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Question

Cleaning the hard drive??

Dec 29, 2014 2:00PM PST

Okay. The first thing I probably need to say is I'm not a computer techie. My knowledge about computer is basically next to a banana. So if ever you find something this stupid or funny, I will take no offense.

I recently bought a desktop computer (brand new Windows Cool a few weeks ago with a 97GB hard drive memory. Didn't bother to look for the HDD's available space that time and started installing a few softwares (e.g. Heartstone, Facebook, just pretty basic PC software). That's why I was so baffled when I saw the HDD's available space reduced to 13GB losing 84GB of memory.

Though I didn't pay that much attention to the HDD's memory at the beginning, I'm pretty sure there used to be a loooot more space to it when I first bought it. I started uninstalling some of the software I had but none could even reach a 2GB space mark.

I had the Properties of all the folders in HDD checked and this is what I came up with:
<div>Windows8_OS(CHappy / Windows of

17GB</div>Windows8_OS(CHappy / Users <span style="font-size: 14.4444446563721px;">of 14GB
Windows8_OS(CHappy / Program Files (x86) of 44GB

The remaining files in the HDD all amounts to not more than 5GB.

I already read some articles how to clean the HDD but I'm quite anxious as I might delete something important and make the PC useless in the process. Any advice? Is this normal?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: disk space
Dec 29, 2014 4:05PM PST

- 17 GB for Windows is not much. That will grow in the future.
- 14 GB for Users is a lot. It starts with at most .5 GB for a user.
- 44 GB for Program Files is outrageous. A few GB is normal after you installed some software.

So It's time to download Treesize Free from http://www.jam-software.de/treesize_free/ and go deeper into the forlder structure.

Kees

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Check your specs
Dec 30, 2014 1:39AM PST

Since you stated you have a 98gb HD, I really think for a win8.x setup that really is lowball stuff. i don't what your specs are, basically the full storage amount. But, I suggest you check "my computer" or desktop mode and then find what drives are present. If you have -1/one- HD, then 97gb is plain too little. if that 97gb is "C" drive and a partition then the remaining storage media(other partition) is available as probable "D" or some drive? space. What does yours say? Until, you suppl;y that info we can go further in settling your issue. In other words do you have more drive space other than 97gb else where. We're not asking about CD drives, HD or SSD drives.

If you like get your hands on a pgm. called SPECCY, d/l it and run it. It will report all specs of your system.

tada -----Willy Happy

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Answer
Ok, lets have all the details.
Dec 30, 2014 2:00AM PST

A brand new computer with 97GB? Obviously it's not a desktop. What brand and model.

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Answer
Just looked up the size of the Windows 8.1 update.
Dec 30, 2014 2:07AM PST

It's a few GB so there's that plus backup of quite a few GB to rollback if the update fails. All these may not show up when you use a normal search so you need tools like what Kees noted or go old school with the command line.

I'm sure you'll find it but this is partly why I tell folk to not consider 128GB SSD boot drives. They end up hunting down space. Your drive is even smaller so you'll either learn the tools, commands or blow up at some point.
Bob