Erasing drive free space

kernow

New Member
When erasing drive free space does the task actually use up free space? I ask because I think that since wiping the free space on drive C of my partitioned disk the C partition has only 2% free space left, (I don't think it was so low before erasing). I've deleted everything that I don't want on C but still I'm at 2%, too small an amount for Windows to allow disk defrag to take place.
 
This issue is extensively covered in the FAQ. Start with the topic "Common Eraser Questions"; the paragraph you want is the 5th from the end. More details on how to recover the space, if you need them are in other FAQ topics.

David
 
I couldn't follow the FAQ instructions to locate the file I needed to delete so... Found a large file on my C drive with a label I didn't recognize so copied it to my external hard drive and then deleted the original file. I think that this approach is possibly not recommended but...
 
I thought the FAQ instructions were pretty clear. The Eraser files are in a randomly named folder in the root of the drive concerned. That folder will contain only randomly named files. When I say 'random', I mean just that - the folder and file names will be complete nonsense. And the date/time stamp on them will be from the time you are doing the erasing. There pretty much cannot be another folder on your drive that accords with this description.

Once you've found the folder, just delete it. Your space will be recovered. No need to back it up; it only contains random nonsense, and should have been deleted anyway.

David
 
David, In my experience those who are conversant with the intricacies of computer hard and software frequently do not appreciate how difficult those of us who are not conversant with all things PC have in understanding what might be termed "simple" instructions. I backed up the file I deleted so that I could "go back" should my actions prove to be problematical. Via my actions I have regained over 15Gb of free space so something good has happened. Please, be a little sympathetic.

Checkout www.cornwallcam.co.uk for pics of that part of the UK which is NOT English but British. Kernow bys Vikken - Cornish for "Cornwall for Ever"
 
No issue with the backup; it was the right thing to do if you were uncertain.

I understand what you say about technical issues, but, in my experience (and I am a linguist, so I tend to understand communication problems), it's more about user confidence and willingness to engage than any problem of clarity. If you have any suggestions as to how we could express things more clearly, those are always welcome, but I thought that the user whose language I borrowed for the FAQ post had done rather a good job of describing what he did and how he did it; it is difficult to see how he could have made things simpler or more logical.

As a moderator, I ought to be very severe about your off-topic promotion of your little Celtic nation at the end of England, but I think I'll just refer you to my cousin in Lostwithiel (Lancastrian like me, but with a Cornish father and married to a Cornishman). If you are not careful, I'll go on about the Isle of Wight ...

David
 
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