Win2k: Hard Drive Full, but No Sign of Why (1 Viewer)

[Chuck C]

My buddy's hard drive is full, but when he looks in thru folders to see what is taking up the bulk, there is no sign of why. Also, his My computer tab reveals that there are 2 hard drives (or 2 partitions)...how can this be consolidated?

 

[Rob Gillespie]

It's probably full because of hidden files and folders - most likely the page file.

You wont be able to merge the two partitions without using a third-party application like Partion Magic.

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

If he's using Norton Utilities, his "Norton Protected Files" are probably soaking up boatloads of space. Happened to me once... :b

 

[Chuck C]

thanks guys, it was hidden imesh files....now what about consolidating the hard drive?

 

[Keith Mickunas]

How big are the partitions? What brand of computer is it? My parents have a Compaq and a small portion of the drive was partitioned off and holds the image to re-install the system like it was when purchased. This is so you can call tech support with a problem and they can tell you to run this utility and whammo, you'll lose all your data. Nice and friendly it is.

So if this partition is for that purpose, and he is comfortable re-installing windows or linux from scratch in the event of a major failure, then go ahead and wipe it. If the partitions are both NTFS, you'll need something like Partition Magic as mentioned above to join the two. If it's FAT, then you can try a freeware app called FIPS 2.0 or FIPS2 or something like that. Do some google searching for it. It's always risky to mess with partitions, so be prepared for the worst (i.e. backup beforehand).

 

[Kelvin Tucker]

Chuck - I don't want to insult you, or your buddy, but I'd urge you to NOT worry about the partitions.

You have very, very, very little to gain and EVERYTHING to lose. Most experts actually suggest that you create multiple partitions - 1 for Windows, and another where you store your personal stuff. This way you can worry about backing up the 2nd partition, since you can always reinstall Windows itself on the 1st.

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

Two partitions are good, but it becomes a pain if the first one is 2GB and you need more. A modern Windows install and a few software packages and you can be in a lot of trouble if you want to fit the swap file there too. Many software manufacturers insist on storing stuff on C, too.

The only way I know of to reliably consolidate without losing data or reformatting is Partition Magic. Superb program, but hardly free.

They used to have a truly great little program to move installed software from one drive to another too, but for some bonehead reason they removed it from the software package... a shame.