooner or later the free space will run out. The question arises: how to free up space on the C drive. Why C? Because this is the system partition on the hard drive. Installed programs and important system files are stored here. Other sections are usually used to store information that can be easily deleted if desired.
If you want your system not to slow down and run smoothly, and to always have at least some free space on your hard drive, then it will be very useful for you to learn how to free up occupied space on drive C.
The main work will be carried out without the use of additional software. Windows OS developers have come up with a large number of possibilities so that every user can maintain system cleanliness and order.
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Working with disk properties
To use one of the built-in tools, you need to go through My Computer to the properties of partition C. On the General tab, next to the pie graph showing the ratio of free and used space, there is a Disk Cleanup button.
After clicking this button, an analysis of files and places on the computer that can be cleaned will begin. Then a special window will appear where all the data that can be deleted will be displayed, indicating the size. You need to check the boxes next to the files that you want to remove from the system.
This tool can also be launched using the Run menu. It enters the cleanmgr command, which opens the Disk Cleanup window. This command works the same in all versions of Windows OS, allowing you to successfully solve the storage problem unnecessary entries, in which space on the C drive is lost.
Defragmentation
In the properties of the system partition C, in addition to cleaning, there is another interesting tool - defragmentation. You can find it in the Service tab.
Using the Defragment button, you can optimize the location of files and compress them if they have not been used for a long time. This allows you to solve the problem when there is not enough free disk space to write new data.
After starting the defragmentation process, you will have to wait a little. It is difficult to name a specific time, since it depends on the size of the system partition, but it is better to step away from the computer and not perform any further actions. It is recommended to defragment 3-4 times a year to prevent the system from becoming too cluttered.
If there is nothing left to delete, there is still no space, and free disk space is vital in the near future, you can use another option - compressing partition C. This procedure allows you to quite successfully solve the problem of how to free up space on system disk C, but it is not recommended for continuous use, which will be discussed in detail below.
To do this procedure you need:
- Open Disk C Properties
- On the General tab, check the box next to Shrink disk to save space
- Confirm your intentions
- Apply this operation to C:\ and all sub-files and folders
The compression procedure will take from 10 minutes to half an hour. The result will be a noticeable increase in the amount of free space in the system.
Why extreme cleaning is not the best solution
The fact is that during compression all files are archived. Therefore, before opening a file, the system first unpacks it, and only then performs any actions. Unnecessary movements lead to the fact that the computer’s performance decreases, and the system begins to slow down mercilessly.
Therefore, if you still had to resort to compression, disable this function as soon as possible. This is done according to the same principle as turning it on, only the checkbox must be unchecked.
Cleaning up folders and other ways to increase disk space
We looked at the tools that you can use directly in the properties of the system partition. Let's move on to exploring other methods. If there is very little space on drive C, it is recommended to use as many cleaning options as possible.
Organize your Temp folder
While surfing the web, as well as when installing programs, temporary files accumulate. They are often the reason why space on drive C disappears. To delete them, you need to go to Windows folder. Here you need to find Temp folder, in which temporary files are stored. However, it cannot be deleted - it is an important element for the correct operation of the system.
But you can successfully clean the contents with it. To do this you need:
- Select the contents of a folder using a shortcut Ctrl keys+A
- Call up menu by right-clicking
- Select Delete and then confirm the action
Empty your Downloads folder
After performing the steps listed above, almost nothing has changed and still you are losing free space on the C drive? Then we’ll explore further the folders that can be cleaned.
Installers downloaded from the Internet various programs, torrent files, saved documents - all this remains in the Downloads folder and takes up space. Go through My Computer to the Downloads folder and see what files have accumulated there. Transfer everything you need to drive D, and delete what you don’t need.
Compressed attribute
You can compress each folder separately. This is done through Folder Options, where you need to find Attributes on the General tab and click the Other button. The Additional attributes window will appear, in which you need to check the box next to the Compress contents function.
After clicking OK, the system will offer to apply the compression function to all files attached to the folder. Indicate your consent by clicking Yes and wait - the process may take a little longer.
Compressed folders will automatically be marked in blue. Every 50 GB of compressed data yields approximately 2 GB of free space - the final result depends on the type of files, as well as the ability to compress them.
