9gb "unknown" file in Win XP... I need this space cleared 2

[Norgermish]

Hi and thanks for viewing this thread.
I have a Dell Optiplex 755 with 80gb HD. It was getting full so I started transfering to other computer on my network. Looking at file sizes and what my resourses left on HD it didn't add up. I used a program called WinDirStat to show all my files and sizes. It shows a file called "unknown" at a size of 9GB. Can this file be deleted or at least purged? I cannot find it through any other way except with WinDirStat and there is not an allowance to configure the file through that program.
Thanks for any suggestions,
Paul

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Where is is located? Have you tried opening a command prompt and deleting it from there?( does it show in a DIR command from its directory?)

The site for WinDirStat says it can show you properties and also delete from its interface:

http://windirstat.info/[/URL]]
Built-in cleanup actions including Open, Show Properties, Delete.

To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[jdemmi]

It could be restore points or hibernation related files.

To rule them out, disable them, reboot and see if the file is gone.

-- Jason
"It's Just Ones and Zeros

 

[Norgermish]

Thanks jdemmi, it was restore points. I have never used hibernation. Thanks for the simple solve, I've reset the restore file to a smaller size so it won't take so much space anymore. Don't know how it got set at 9000MB though.
Thanks again

 

[linney]

The default size for system Restore is 12% of the hard drive size, which would equal about 9GB.

 

[Norgermish]

ahhhh, that would explain it then. Thanks Linney. Is it alright to make it smaller? How small should the system restore be and still be effective.

 

[linney]

The minimum is 200MB, otherwise you have to turn it Off completely. 2 - 3 GB size would be more than ample, the way System restore works (if its' space is all used up) is that it dumps old restore points to make way for the most recent ones. It is a first in, first out process.

See what the average size of restore points are on your machine, and then you can work out how many you want to keep. You don't want them going back more than a couple of weeks.

How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309531&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH