I'm probably gonna regret asking this here but...
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I'm probably gonna regret asking this here but... My work computer is an old-ish Windows machine. The 223GB usable space on the hard drive is nearly full (<8GB free). I've emptied all the caches and temp folders I can find, emptied the recycling bin, deleted most of the stuff in the downloads folder, and removed unused apps. I've only got a few GB of documents, images etc. I have no idea what else might be eating up so much space.
EDIT: NVM! IT dept agreed to replace my computer next week
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I'm probably gonna regret asking this here but... My work computer is an old-ish Windows machine. The 223GB usable space on the hard drive is nearly full (<8GB free). I've emptied all the caches and temp folders I can find, emptied the recycling bin, deleted most of the stuff in the downloads folder, and removed unused apps. I've only got a few GB of documents, images etc. I have no idea what else might be eating up so much space.
EDIT: NVM! IT dept agreed to replace my computer next week
@Karstan try WinDirStat, that usually works for me
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I'm probably gonna regret asking this here but... My work computer is an old-ish Windows machine. The 223GB usable space on the hard drive is nearly full (<8GB free). I've emptied all the caches and temp folders I can find, emptied the recycling bin, deleted most of the stuff in the downloads folder, and removed unused apps. I've only got a few GB of documents, images etc. I have no idea what else might be eating up so much space.
EDIT: NVM! IT dept agreed to replace my computer next week
@Karstan (joke about "switch to Linux" aside)
In my (relatively limited) experience with Windows, other sources of space eaten up includes Windows updates:
- left over downloads and installation files of past (or failed) updates.
- save states to roll back.There's a bunch or commands you can write on an admin command prompt to purge the old files, but I don't have a windows at hand to find them (I am on my phone - actually on Linux).
1/2
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@Karstan try WinDirStat, that usually works for me
This is my go-to for finding large files, but having been in similar circumstances, it's often something outside my control. At least windirstat can help you find it.
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@Karstan (joke about "switch to Linux" aside)
In my (relatively limited) experience with Windows, other sources of space eaten up includes Windows updates:
- left over downloads and installation files of past (or failed) updates.
- save states to roll back.There's a bunch or commands you can write on an admin command prompt to purge the old files, but I don't have a windows at hand to find them (I am on my phone - actually on Linux).
1/2
@Karstan For the save state use "Disk Cleanup" tool that comes with Windows and go in the "More options" section to remove older "System restore" points.
(some 3rd party tools in the style of CCleaner might suggest other additional hidden stuff to remove, but I am not experienced enough to recommend tools)
2/2
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I'm probably gonna regret asking this here but... My work computer is an old-ish Windows machine. The 223GB usable space on the hard drive is nearly full (<8GB free). I've emptied all the caches and temp folders I can find, emptied the recycling bin, deleted most of the stuff in the downloads folder, and removed unused apps. I've only got a few GB of documents, images etc. I have no idea what else might be eating up so much space.
EDIT: NVM! IT dept agreed to replace my computer next week
@Karstan What version of Windows are you running? Both 10 and 11 show the size of the apps you have installed, I'd start there. Go to Settings > Apps, sort by size on disk.
If I had to guess, if the apps' sizes looks OK, it's likely that at least one app has been dumping temp files on its own directory, instead of the temp directory, which makes it harder to pinpoint.
You might also look into software that shows you how big each directory is, which should help narrow down the culprits on wasting space. Sadly, no suggestions because it's been years since I've done Windows support, so I'm completely out of the loop.
Hope this helps!
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I'm probably gonna regret asking this here but... My work computer is an old-ish Windows machine. The 223GB usable space on the hard drive is nearly full (<8GB free). I've emptied all the caches and temp folders I can find, emptied the recycling bin, deleted most of the stuff in the downloads folder, and removed unused apps. I've only got a few GB of documents, images etc. I have no idea what else might be eating up so much space.
EDIT: NVM! IT dept agreed to replace my computer next week
For those that missed the edit: I've got this sorted. My IT department is replacing the computer next week.
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For those that missed the edit: I've got this sorted. My IT department is replacing the computer next week.
@Karstan Nice! I was going to add that backing up your few GB of documents & images (and it's aleays a good idea to have such backup) and restarting with a fresh install is always a good option...
...and it looks like IT will provide this to you with an entire new computer around the new install!
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I'm probably gonna regret asking this here but... My work computer is an old-ish Windows machine. The 223GB usable space on the hard drive is nearly full (<8GB free). I've emptied all the caches and temp folders I can find, emptied the recycling bin, deleted most of the stuff in the downloads folder, and removed unused apps. I've only got a few GB of documents, images etc. I have no idea what else might be eating up so much space.
EDIT: NVM! IT dept agreed to replace my computer next week
@Karstan https://www.jam-software.com/treesize this software will show you where large files are hiding.
