Cleanup hard disk space on Windows XP - the ultimate guide

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While using a Windows computer, the file system gets gradually filled up. After some time (usually several years), the hard disk becomes full. It is time to cleanup the disk space that is used by files, which are not needed anymore.

Hard disk gets filled up by user actions, such as:

• Installation of new software.
• Downloading files from Internet.
• Creating content, e.g. documents and movies.
• Downloading content from (video) cameras.

Many files are also created without users being aware of them:

• Temporary Internet files. Web browsers download files, such as images and videos to your hard disk and cache them for future use. For example, to load web pages faster after pressing a Back button.
• Temporary Windows files. Windows and Windows applications create temporary files, which they sometimes do not cleanup properly.
• System file backups, which are created when applying service packs and security patches.

There are various actions you can take to free up space on your hard disk. The smartest way is to start with deleting files you will not need and finish with removing files you might possibly miss sometimes in the future.

Empty the Recycle Bin
Sounds trivial, but can be easily forgotten.

Delete temporary files

• Open Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. The Disk Cleanup utility will take some time to scan the hard disk and make recommendations.
• Click the Disk Cleanup tab (if it is not already selected).
• Under Files to delete, check Temporary Internet Files and Internet Files (uncheck the rest)
• Click OK. Click Yes to the proceed with this action. Click OK.

This will remove temporary Internet files cached only by Internet Explorer. If your favorite browser is not Internet Explorer, you need to use your browser to delete the files it cached.

In Mozilla FireFox 3.6:

1. Select Tools > Clear Recent History.
2. In Time range to clear combo box, select Everything.
3. If you do not see a list under Details then click the down arrow.
4. Check Cache and uncheck the rest.
5. Click the Clear Now button

In Google Chrome 10.0:

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to display the Clear Browsing Data dialog.
2. Check Empty the Cache (and uncheck the other check boxes)
3. In Clear data from this period, select Everything
4. Click the Clear Browsing Data button

Read How do I clear my web browser's cache, cookies, and history? to learn how to clear cache for other browsers.

Compress Infrequently Used Files
This action actually does not remove any files. The compressed files will consume less space on the hard disk.

• Open Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. The Disk Cleanup utility will take some time to scan the hard disk and make recommendations.
• Click the Disk Cleanup tab (if it is not already selected).
• Under Files to delete, check Compress Files (uncheck the rest).
• Click OK.

Remove Restore Points
Restore points are created on multiple occasions, such as when installing software or Windows updates. They allow rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of system malfunction or failure. Restore points are located in system volume information and by default they are not accessible via Windows Explorer. It is normally OK to delete the restore points after using a computer for several weeks without installation of new software or applying a security patch.

• Open Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. The Disk Cleanup utility will take some time to scan the hard disk and make recommendations.
• Click the More Options tab (if it is not already selected).
• Click Yes to remove all but the most recent restore point.
• Click OK, click Yes to proceed with this action, and then click OK.

Delete System Update Folders
Folders with odd looking names like $NtUninstall are present in the Windows directory (usually C:\Windows). These backup folders contain the files needed to uninstall Windows updates, should they cause problems. Here is more information from Microsoft on how to remove the service pack restore files and folders. This can be applied to other system updates as well.

Similar to removing the restore points, it is wise to wait for several weeks after installing an update. If the update does not have any undesired side effects, the backup files can be removed.

Delete Files from Prefetch Folder
The Windows prefetch folder is used to help speed up the loading of programs. Windows will load programs it assumes you will run. However, over time the prefetch folder might get filled up with programs you might not need. It is OK to empty this folder periodically. The prefetch folder is a subfolder of the Windows system folder, usually C:\Windows\Prefetch. Locate this folder in Windows Explorer and delete all files.

Learn more about the prefetch folder in Gaining Speed: Empty Prefetch on your XP System.

Uninstall Unused Programs
You might have installed trial versions of some programs or you simply do not need programs installed long time ago.

• Open Start > Control Panel.
• Run Add or Remove Programs.
• Sort the list of installed programs by Size.
• Go through the list top-down and uninstall programs you will not use anymore.

Delete Files from Browser Downloads Folder
If you frequently download files from Internet, the downloads folder of your browser might get filled up with large files. Open the downloads folder in Windows Explorer. Sort the files by size. Inspect the large files and decide which ones you can safely delete.

Search for Forgotten Large Files
There might be large files in My Documents subfolders, which have forgotten long time ago. To find these files:

1. In Windows Explorer, locate My Documents.
2. In the context menu, select Search.
3. In Search Results window, select What size is it?
4. Select Large (more than 1 MB).
5. Click Search.
6. Sort the files by size in descending order.
7. Go through the list top-down and delete files you are sure you will not use anymore.

Empty Recycle Bin Again
Some of the above actions simply move the "deleted" files to Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin needs to be emptied to actually regain the space on the hard disk.

Multiple Users on One Computer
Some of the steps above free up space for the currently logged in user. If there are multiple user accounts on the computer repeat for each user the steps for removing temporary and cached files, downloaded files and other large files under My Documents.

Defragment
After doing all these cleanups, it is useful to defragment the hard disk. This will rearrange the files on the hard disk on order to improve speed of data retrieval.

Repeat Periodically
After some time (depending on many different factors, such as frequency and size of downloads), the hard disk will get filled up again. You might have to repeat some of the above steps again.

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