low disk space - resize partition or other problem?

Ok, two part question here. I have a Dell XPS 13 laptop running Vista. My C drive for my OS is 40GB and D drive is 120GB or something for my documents, programs, whatever. I just recently noticed that I only have about 2GB left on my C drive. I know that along the way some programs did get installed on the C drive (Office, Photoshop etc) I uninstalled both of these and it didn't make a huge difference. I installed and ran WinDirStat and it's telling me that ~25GB on my C drive is taken up by the Windows folder, 17.5GB of which is the Winsxs folder. A simple google search tells me that's larger than it should be. WinDirStat made it seem as though all this was divided up between the hundreds of subfolders within winsxs and there wasn't one particular folder that was much larger than the rest.

So my questions:

1. What is my winsxs folder and does it's large size indicate there is a problem on my system? I run virus protection, firewall, etc on my system regularly and haven't had any virus issues.
2. Should I just resize my partitions and allocate more space to my C drive and be done with it or do more to find out what is taking up all this space?

Sorry for the long post but I'd appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!

 

Hi , run it

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Greetings, toenniel.

Don't know if you ran across this article in your searches, but the bottom line is pretty clear: for the most part, it's best to leave the Winsxs folder alone.

You should be able to allocate some space from your D: drive to your C: drive by using Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Storage > Disk Management.

@ falconattack: it's considered good protocol here to link to MajorGeeks for downloads - http://majorgeeks.com/SUPERAntiSpyware_d5116.html.

 

Good article Caliban.

I was just going to say that your Winsxs folder sounds about right for an older installation. I only have limited experience with Vista/Win7 (I switched directly from XP to Win7 in 2009). I noticed right away that the Windows folder starts big and gets much bigger than XP ever did.

I think ever Windows Update gets stored in Winsxs and bits of every installed program as well. I believe the only solution is to just allow more space for your OS partition. At least that is what I have chosen to do since I see no effective way of micromanaging that folder.

 

Yes, stay clear of the winsxs folder.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/...and-windows-vista-and-why-is-it-so-large.aspx

This pertains to 2008 r2 and windows 7.

Once you change the partition size on that drive, I'd consider in the future to never partition a drive, and just use separate drives for the OS and everything else on another drive.

 

@Caliban - no I hadn't come across that article yet so thank you - it was very informative.

As long as the large size in winsxs doesn't mean there is a problem, I'm good. I'm not running out of HD space in general, just on that partition - I have plenty of free space on the other partition. I will try the Disk Management tool tonight after work to allocate some free space to the C drive. Do you think my winsxs folder will keep getting even bigger? I want to make sure I allocate enough space so I don't keep running into this issue.

@theefool I'm not sure my laptop has room for a second hard drive to be installed although I've never checked. My only option is to keep the drive partitioned and keep my OS with all my documents, programs etc.

With this issue, is it really a big deal to keep the OS separate from everything else, especially if you are doing consistent backups?

@sach2 and falconattack thanks for your input as well...I can always count on people on this board to be helpful!

 

@ Caliban: I went into Disk Management and shrunk my D drive by 10GB but when I went to extend my C drive the option was greyed out.

Found an article that said this happens and suggested using diskpart.exe to resize - any experience with this?

Here's the article: http://www.vistarewired.com/2007/04...ows-vista-xp-when-disk-management-doesnt-work

 

Hi, toenniel.

I apologize - I may have led you down the wrong path. I was under the impression that Vista Disk Management could extend the C: partition, but obviously I was very wrong.

In fact, from what I've been able to ascertain, even with 3rd-party partitioning programs (such as GParted), you better make sure you've got your Vista installation disk on hand before attempting to resize the boot partition, or you'll possibly run into this scenario.

DISKPART may indeed do the trick, but again: make sure you've got your Vista disk ready, and be sure to back up any important data beforehand.

I'm with theefool - I hate partitions. They are disasters waiting to happen.

Couple of things you might consider to free some C: space:

1. Decrease the disk space used by System Restore.

2. Take control of the Virtual Memory settings and allocate space on your D: drive for the system's page file.

 

Hi,

I would like to see where the unallocated space on that drive was created. Go to Start and type disk management and hit enter. In the window that opens how is the graph of your HD laid out? Is the unallocated space between C: and D: or is it at the end of the drive?

I'm thinking that Windows might want the unallocated space between C: and D: before it allows expanding C:.