Hibernation mode allows you to put your computer into sleep mode. At the same time, all applications remain open. Immediately after resuming work, everything open files will be ready to work. The function is quite convenient, but not so indispensable, especially if there is little space on the C drive.
Hibernation takes up a certain amount of free space just for its needs - not that much, but if the count is in megabytes, then quite noticeable. Therefore, disabling it will be a very good step towards increasing the amount of unallocated disk space.
You can disable hibernation using the command line Windows strings. Open it through the Start menu and enter the command powercfg.exe -h off. Press Enter and restart the system.
The computer can no longer be put into sleep mode, but there will be a little more free space.
Reducing the amount allocated for system recovery
Another way to solve the problem is how to free up occupied space on drive C. System restore checkpoints take up little space, but if there are a lot of them, the volume can be impressive.
But you can’t completely disable the system restore system - checkpoints can come in handy if any problems suddenly arise with drivers or installed programs. However, you can optimize your disk space a little.
Press the combination Win+Pause - the System window will open. Go to the Advanced Settings page, then go to the System Protection tab. Select system partition C, click the Configure button.
In the window that appears at the bottom, you will see a slider that allows you to set the maximum volume that will be used by the system protection function. Set it to the minimum value.
You can also delete specific recovery checkpoints. Directly below the slider there is a Delete button, after clicking which another window will open. All available system restore points will be listed here. Don't delete everything - leave at least one, the most recent one.
Clearing cache and browser history
Each browser has a cache - a kind of report on the web pages viewed, allowing quick access to them.
In most browsers, to clear, just press the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Del. A special window opens where you can select a specific period (from the last hour to the entire history), as well as the elements that need to be deleted.
You can also get to the cleaning menu through settings. It is located in History or Journal (depending on what browser you use).
But if you use multiple browsers or just don't feel like messing around with settings, try using CCleaner. Exactly this popular app to clear the browser cache of the system registry.
Working with the program is extremely simple - you download it free version, which is distributed without restrictions, install and run. As noted above, CCleaner has two main functions - clearing the cache and fixing errors in the registry.
There is no point in describing in detail the principle of operation. Just click the Analyze button to have the program scan all available browsers, looking for files that can be deleted without damaging the system. When the first stage of work is completed, click the Clear button - all entries from the browser history will be deleted.
Don't forget to use the system registry error correction features. It allows you to maintain your computer's performance at a high level.
Recently I came across a survey “how much space do you have on drive C”, this prompted me to show you how to clear drive C from unnecessary files without removing anything unnecessary.
As the survey showed, most people have only 100 GB allocated to drive C, of which a couple of GB are free. This is not surprising, the OS and the necessary software take up 50 GB, plus garbage, temporary files, and as a result, the memory is all occupied. Let's get started and remove all the junk from the computer one by one.
Cleaning downloads
I think everyone knows what this folder is and why it is full. If anyone is in the “Downloads” tank, this is the place where all your files that you downloaded/saved on the Internet are located. To find this folder on your computer, open “Computer/My Computer” and in the left menu there will be “Downloads”.
If for some reason this folder is not in the left menu, then go to: Drive C, Users, “User name of your PC”, Downloads.
Now, as you understand, I suggest deleting everything from this folder except what you need. It is better to move the remaining files that will be useful to you to another drive.
To move files to another section, hold down the “Ctrl” key and left-click on the files/folders you need. Once you have everything selected, press “Ctrl” + “X” (Cut) then open the folder where you want to move it and press “Ctrl” + “V”.
Move the downloads folder to drive D, E, F
If you have little space on drive C and you cannot/want to expand it, it would be logical to transfer downloads to another drive where the space allows it. You can’t just transfer it like that, so you’ll have to use the following method:
- Go to drive C, Users, “Your PC username”, “Downloads”.
- Right-click on the “downloads” folder and select “Properties” from the menu.
- IN top menu go to "Location".
- Here is the path of your folder, which you can change manually or click “Find folder”.
- Once you have selected a folder on another drive, click "Apply" and you're done!
