Hidden file taking up 70Gb of disk space, even showing hidden system files does not reveal what or where it is.

Question

I have just noticed today that I only have 5Gb of disk space left. Having checked the properties of all directories on this drive I can ascertain that approximately 70Gb has been lost.

I have followed the post here : http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistaperformance/thread/93892180-aa3f-4cd3-90a9-87d6aca6ddca

and this has made no difference.

I'm sure I don't have any viruses as my PC is fully scanned every day, I also run Diskeeper Pro to alleviate fragmentation (this is running constantly).

I have cleared all my Windows and applications event logs and this too has made no difference.

As stated in the title, I have unhidden system files etc and still cannot locate anything.

Just to re-iterate, checking the properties of each root folder shows pretty much the disk usage I expect, if I check the properties of the root of C: it shows 5Gb free.

I am running Vista + SP2, Avira AV, Comodo Firewall, Diskeeper Pro 2010.

Regards

Andrew

Answer 1

If your computer is running normal with no problems do this: right click (C:) click Disk Cleanup, wait......  click More Options, click Clean up for System Restore and Shadow Copies. Now check Free Space.

Answer 2

What can I say...except wow ;P I had noticed some odd behaviour before checking back here, ie. setting system files back to hidden halved the meagre disk space I had left.

Performed your suggestion and now back to normal 73Gb recovered. What I don't quite understand is that I haven't set Vista up to create restore points, and I have never done one manually. I basically back everything up to an external HD and if everything goes wrong I restore from that, so I'm guessing Vista is doing something I don't know about of it's own accord.

Thanks Fyip, I'll keep a note of this if anything similar happens again, I used to work in a OS support role up till 2003 and I've never discovered half the options available in Vista and 7.

Thanks Again

Andrew

Answer 3

I hope you come back and read this because it is Vista and Windows Update creating the restore points. Also check your settings in your external hard drive which also creates restore points. However if you turn off restore points in your external hard drive it will turn off restore points in your OS, and turning off restore points in your OS will turn off restore points for your external. Also when they are turned off this way it does not even keep even one, all are gone. You can turn off restore points in Vista. Go to System in Control Panel and click System protection, wait.....  uncheck the box OS (C:)You do not want to do this but you can use the other option as shown in my earlier post to recover disk space as the most recent restore point is saved.

signed.....fyip.....for your information please!

Answer 4

Thanks fyip, I'll look into that. TBH I want to be able to create manual restore points (I'd rather do everything manually rather than rely on software to do it for me), so I always know what I've got, where I've got it and to what state a restore would return me to. I really don't appreciate the amount of nannying that Microsoft do for us right now...I want to be in control.

Having said that my parents would be lost without the handholding.

Answer 5

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-US/default.htm