Freespace Erase On Windows Me

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Hello,

I have Windows Me and I want to make sure of the order of thing I should do to perform a Freespace Erase?
1. Shutdown all running programs
2. Run scandisk (Standard)
3. Run freespace erase
4. Run defrag
Also should System Restore be shutdown before a Freespace Erase?

Thanks for your time...
 
Help!

Could someone please help a newbie with the above post. I would like to know if that is the right way to do a Freespace Erase on Windows Me?????????

Thanks...
 
You would think with all the people that read this forum someone in the know would be kind enough to say if the post above is the right way to do a "Freespace Erase On Windows Me"...but I guess they just don't have the time.
 
Sorry for this late reply ,but not everyone has WinME and some maybe hesitant to suggest something on a OS they know little / nothing about.

Anyway , as to your free space procedure,
1. Shutdown all running programs
2. Run scandisk (Standard)
3. Run freespace erase
4. Run defrag
Also should System Restore be shutdown before a Freespace Erase?

1-4 Look good, I would only add that you may wish to add an optional free space after 4. Because defrag (all versions ) use a part of the free space as a temp location. So after 4 you may end up with copies of parts of your unfragmented files near the end of your drive. To remove the remains of these temp files, do a final free space. Note: The final free space is recommended but not required.

So my procedure looks like this,
1. Shutdown all running programs
2. Run scandisk (Standard)
3. Run freespace erase
4. Run defrag
5. Optional Free Space erase ( Sometimes I do it some times I only do 1-4)

I don't think System Restore should be shutdown but I could be wrong.
 
SammeyDW thanks for your reply. I really would like to know if I should shut down System Restore in Windows Me before a Freespace Erase? I just don't want to lose my restore points if I don't have to. :?: Thanks again for your time.
 
Ok this is the reason for my question but I may be wrong for thinking this way and I hope someone can help me out.

I would think running a Freespace Erase in Windows Me would be no different then running a Freespace Erase in Windows XP they both have System Restore.

I would think if you don't turn off System Restore and you run a Freespace Erase all someone would have to do is run a System Restore and get some if not all erased back?????????

Maybe some of the good people on this forum could help me out with this...
 
At the end of the free space wipe all the previous System Restore points are removed when Eraser has almost filled the hard disk up with temporary files and the "Low disk space check" "balloon tip" shows this on XP. I would suggest on XP (not sure if this feature is on ME) removing all but the most recent restore points with the "More Options" tab in Disk Cleanup then all your previous System Restore points but that one get wiped. Then Windows makes a new System Restore point right afterwards (right at the end when Eraser is removing "temporary files and directories" used to perform the free space wipe.) After using Eraser to wipe free space (and a reboot!!) open up System Restore and you will see the one and only "new" Restore Point. So there is no way to restore anything back to before you used Eraser since the new restore point was made after the free space wipe. So it "should" be the same with Windows ME.
 
Curt thanks for your reply. So you are saying not to disable system restore before a freespace erase?
 
Yes, don't diable it, what if your PC crashed during a Eraser free space wipe? (You might be glad you had the System Restore point then!!)
 
Balloon Tip

Curt - Yes in Windows Me there is a "balloon tip" at the end of a FreeSpace erase when Eraser has almost filled the hard disk and it says:

"You are running out of disk space on (C). To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here..."

Are you saying let Eraser do it's thing and when it's over and closed then click on this balloon tip which takes you to "Disk Cleanup" and Cleanup System Restore or do it when the Ballon Tip first comes up while Eraser is still running at the end?

Just want to make sure I am understanding this right. I did it after the Freespace was over and closed? Thanks for your time...
 
Ignore the Balloon Tip, DON'T click on it. You should have already deleted your previous System Restore points BEFORE running Eraser to wipe free space. So before wiping free space, FIRST clean your computer up, THEN make a System Restore point, delete all but the most recent restore point (that way the restore points that were made before wiping free space will get wiped out during the free space wipe) then wipe your free space. At the end when you see the Balloon Tip Eraser deletes the ALL System Restore points (because your hard drive is filling with temporary files Eraser uses to wipe your drive) and makes new one called "Automatic Restore Point."
 
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