Deleting temporary files
Temporary files are stored in the "Temp" folder and they are all unnecessary junk that clogs up your computer. These files remain after installing programs, updates, etc. You can remove absolutely everything without even looking at what is there.
First, let's open the "Temp" folder. Open “Disk C”, then “Windows” and then open the “Temp” folder. Select all files using the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl” + “A” and delete them.
Windows may notify you to remove specific file only possible with Administrator rights. Click yes/continue.
If you have Windows XP, then move on to the next point, if Windows 7-10, then do the following:
In the search, on the start panel, write “%temp%” and open the folder.
Alternative opening option: in address bar enter “C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Temp”. Where “UserName” you need to enter the username of your PC.
In this folder, delete everything that can be deleted. Personally, in 1 month I collected almost 2 GB of temporary files.
We clean with the CCleaner utility
I would like to suggest you use a program called “ccleaner”. This is very powerful utility, which does half of what is said above, and also clears the cache, browser history and much more. If you don’t need to clear something, for example, browser history, you can turn it off in the settings.
In any case, I advise everyone to use it, so let's see where to download it and how to use it:
Go to the official website “https://download.ccleaner.com/ccsetup541.exe” and download the program.
Install and run the program. During installation, uncheck the boxes next to unnecessary programs(Avast, etc.).
Go to the “Options” tab then “Setting” and select Russian instead of English.
Go to the cleaning tab and uncheck everything that you do not want to clean (browser history, etc.). After that, click "clean".
You will be pleasantly surprised, after cleaning the program will show how many MB it has freed up your computer.
Remove unnecessary programs
Over time, a large amount of software is collected that is essentially not used. Some you installed yourself, some installed themselves (viruses from mail.ru, Avast, etc.). Earlier, I already wrote « » , so let's look at it as an example:
Uninstalling a program in Windows 7:
- Open the Start menu and click on Control Panel. Now find “Programs and Features” in the list.
- In the menu in front of you are all the programs that are installed on the computer. Select “Avast” among them, click on it once and click “delete” in the top menu.
- The program installer will open, in which at the very bottom there is an inconspicuous delete button. Click on it. After which, the antivirus program will try to convince you, but you continue what you started and don’t believe it.
- Ready! Next time, be more careful when installing software and games.
Uninstalling Avast in Windows 10:
- Open “Start”, then “Settings”, then “System”.
- Find “Avast” in the list, click on it, and then click “delete”.
In this way, remove all programs that you do not use. Don't delete nothing that you are not sure of, especially software from Adobe and Microsoft, and the rest is not particularly important.
Increasing space on drive C
Increasing space on drive C at the expense of another drive is quite simple, and in order not to take a million screenshots, I suggest watching a short video:
Cleaning the cart
After you delete a file or folder, it goes into the trash in case you change your mind. These files accumulate there until you empty the trash manually or restore them back.
After such a global cleanup of the C drive, you definitely need to empty the Recycle Bin. In general, I recommend doing this regularly (once a week will be enough), especially since it does not take much time.
So that Empty trash, find the icon with a trash can and the corresponding inscription on your desktop, then click on it right click mouse and select “Empty Trash” from the menu. Ready! Case for 10 seconds. and there is more disk space.
What not to do
Here I will try to list everything possible mistakes inexperienced users, and also mention advice from other sites and explain why you shouldn’t do this (if you forgot something, add it in the comments):
- Under no circumstances should you delete any files or folders on drive C if they are there without your actions. Those. You can only delete folders that you created. Otherwise, it may cause the OS to crash.
- Don't do anything with the hibernation file. Don't disable it, don't delete it. Only experienced users can disable it correctly, so as not to encounter problems in the future. system error. The megabytes won are not worth it.
- Do not disable or change the size of the page file - this will affect the performance of your system.
- Standard Disk Cleanup. In the computer properties there is a standard utility that supposedly cleans drive C of debris. Yes, this is true, but for example, in 1 year of using a computer, 60 MB of files will be collected there (this is very little). It's just not easy anymore not relevant and don't waste your time.
- Remove programs completely (this is described in detail above), using special files installation uninstall.exe. There is no need to delete programs along with the folder in the “program files” section, otherwise there will be many other files of this program on the disk.
