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Losing free disk space


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Old 12-12-2016, 13:29
Chelseafan101
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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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Old 12-12-2016, 13:33
Mystic Eddy
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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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Old 12-12-2016, 13:45
max99
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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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Old 12-12-2016, 15:56
evil c
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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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Old 12-12-2016, 17:21
Thine Wonk
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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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Old 12-12-2016, 17:37
Stig
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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?
Which OS? Have you already got the Windows 10 Anniversary Update?
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Old 13-12-2016, 09:12
Stiggles
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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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Old 13-12-2016, 09:40
kidspud
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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.
I think Purgeable files get overwritten by applications if needed, so it is treated the same as free space on the drive.
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Old 13-12-2016, 09:47
Stiggles
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I think Purgeable files get overwritten by applications if needed, so it is treated the same as free space on the drive.
Seems so, but i'm boned if i need the space for a file!

There also seems to be no way of clearing it either.
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Old 13-12-2016, 09:56
chrisjr
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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.
This explains what Purgable is all about

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202867

And read this as well

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT206996
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Old 13-12-2016, 16:00
Thine Wonk
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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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