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Losing free disk space |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 2,482
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Losing free disk space
Over the past couple of days my PC has lost an alarming amount of free disk space.
On Saturday, it had about 50-60GB. On Sunday, it went down to 8, then 5, then 1. I did a lot of deleting and uninstalling, and got it back up to 167GB...but that started to drop as well, and was at 0b by the end of Match of the Day. I deleted a large backup file to free up 288GB, but I suspect that'll go too. Anyone know what the cause is and how to fix it? |
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,884
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Possibly System Restore making backups as you use the PC. When you deleted the backup, did you do that via the disk cleanup tool? Realistically though, restore points shouldn't eat through that much disk space and I'm pretty sure it's designed so it doesn't take up all the remaining space.
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,843
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Use WinDirStat to get a visual representation of the hard drive. You'll quickly see which files are taking up the space.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/windirstat/ It's often caused by backup routines, restore points or software spiraling out of control and not deleting temp files or creating endless log reports, etc. Video editing, sat nav, AV software and Windows Updates are the main culprits that I've come across. As always with any hard drive issue, ensure everything important is backed up and that you've verified it is actually backed up correctly. |
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Wirral Peninsula
Posts: 4,775
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Did you make any changes to the system, or install any new software, or notice any unusual events, prior to the problem? You could try System Restore and restore back to the last point before the problem occured, and see if that fixes it.
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 14,541
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If you open 'Resource Monitor' (that is not task manager, but can be accessed via Task Manager, it is build into Windows) then hit the Disk tab and see which processes are using Disk Activity, sort by the write column to see which process is writing.
It'll be some software you've installed doing something crazy I suspect, here's my screenshot as an example, maybe screenshot it making sure it's sorted by writes. http://imgur.com/eeGauyu |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Sandy Heath, Beds. UK
Posts: 10,377
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Quote:
Over the past couple of days my PC has lost an alarming amount of free disk space.
On Saturday, it had about 50-60GB. On Sunday, it went down to 8, then 5, then 1. I did a lot of deleting and uninstalling, and got it back up to 167GB...but that started to drop as well, and was at 0b by the end of Match of the Day. I deleted a large backup file to free up 288GB, but I suspect that'll go too. Anyone know what the cause is and how to fix it? |
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 9,292
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If this is macOS Sierra then i've been having a similar issue recently which is doing my head in.
Not as aggressive as yours, but i keep losing disc space to something called Purgeable which i cannot seem to get back. It's sitting at 19gb just now.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 11,490
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Quote:
If this is macOS Sierra then i've been having a similar issue recently which is doing my head in.
Not as aggressive as yours, but i keep losing disc space to something called Purgeable which i cannot seem to get back. It's sitting at 19gb just now. ![]() |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 9,292
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Quote:
I think Purgeable files get overwritten by applications if needed, so it is treated the same as free space on the drive.
There also seems to be no way of clearing it either. |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Reading
Posts: 27,900
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Quote:
If this is macOS Sierra then i've been having a similar issue recently which is doing my head in.
Not as aggressive as yours, but i keep losing disc space to something called Purgeable which i cannot seem to get back. It's sitting at 19gb just now. ![]() https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202867 And read this as well https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT206996 |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 14,541
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I wonder if the OP will come back with an update following our posts. When you help people it is good if they post a follow up, also if other people search the same problem and this thread comes up it can also help to have the resolution or outcome.
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