Conclusion
As you can see for yourself, a lot of unnecessary files, programs and folders were deleted. Now you have a lot of free space on drive C. I also recommend cleaning your computer so that it doesn’t slow down.
When you run out of space on the C drive, your computer inevitably starts to slow down. This is due to the fact that all programs and the operating system itself actively work with this disk. And when the C drive space runs out, they cannot save their settings or work results. In order to avoid this, you need to free up space on the C drive.
The Windows operating system has a built-in tool for freeing up space on the C drive. In order to use this tool, you need to open the “My Computer” window, right-click on the disk on which you would like to free up space (in our case, this is the “C” drive), and in the appeared context menu select “Properties”.
In the window that opens, you can see information about the disk. To free up space on drive C, click on the “Disk Cleanup” button.
After this, the operating system will analyze the contents of the selected disk and show files that can be deleted without affecting the operation of the system. For example, in the screenshot below you can see that the recycle bin takes up almost 10 gigabytes of free space on the “C” drive. To delete these files you need to mark them in the list and click on the “OK” button.
In addition, in the “Disk Cleanup” window there is a “Clean up system files” button. After clicking this button, the Windows operating system will find system files that can be deleted and add them to the list of files to be deleted. This way you can get rid of files that were left behind after updating or installing Windows.
Removing unnecessary programs
In most cases, programs are installed on the C drive, so removing unnecessary programs is easy and effective method freeing up space. To remove installed programs, open the Start menu, launch Control Panel and go to Programs - Programs and Features.
A list of all will be available here installed programs. To remove an unnecessary program, right-click on it, select the “Uninstall” option and follow the instructions of the installer that appears.
If you have Windows 8 or Windows 10, then to access the “Control Panel”, press the Win-R key combination and in the window that opens, execute the “control” command.
Disabling hibernation
If you have enabled the display of hidden and system files, then you probably noticed the file hiberfil.sys on drive “C”, which usually takes up quite a few gigabytes of free space. This file used by the operating system to store data when entering hibernation mode.
By disabling hibernation mode, we can delete the hiberfil.sys file and free up the space it occupies. To do this, you need to run the command “powercfg -h off”.
It should be noted that the hiberfil.sys file can only be deleted by disabling hibernation. If you simply delete this file (if you can do it), Windows will restore it.
Reducing the paging file
You can also free up some space on the C drive if you reduce the size of the paging file. If you have a large number random access memory and you need to free up space on the C drive, you can reduce the size of the page file that is stored on the C drive.
To do this, press the Win-R key combination and in the window that appears, run the command “ sysdm.cpl". As a result, the “System Properties” window should open; here you need to go to the “Advanced” tab and click on the “Options” button.
After this, a window will open in which you can reduce the size of the paging file. To do this, you need to disable the “Automatically select paging file size” feature and select the “Specify size” option. After this, two text fields are activated in which you need to specify the initial and maximum size of the paging file.
When setting the paging file size, use the current size indicated at the bottom of the window. After the file size is specified, you need to click on the “Set” button and close all windows using the “OK” button.
It is important to understand that significantly reducing the page file can cause problems during operation, so use this opportunity only needed as a last resort.
Disabling System Restore
Another way to free up some space on the C drive is to disable System Restore. System Restore uses space on the C drive to store its data. To free up space on your C drive, you can disable this feature or reduce the amount of disk space it uses.
To do this, press the Win-R key combination and in the window that appears, run the command “sysdm.cpl”. As a result, the “System Properties” window should open, here you need to go to the “System Protection” tab, highlight the “C” drive and click on the “Configure” button.
As a result, a window will appear in which you can disable System Restore or reduce the amount of data that this function stores. After making changes to the settings, you need to close all windows using the “OK” button.
Like reducing the paging file, this option should be used only as a last resort, when other ways to free up disk space are no longer sufficient.
Cleaning the user's desktop and folders
All data located on the desktop takes up space on the C drive. Therefore, in order to free up space on the C drive, move these files to another drive.
