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Posts tagged hard disk space
System cleanup —How to ensure a timing and effective system cleanup
Dec 4th
Currently, with the rapid growth of broadband, the need of more available hard disk space arises as a very important problem to be resolved for all PC users. If there is not enough available hard-disk space, some messages will pop up like “unable to create the specified connection” or “cluster configuration cannot proceed”.
So a system cleanup is needed to always optimize PC performance. It’s known that we can use Microsoft’s built-in Disk Cleanup utility to scan the hard disk and then delete some unwanted Internet temporary files and some useless files from recycle bin. But rare people realize that windows Prefetch folder always takes large amount of disk space. From Microsoft website, we know that prefetching boot files and applications can decreases the time needed to start Windows XP and other applications. But when trying to take this action it is necessary to go through all system data, and the data which was accessed will be recorded in the hard disk, which takes up large amount of disk space. As times by, Windows XP will become sluggish because of insufficient available hard-disk space.
So how to effectively clean up these useless files? Here, a simply way will be discussed to ensure an effectively system cleanup, that is, edit a script.
1) Run Notepad, and then edit the below command lines (pretend that Windows XP is installed under C:\Windows)
c:\windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sageset:1
c:
cd\
cd c:\windows\prefetch
del *.* /q
(Note: the last two lines are used to clean up the windows Prefetch folder)
2) Save the file as “*.bat” and store on that hard disk such as C:\ cleanup.bat.
3) Right click the just created “cleanup.bat” item to open “Disk Cleanup Settings” wizard. Here, you can check the items to be cleaned up.
4) After that, right click the icon of “cleanup.bat” and select “Edit” to change the first line to “c:\Windows\system32\cleanmgr.exe /dc /sagerun:1”.Hence, when clicking it, it will automatically run a system cleanup operation but not the wizard of “Disk Cleanup Settings”.
5) If you want to timing run “cleanup.bat” to clean up system, please go to Control Panel -> Scheduled Tasks -> Add Scheduled Task –> select “cleanup.bat” and then set the time when to run this system cleanup operation.
With the simple ways above, you can effectively clean up the system junk files at a scheduled time effectively, which releases more available free disk space and saves your time.
But it is greatly recommended that you can run a disk defragmentation after the system cleanup. As we delete or move files from the hard disk, there must be some gaps left behind, which make the hard disk fragmented it can not be defragmented at time. A defragmentation is a process which can rearrange the files on the computer, making them always stay at the same single place and much easier to be accessed to and then optimize PC performance.
In conclusion, we can ensure a timing and effective system cleanup with simple scrip to release hard disk space, but please not that another simple process — disk defragmentation is also needed in order to maintain hard disk and optimize PC performance.
Windows Performance—the Knowledge You should Know about Computer Performance
Dec 4th
Since you have using computer for a long time, it is unavoidable that your Windows system performance is reduced gradually. Even it is difficult to find at the very beginning, the problems are piling day by day. At last, you have to face that it takes longer and longer time to open files or visit websites.
Well, you can learn the main causes that influence windows performance in this article. I am sure you will know how to improve computer performance after reading it.
Lack of sufficient memory
Windows operating systems is boasting with multi-linearity and multitasks. System can perform time-sharing operation by using CPU. However, as a coin has two sides, you have to face a problem that multitask requires rigorously for high computer performance. Even word software can expense about sixteen MB memories, let alone certain big software.
At that moment, system will use hard disk space as virtual memory automatically in order to run programs and restore swap and various temporary files. Since hard disk is mechanical fabric while memory is electronic, there are several orders of magnitude between the two running speed. Although system can use hard disk as virtual memory to release memory shortage burden, it can drag the program running speed obviously.
So, you can set virtual memory by hand so as to solve this problem. You can set virtual memory as three time as that of physical memory. You can set it in the “Control Panel”—“Performance and Maintenance”—“System”—“Virtual Memory”.
Low disk space
Although Windows has many advantages, it is undeniable that Windows are incapable of managing files clearly. Sometimes you even do not know these files are good for system or not. Therefore, files in Windows directory are becoming more and more and its capacity is increasingly bulky. What is more, all the temporary and swap files produced by system can diminish hard disk available space. When the space has been narrowed to certain degree, those swap and temporary files can not find enough available space to restore which cause system to run inefficiently.
Besides, since you restore or delete various kinds of software in the hard disks frequently, the disk available space have been scattered separately. Because system does not often restore files in order, it may lead to frequent move between disk head and disk when system is restoring and reading files. This is the main reasons that slow down system running speed.
You are supposed to delete those temporary and swap files in the computer manually. You can find these files mainly in the C systematic disk where hides a large number of useless files.
Too many partitions
If your Windows has not updated qualifiedly but you have defined too many partitions, it can slow down computer startup. Therefore, it is better for you not to set excessive partitions as updating. Windows has to load every partition. As partitions are increasing, it takes longer and longer time to load them completely. Therefore, you should know how to set partitions properly.
Definitely, every user hope the Windows performance always keeps in good state. But if you do not do anything to improve computer performance, it is just dream for you. You really need to do it.
Protect Hard Disk—How to Solve Bad Tracks Problems
Dec 1st
Hard disk should be the most subtle components in the computer. As modern technology is advancing rapidly, hard disk capacity has been increased greatly. But its brittle shortcoming is not still improved radically. For computer users, it is the last thing for them to find hard disk broken, since it restores precious data and information.
