If you need these files at least once a month, don’t archive them, because it will become a hassle trying to open them back up all the time.
Good files to zip up are documents and files that are important, but you do not need to access very often.
There are many ways to do this, but the most common and easy way is to use Windows built in zip utility or a program like 7-Zip. Zipping up your files is basically a way of compressing your files into very, very small files, while keeping them easily accessible if you ever need them. Also it's a great way to restores files and folders that you may have accendently deleted while cleaning up your hard drive. By backing up your system (or creating an image) onto the second hard drive, if you ever need to restore your operating system, you can just restore it from backup, and quickly be up and running in no time. This will allow you to save space on your C drive by transferring folders and rarely used files that you may want to access later, onto the second hard drive.Īnother great use when adding a second hard drive is for back up purposes. But, if there are old, unused programs that you do not plan to use any longer, or do not need, go ahead and remove these programs.Īdding a second hard drive is a great way to expand storage capacity and help organize disk space on your computer. It could possibly be a very important windows program that you aren’t aware is running to ensure proper computer functionality. Do not delete any program that you aren’t aware of its use. Once it compiles the list, look through it and observe carefully the amount of space each program is taking up, how often you use each program, what company the program was downloaded from, and the name of the program. Your computer might take a couple minutes to list your currently installed program files. Go to your Control Panel (click on Start \ Control Panel ), then click on Add or Remove Programs. Nothing will be deleted, but your computer will maximize all the information it has on it by reorganizing the files. If it recommends that you defrag, go ahead and do this. After this, it will let you know if you need to defrag. Click on the “Defrag Now†button and your computer will analyze the space and information on your hard drive. In the “Properties†dialogue box that you checked out by right clicking your “C Drive†folder, go to the “Tools†tab.
After check marking the files you want to delete, click on Clean up. If it says, “You can safely delete these files†definitely check mark these items.įor any other items, you will need to use discretion, as once they are deleted they will not be available again. You can click on each item, and view a brief description of what their purpose and reason is for being on your system.
These types of files include: Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin and can even compress your older files. Here, you can view the files that are currently available to be deleted without causing problems on your system. If the Properties dialogue box of you drive is not open, go ahead and open it (as shown above) and select the General Tab, then click on the Disk Cleanup button.Īfter this function has scanned your computer for available space, it will present you with another dialogue box. To help, here are ten ways to clean up, organize and save space on your computer’s hard drive.
If your free space is less than your used space, it is important to make sure you are maximizing your computer’s performance by cleaning up your disk.
In the General tab, it should give you pie chart and information regarding the amount of free space currently available on your hard drive similar to the following screen shot: Open My Computer (XP) or Computer (Vista), then right click on “ C Drive †and select Properties. If your computer is running slower these days, or freezes up when you have too many programs running, you might need to reorganize your hard drive.Įven if your computer runs smoothly right now, it is still beneficial to know all of the space saving techniques that you can use to make sure your computer is clean, easy to navigate and in the best possible condition.īefore you begin, let's take a look at the current disk space you are utilizing and how much free disk space you have available.