Also, space on drive “C” is occupied by a folder with user documents. In modern versions of the operating system Windows systems it is located at:
- C:\Users\Username\ or C:\Users\Username\
Examine the contents of this folder and move files that are taking up a lot of space to another drive. Particular attention should be paid to the folders:
- C:\Users\Username\Downloads\ or C:\Users\Username\Downloads\
- C:\Users\Username\Documents\ or C:\Users\Username\Documents\
As a rule, these folders contain the most files. In many cases, moving files from these folders can quickly free up a lot of space on the C drive.
In some cases, on drive “C” appear large files or folders that cannot be detected using the methods described above. These may be temporary files of some programs or simply user files.
To search for such files, it is convenient to use the WinDirStat program. This program analyzes the selected drive and shows all folders and files in . Using this map, you can quickly determine which files or folders of files need to be deleted to free up space on the C drive.
But, when using the WinDirStat program you need to be very careful, as there is a risk of deleting important operating system data.
Good day, dear readers, admirers and other individuals. Have you ever noticed that you are running out of space on your computer?
As a rule, this is not a consequence of a virus or your carelessness, but simply the Windows system recovery service, an incorrectly configured swap file, and others. Often the reason for a place selling is also a high browser cache value or an OS cluttered with all sorts of software garbage.
How to find out why a space disappears in Windows
As I said, there are several sources where space can go missing.
Let's look at them in order.
First, the recovery system. The fact is that Microsoft, taking care of its users, made a recovery system in Windows, which greatly influences the fact that your location disappears (although in fact it is simply “hidden”).
What it does (if you haven’t changed the settings) is that at some intervals (especially in the case of installing programs\games\) it makes restore points, which you can always use in case of a system crash/failure. The question is, are you using this recovery system?
For example, I have a hard time remembering the last time I had to do this. Moreover, the benefits of it are very doubtful. In turn, these points take up up to 12% of the space on each hard drive, which, you see, is a lot (especially on large disks). Therefore, here's how to get rid of (or at least reconfigure) the amount of space occupied by recovery points.
How to get back space on your computer disk
Start -> Settings -> Control Panel-> System -> System Restore
For Windows Vista/Windows 7/8/10:
Start -> Settings -> Control Panel-> System -> System protection
Here you can either completely disable system recovery, or distribute the points on which disks and how much space they will take up.
I cannot recommend that you completely disable recovery, because... I don’t know how often you encounter system problems and resort to recovery, but personally, I have it disabled because... I consider it a dubious tool that takes up quite a lot of space, especially since you can always use the " " article to protect and restore data.
For those who want to leave it (system restore), but configure it as competently as possible and make it so that they no longer have to look for where the space disappears:
- It is advisable that they should not be on the disk with the operating system at all or should take up as little space as possible;
- You don't need more than 3 restore points, i.e. You shouldn’t set the maximum percentage even on several disks. 3-6% on one or two disks will be enough, and then, in my opinion, this will be a lot.
By the way, before configuring these parameters, the system had already created a number of restore points, so it would be a good idea to delete them. To do this, open “My Computer”, right-click on the hard drive the place where you need to clear it and select “Properties” from the drop-down list.
In the window that appears, click on the button “Disk Cleanup” – “Advanced” – “ System Restore” – “Clear” – “Yes” – “Ok”.
Or, if you have Windows 7/Vista, you can clear the space occupied by restore points using the " button Configure - Delete", which is located on the "System Protection" tab (see path above):
This is what they call time.
Let's go to point two.
About the paging file and where space disappears
When the operating system does not have enough , it begins to unload programs into the page file, i.e. a file on the hard drive that serves as a kind of RAM, but much slower. Accordingly, the size of the paging file may vary, depending on the amount of RAM you have.
As a standard, the size of the paging file is 2-4 times larger than the amount of physical RAM, but this size can be changed, however, often to the detriment of performance (especially if there is little RAM). He also answers the question of where the place disappears, because he occupies this very place with all his strength.
Configure the location and size of the paging file to hard drives here:
- Start -> Settings -> Control Panel-> System -> Advanced > Performance > Options > Advanced > Virtual memory -> Change
I still don’t recommend disabling the entire paging file, but redistributing or reducing it is always welcome. I wrote more about the paging file and its configuration in the article, so read it to set the correct numbers.
