rar temp files

[zootedlooter]

hi guys....

i ll try and make this short

i am running xp
i have a 4 gig HD (C: ) for startup
and a 40 gig HD (D: ) for everything else

when drive c is running clear i should have 1.2 GB free space
it often only has 750 MB free (not a problem)
from time to time it drops to under 200 MB (problem)
i am at 80 MB now
i do not install anything on C: ever
ive cleared every temp file and cookie i can see and freed up 30 MB

OK

ive had many friends come over and look the previous times
only one has ever found the problem
he said winrar leaves files behind after use.....i have not found them
i looked into it and verified this if you drag and drop........i do not and never did

i do not wish to bother my friend anymore....he lives far


any help is greatly appreciated
looter

[CrappoMan]

Hi,

Try doing a search for all files (hidden & system included) with a size over 10Mb.

And/or, check your swap file size. Is it set to "system managed" ? If it is it could grow and shrink as needed.

And/or, if you use the hibernate facility, the "hyberfil.sys" (hidden) file will be as large as your RAM.

And/or, have you got a CD install image on your C: drive, e.g: "C:\Windows\I386", or "C:\Windows\Options\Cabs", etc.

And/or, check "C:\Program Files" for any directories that installers love to make, no matter where you tell it to install. The program installed to D: could by using C: as a temp storage.

And/or, have you changed "ProgramFilesDir" and "ProgramFilesPath" in the registry.

And/or, What about common files, "C:\Program Files\Common Files" ("CommonFilesDir" in registry)

And/or, do you have lots of large wallpaper bitmaps ? Have you changed "WallPaperDir" in the registry.

There really are hundreds of possible reasons for large C: drive.


Simon

[housepig]

grab a copy of SequoiaView - it shows your files on your drive as a graphic, with larger files as larger squares.

and as you mouse-over the squares, it will show the sizes of the files themselves, as well as the directories they are in. very useful for getting a good visual idea of the size of data on your drives...

[sterno]

With Windows XP you can end up with lots of temp directories, make sure you check all of them. A lot of software puts things under the C: drive no matter where you choose to install it.

[duhmez]

Go to system properties and change the temp variables to another drive as well; there are 4 of them. Also your temp inet files folder too. (I keep ALL stuff off c: myself too.)

[zootedlooter]

OK guys thanx for helpin

doesnt look like there are any temp files from winrar .... +10 MB search confirmed that.....i also redirected any future such over to a folder on D: ......

i had also done a search of C: for temp folders(hidden as well) and they all are only a few MB in total so....

also i dont have any screen savers or desktops that i added but i didnt see any way to toss the preinstalled ones out..... probably through the registry huh?......

Duhmez....i went to system properties and didnt see a setting to change where to dl temp files to

[duhmez]

system>advanced>environment variables. there will be c:\temp and 3 others in there, 2 at top, 2 in bottom boxx. change them here. Remmeber, if the temp folder disappears, you wont be able to run mmc, so make sure the drive or partiton with thje temp folder location exists, or if you want to run mmc you will need to move them to an actual directory.

[zootedlooter]

Thanx dumez

done.....

still leaves the problem of deleting....

any other ideas guys?

looter

[junkmalle]

I didn't see anyone mention System Restore. All those restore points (there can be dozens) can take up a lot of space.

Right click on My Computer and select Properties, then System Restore tab. Or you can use Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore and select System Restore Settings.

You can also choose to delete all the old system restore points from the Disk Cleanup program. From the Disk Cleanup app, select the More Options tab. At the bottom of the Window is the System Restore section with a button labeled "Clean up". That button will delete all but the most recent restore point.

[charvelzeppelin]

I bet you have a virus program like norton that is saving files that are being removed. If you are running norton systemworks or something similar, make sure you remove all the protected files(files that are saved when you try and delete them) under the options. Let me know if it works.

[zootedlooter]

thanx guys between the last 2 suggestions i cleared up about 20 MB doesnt sound like alot but at this critical stage it helps....

i dropped down to 24 MB tonight how low can it get before i crash for good?

Im back up to 41 MB but its a fight just to stay above 0

everyday i lose more

looter

[RDS1955]

Don't know if this will help, but if your using a news agent reader, like forte, it'll gobble up space like crazy and you won't even know it...Sounds to me like your problem is flip flopping each day, like you cruise the newsgroups with a reader, and download programs and/or headers...I ran into the same problem and found out my newsreader was eating hd space like a monkey eats banana's.... Just a thought...

[zootedlooter]

i do use something similar to a newsreader...but its more of an AOL irc client (please no boos or hissing....i know).... i just found the log and cleared it ...also disabled it...nuthin there

...i havent been doing anything these past few days though except trying to fix this problem.....just in case.....

thanx for the lookout
ZootedLoser

one more thing guys...
there are a bunc of folders on C:\Windows directory named

$NtUninstallQ810577$

they are ghosted and possibly hidden files......in total they equal 110 MB
can i delete them?

i really need the space

[teegee420]

Those folders contain uninstall information for various windows updates you have installed. Personally, I rarely mess with Windows folder. You're asking for trouble. I think housepig had the best suggestion so far. I use a simillar program called Space. In my opinion it gives you a better view of your disk space allocation. Programs like this tell you exactly how your disk space is allocated, which means no more guess work for you. Just be careful with what you delete.

[zootedlooter]

the only problem i have with housepigs advice is that i am trying to avoid installing anything....as was said before these programs do drop folders and startup files on C:

after i fix this the next time i see it dropping i ll check it out

[teegee420]

Space only takes up 1.01mb and doesn't have to be installed on the c drive.

[zootedlooter]

looks like this is the culprate... 1.3 GB

C:\Documents and Settings\BKLYNdrunk\Local Settings\Temp

Is this definitely ok to empty?

i booted 900 MB just in tmp files but there are many folders programs must use for more temp files...

Nice program guys....thanx

[teegee420]

The "Local Settings\Temp" directory is probably safe to empty. Glad you managed to find the source of all the junk.