Use Disk Cleanup To Free Up Extra Disk Space

Low disk space is a common problem that all computers will eventually come across. As we store more and more software, programs, and files on our computers, our disk space decreases more and more. Nowadays, computers are sold with hard drives with the potential to store an enormous amount of data; in fact, my latest Dell Inspiron 1520 notebook came with a 160GB (5400 RPM) hard drive that will probably last me an eternity!

However, for those of us who don’t have the luxury of ridiculously large hard drives or endless bags of money to pay for an upgrade - there is a solution! With Windows Vista (and Windows XP for that matter) comes a great little program called Disk Cleanup that will kindly remove some of the unnecessary clutter that accumulates on your hard drive that could otherwise be used to store valuable business files and data.

Let’s boot up Disk Cleanup and allow it to work its magic; click your Windows Vista Star button and navigate to All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup.

Upon activating Disk Cleanup, a small window prompt will pop up informing you that your system is examining your system and calculating just how much disk space can be shaved off your hard drive. Please be patient as this process can take a few moments to complete.

After the scan has finished, you will be presented with the main Disk Cleanup interface where you will be able to confirm which areas of your hard drive you would like to be “cleaned”, these include:

• Downloaded Program Files: ActiveX controls and Java applets that are automatically downloaded from the internet during browsing.
• Temporary Internet Files: Webpages stored on your hard disk to help speed up viewing.
• Hibernation File Cleaner: Contains information regarding your currently active programs as it enters hibernation
• Office Setup Files: Installation files used by Microsoft Windows Office.
• Recycle Bin: Contains files that were previously deleted from your system.
• Setup Log Files: Files created by Windows Vista.
• System error memory dump files: System error memory dump files
• System error minidump files: System error minidump files.
• Temporary Files: Files temporarily saved in the Windows TEMP folder.
• Thumbnails: Copies of all your pictures, video, and document thumbnails so they can be displayed much quicker when browsing.
• Per user archived Windows Error Reports: Error reporting and solution checking files.
• Per user queued Windows Error Reports: Error reporting and solution checking files.
• System archived Windows Error Reports: Error reporting and solution checking files.
• System queued Windows Error Reports: Error reporting and solution checking files.

Go ahead and toggle whichever areas of your computer you want to be cleaned and press the OK button to continue - Windows Vista will do the rest of the work for you.

You can also take cleaning your computer system a step further by clicking the ‘More Options’ tab to bring up two additional clean up options.

Within this new area, you can opt to remove unnecessary programs on your computer that you no longer use - such as old video games or outdated software. There’s also the final option to erase all but the final Windows Vista restore points. These two extra options are among the best ways to free up that extra hard drive space.