Cache, trash and where does the space go?
During operation of the system, programs, browsers and other things, constantly create a so-called cache, i.e. temporary auxiliary files, which (files) they periodically forget to delete. Also, after removing various programs, they usually leave behind garbage traces of files, which also sometimes weigh quite a lot.
Therefore, I recommend that you constantly clean Tempory Internet Files, browser caches, program traces and other all kinds of garbage. I wrote how to do this in the article "". I strongly recommend you read it, because it often frees up a lot of space.
Other manual cleaning
First, turn on the display of hidden files. To do this, we follow the path “ My Computer – Tools – Folder Options – View – Show hidden files and folders - OK".
Next, open the disk with the system and find the Documents and Settings folder there. It contains your profile files and some system\program settings. The whole point is that most programs, especially if you deleted them incorrectly, i.e. without use, let’s say, they leave behind a bunch of traces and debris, which sometimes cannot be cleaned out even by Ccleaner. You have to dig with your hands. The most cluttered folders in my opinion are:
- C:\Documents and Settings\name\Application Data;
- C:\Documents and Settings\name\Local Settings\Application Data.
where C:\ is the drive where the system is located, and the name is your name in the system.
Carefully rummage through these folders and delete folders with the names of programs that have not been on your computer for a long time.
You can find the remaining thick folders yourself by selecting one\group of folders in Documents and Settings and checking their volume by clicking the right mouse button and selecting “Properties” from the list. As a rule, when traveling like this, you can find a lot of all sorts of junk that was forgotten (or deliberately left behind) by program uninstallers.
In general, to make it clearer what exactly is taking up how much space on which disk and how to delete it, I recommend reading this article of mine: “”, a program in which will clearly allow you to identify what is gnawing off treasured megabytes from the disk.
Afterword
Something like this.
I hope that the article was useful to you and that you cleared and saved heaps of valuable megabytes.
As always, I will be glad to see your additions, reviews, questions, etc., which you can safely write in the comments to this entry.
PS: As a good alternative to the above-mentioned CCleaner, I can suggest you use a wonderful program for cleaning garbage and all sorts of “forgotten” miscellaneous things.
Nowadays, one of the most valuable resources is memory. It stores files and programs necessary for work, leisure and entertainment. Memory media in computers are hard disks and their more modern analogues - solid state drives. The classic option for allocating space on any computer is to allocate space for the operating system, where all programs are also installed, and to create partitions for storing photos, music, films and countless documents valuable to the user.
In the process of using a computer, a large number of different files are created on the system partition, which are necessary for the normal operating state of the operating system and its components. Many of them have an expiration date, which, upon expiration, makes previously created files completely useless. They take up valuable space, gradually filling up free space on the system partition, causing chaos in the file system.
The issue of saving space in partitions by destroying unnecessary data is quite relevant in currently, therefore there are special utilities, which can be finely tuned for maximum efficiency. Disk cleanup can also be performed using internal operating system tools, but first things first.
Method 1: CCleaner
There is probably no user who has not heard about this program. CCleaner is rightfully considered one of the simplest, but at the same time functional utilities for searching and removing temporary and irrelevant files from the system. There are a number detailed settings, which will help to customize this product completely to the user’s requirements, performing all the necessary operations.
- The program has a paid and free version. The latter is suitable for us; it has all the necessary functionality and is not limited in time of use. You need to download from the official website of the developer installation file, run it double click mouse and install it into the system following the installer's instructions.
- Open the program using the desktop shortcut. For convenience, install the Russian language by following the instructions in the screenshot below.
- Now go to the first tab of the program. On the left side of CCleaner, in both tabs, you need to configure the items that need to be removed during cleaning. The program has a competent Russian translation, even an inexperienced user will immediately understand what needs to be cleared. By default, certain data is selected for deletion, which means you can start cleaning right away. But it is recommended to carefully study each proposed option to free up space as efficiently as possible.
After the settings have been completed, you can click on the button "Analysis", the program will scan the data specified to it and show Exact size files that it will delete. Don't be surprised if their size exceeds several gigabytes.