As hard disk problems are divided mainly into two aspects—logical and physical bad tracks. If it is logical problem, you can reinstall software under the worst circumstance. And for physical one, you can still handle it on condition that the problems are not so serious.
First of all, let us see what will happen if there is physical damage in the hard disk.
When reading certain file or running programs, it is easy to go awry or takes long time to operate successfully. Even when reading, hard disk is creaking hoarsely. If this happens, you have to aware that certain sectors with data have been broken already.
When booting computer, system can not be lead by hard disk. After starting floppy disk, it can switch to hard disk drive letter but cannot enter into it. Even by using SYS order, it still fails. All of these are probably caused by the problem in hard disk sectors. It is more serious than the previous one. Besides, computer is always troubled with blue screen without any specific reason even though you use it correctly.
According to the situation mentioned above, there are some ways to remedy. Here are some methods to repair hard disk bad tracks. You should take these measures orderly.
First of all, it is wise for you from the easiest way. In Windows98 system, you can right-click drive letter and choose “Properties”. In the “Tool” tab, you can choose to scan the disk thoroughly and automatically restore the probable broken cluster.
To be frankly, the first methods can not work very well every time, because Windows98 just repair the logical bad tracks but not physical ones. Therefore, you should consider perform “Cold Treatment” to these bad tracks. So-called “Cold Treatment” is to mark those tracks and do not use them any more. You should remember their positions and perform high-level formatting. By doing these, those tracks can be arranged in certain area and computer may not restore any file there. Do not decide such area too small in order to save hard disk space. Because bad tracks can extend to other good ones, it is wise for you to leave proper space for those broken tracks in case of new bad tracks happen. Or you can use certain specific software to help you.
In the last resort, you can do low-level formatting to hard disk. This should be the last measure to take because it can harm disks in two aspects at least: one is to abrade disk; another is to accelerate the extension of bad tracks.
Last but not least, if there is any bad track, you should review whether you defragment disk too frequently or there is too low memory so that the applications have to visit disks hourly.
All of the methods mentioned above can solve hard disk physical bad tracks problems correctly but passively, because it expenses the disk capacity. So, the best way is to operate hard disk cautiously.
Methods to save hard disk space — Making the computer always run at top speed
Nov 16th
Once you have run out of the Disk space on your hard disk, it will become really a pain to download programs /files from the internet, which I believe you all definitely love to do. So it becomes very important for you to learn how to save hard disk space rather than replace the hard disk.
1) Run a disk cleanup.
We all know that when running the computer, there will be lots of junk file generating such as BAK、OLD、TMP, TEMP, CACHE files and so on, which will only takes lots of hard disk space without any particle significance. So this will be the first thing you should do in order to clean up the useless files to free up more available space. You can go to My Computer -> right click the disk to be cleaned up-> Properties -> General -> Disk cleanup -> select the file types to be deleted within the appearing Disk Cleanup wizard -> Press OK and then Yes to automatically remove the junk files from your computer.
2) Run a disk error- checking
When the computer is turned off or crashed suddenly, some disk fragments will occur, so it becomes necessary to run an error-checking. You can simply go My Computer -> right click the disk -> Properties -> Tools ->Press “Check Now” within the “Error-checking” tab and then tick “Automatically fix file system errors”, click “Start” to begin.
3) Adjust your Recycle Bin to get space
Normally, the capacity of the Recycle Bin is set according to the hard disk space, for example, for a 500GB drive, the default space allocated would be 50GB (10%) for the Recycle Bin, which goes to be wasted. To prevent wastage, you can adjust the space allocated for Recycle Bin to regain more available space. Here is how to do it: right-click the Recycle Bin and choose Properties, if you want to only have one drive, or want to have the same setting for all multiple drives, first please check the tab “Use one setting for all drives” and then just slide the slider to the left until you get the percentage you think is appropriate; If you want a different percentage of space reserved for each drive, first click the Configure Drives Independently button, then click each drive’s tab at the top and adjust the slider for each drive, last click OK to save your settings.
4) Burn some less used files to DVDs or CDs
Well, there must be some data on the computer which is important but not used frequently on the hard disk. So, the best solution you can do is to burn that on CDs or DVDs and then use them when required, which is very easy but useful in protecting the data and releasing the hard disk space.
5) Select “Custom” to install programs on the computer
When installing programs on the computer, there will be some components coming together, but sometimes some are unnecessary at all. So it is recommended that you can use the Custom option to only install what you want.
6) Use compressed format to store the Multimedia files
The development of the Multimedia technology puts forward higher requirements on the computer speed and hard disk space. But it takes different disk spaces when stored in different formats, but it takes less in compressed format.
Those are what you can do in your spare time to save the hard disk space so as to make it run smoothly. But in my opinion, that is not enough. As we al know that disk/ file fragments will create when involving to the allocation of files on the computer, making the computer fragmented. The more fragmented the computer is, the slower it will be when running. So to always make the computer run at top speed, a disk defragmentation is needed. By the way, it is very easy to defragment the computer with the windows built-in defragmenter, but it you are not satisfied with the sluggish package defragmenter utility, a professional defrag tool like Advanced Defrag is suitable for you.
With the details above, you can save more available free space for your computer, making you enjoy every day with the computer which runs at top speed smoothly.