Low memory

[delsgirl]

I keep getting a message on a weekly basis that my c drive is low on memory i have cleaned it and cleaned the tools temporary files etc, and it is still saying I only have 88mb, i do not have any downloads or anything in the files it came up with only 14 files for everything in the programme list and that included the windows standard settings etc. Can anyone tell me how to find out what is blocking the amount of memory ?

[pug100]

Hi,
I'd agree that 88 Mb is not much space so, first question is how large is your c: drive to begin with? You should try to keep at least 10% free so that Windows and your apps can work. Progs like DTP or picture / video editing can need more space than this due to the large files they generate.

Files that take up loads of space (after Windows) are
video files
pictures files
music files

Have another look through your saved files and post back or if you really can't delete or archive onto CD or DVD then buy an external USB drive and transfer all the extras onto that. A 500 GB drive costs about �50 to �80 these days so it isn't too expensive.

[delsgirl]

thanks for your answer, but i dont do any of the things you mentioned, video, music or phots etc, i just use it for very basic browing, its an old computer that my boss gave me to use to work from home, i have looked at everything listed on the add/remove programmes and there are only the initial set ups which take no space and my icq messaging for work which takes 16mg, is there anywhere else i should look, i tried to defrag and it said not enough space to do that either

[jno]

if you go to My Computer and right click on C drive then go to Properties, it should tell you, maybe with a little pie graph, how much space you have - if you haven't tried this, see if it agrees with the messages you're getting.

[pug100]

Without knowing the size of your hard drive it's not possible for me to advise you any further. To find the size of your drive right click it and choose properties, this will say used space, free space and capacity (overall size). It's the capacity size that's important.
If it's small to begin with ( say less than 4GB ) your only option is to use an external one or replace it with a bigger one. If the comp is old the current drives on the market may not be supported by either the OS or the motherboard.

[beso]

Is there a partition on the drive?
Check for a D: drive where the data should be saved.

The drive may be partitioned incorrectly with a large section not allocated. For example if someone had installed XP onto a FAT partition it would be just about out of space for data.

If so you need to set up the drive again. Acronis Disk Director is an excellent easy to use tool though it does cost.

[delsgirl]

thank you so much i have found really old stuff that i have deleted it now says i have 104mb which is more like it, the drive is only 4gb. But will see how it goes from now. Cheers and thankyou.