- CCleaner has a built-in tool to fix errors in system registry. This will remove a few kilobytes at best. unnecessary information, however, it will correct incorrect file associations, errors in startup and libraries, and check the functionality of services in the operating system. To search for errors in the registry, go to the second tab in the left panel of the program and at the bottom of the window, run the scan by clicking the button "Search for problems".
The program will check, it may take some time. After completion, the user will be presented with a list of problems found in the system. You can fix them using the button "Fix selected Issues".
You will be prompted to create a backup copy of the registry in case problems arise after the update. We confirm saving the copy.
Select a location to save the file. Its name will contain the date and exact time creation backup copy.
After creating a backup, you can fix the problems found with one button.
The correction will also take some time, depending on the number of records found. We recommend that you restart your computer after the fix is complete.
- A large number of rarely used programs may be installed on the system. Removing them will significantly increase the amount of free space on the system disk, speed up the computer boot time and reduce the load on the OS.
In the left menu, go to the tab "Service". A little to the right of this menu will appear a list of tools that will be useful to us in the future. The first tool on the list will be "Remove programs"- a fairly accurate copy of the standard utility in Windows environment, which will display a list of programs and components installed on the system. Find the software that you do not need on your computer, right-click on its name and select "Uninstallation", then follow the instructions standard program removal. Repeat this step for each unnecessary program.
After removing all unnecessary programs, it is advisable to carry out the cleaning described in point 3.
- Surely your browser has a large number of add-ons and plugins installed that you very rarely use. Not only do they take up space on the system disk, but they also significantly slow down the browser itself. Immediately carry out general cleaning using a tool "Browser Add-ons", which is located just below the previous one. If several browsers are installed on the system, you can navigate between the list of their add-ons in horizontal tabs.
- To more clearly study the list of files that take up space on the system partition, you can use the utility "Disk Analysis". It allows you to use checkboxes to indicate the types of files that we need to find on the disk.
The scanning will take some time, after which the results will be displayed in the form of a simple diagram. In the list of categories you can view the percentage of available files, their total volume and number. When you select a specific category, just below you will see a list of these files in decreasing order of size - an ideal way to identify the scoundrels who are stealing free space from the user. Before analyzing disks, it is strongly recommended that you clean up temporary files, which was described in point 3 - the program finds a huge number of files that are located on this moment in temporary folders and will be deleted soon. The information is correct, but useless.
- Once the cleaning is complete, all temporary files of the operating system and programs installed on the computer will be deleted. They take up most of the space, but with CCleaner you can free up even more space by removing duplicate files. Identical files may appear if, instead of moving from one directory to another, the files were copied. It is useless to keep two copies of the same data, but they can take up a lot of space.
Here you will have to be careful. If identical files are found in the directory of a program, then it is better to refrain from deleting it so as not to disrupt the functionality of the latter. Files that can definitely be deleted, select one by one with the left mouse button, clicking on the empty checkmarks to the left of the names, then in the lower right part of the program window, click the button "Remove selected". Be careful - this action is irreversible.
- Forgotten and irrelevant recovery points can take up a lot of space - the size can be literally tens of gigabytes (if you don’t know what recovery points are and why they are needed, we recommend reading). Using a tool "System Restore" review the list of restore points. Delete the unnecessary ones, leave 1-2, just in case. To delete, select unnecessary ones, then click on the button below "Delete".
Method 2: Manually removing unnecessary files
You can free the system partition without third-party utilities. This method has both advantages and disadvantages; the details will be discussed below.
- A huge number of users store collections of music, movies and photos directly on the system partition. It is strictly not recommended to do this, because... If the operating system malfunctions, precious collections are at risk. Move them to the next section, if there is none, split them HDD into sections of the required section (study this material).
Right-click on the folder in which the large files are located, in the context menu that opens, select "Cut out".
Then open another section, right-click on an empty space, select from the context menu "Insert".
Moving multimedia files will significantly relieve the load on the system partition.
- How long has it been since you cleaned "Basket"? These files do not hang in the air, but lie on the same system partition, just in a different folder. Final cleaning deleted files suddenly it can add a gigabyte or two of free space.
Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and click on "Empty trash".
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