Hardware Gradually losing HDD space?

[the_randomizer]

Okay, so there's something very strange going on with my primary HDD, over the past few days, I've noticed the free space is gradually dropping by 1 GB, despite the fact that all I've downloaded primarily are jpeg files, music, 3D models, etc, none of which are even that big. Even when I don't do anything intensive, the space still drops gradually and frankly, this is really starting to worry me; sometimes it will bounce back up to 220 GB or whatever, but then it starts slowly going down, like there's some kind of pagefile-related issue, I don't know.

I attempted to use Google and find out what was going on, some results yielded information about the pagefile being set wrong or the like when I never even touched those settings in the two plus years I've had this. Is this related to a virus or some kind of malware? Can they actually be programmed to reduce the amount of free space on a HDD? So, I did do a malware scan and these are the results that it found, given the fact there are numerous registry entries (all related to Internet Explorer, which I don't use), to sum up, I'm worried that my HDD is going to explode or experience some kind of catastrophic failure, but I have most of my vital data backed up, so I wouldn't be totally screwed.

According to this http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/slowly-but-surely-losing-hard-drive-space.262274/ one possibility is the system restore at fault.

This really shouldn't be happening as my secondary HDD doesn't so much as bat an eye, it's the primary HDD, the one where the OS is installed, that's doing this and only started up maybe a couple of weeks ago, but it would bounce back. I hope my description at least make a little sense, and yes, I used CCleaner and there was only like 1 MB or so of temp files (deleted them the other day). I should also note that I do use Sleep when not in use, but turn it off once a day when I sleep.


Malwarebytes PUP results: Should all these be removed?

Spoiler

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
www.malwarebytes.org
 
Scan Date: 5/19/2015
Scan Time: 11:05:49 AM
Logfile: Malware results.txt
Administrator: Yes
 
Version: 2.01.6.1022
Malware Database: v2015.05.19.03
Rootkit Database: v2015.05.16.01
License: Free
Malware Protection: Disabled
Malicious Website Protection: Disabled
Self-protection: Disabled
 
OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1
CPU: x64
File System: NTFS
User: PC
 
Scan Type: Threat Scan
Result: Completed
Objects Scanned: 442410
Time Elapsed: 12 min, 41 sec
 
Memory: Enabled
Startup: Enabled
Filesystem: Enabled
Archives: Enabled
Rootkits: Disabled
Heuristics: Enabled
PUP: Warn
PUM: Enabled
 
Processes: 0
(No malicious items detected)
 
Modules: 0
(No malicious items detected)
 
Registry Keys: 2
PUP.Optional.Spigot.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{0633EE93-D776-472F-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}, , [fe815045e7a3ff3767374a90689b27d9], 
PUP.Optional.Astromenda.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{5BB09347-649C-486E-9FDF-A4C90C3BE09D}, , [651aafe69dedd561f9bed594cc39eb15], 
 
Registry Values: 6
PUP.Optional.Spigot.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{0633EE93-D776-472f-A0FF-E1416B8B2E3A}|URL, http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=chr-greentree_ie&ei=utf-8&ilc=12&type=903578&p={searchTerms}, , [fe815045e7a3ff3767374a90689b27d9]
PUP.Optional.Astromenda.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{5BB09347-649C-486E-9FDF-A4C90C3BE09D}|URL, http://astromenda.com/results.php?f=4&q={searchTerms}&a=ast_frg01_14_41_ch&cd=2XzuyEtN2Y1L1QzuyCtD0AyEyE0CyD0Ezy0F0Ezzzzzzzz0AtN0D0Tzu0StCtDtCtAtN1L2XzutAtFyDtFtCtFtBtN1L1CzutCyEtBzytDyD1V1StN1L1G1B1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2StDyC0B0EzzyD0D0FtGtC0BzztDtGzzyD0DyEtG0CtB0EtDtGtBtA0BzytDyEtB0Dzz0EyDtB2QtN1M1F1B2Z1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2SyB0FyCtD0A0AtBzztG0EyB0B0DtGyE0DyCtAtG0ByB0E0CtGtByDtB0EyByCyEyDzz0EyDtB2Q&cr=1307245668&ir=, , [651aafe69dedd561f9bed594cc39eb15]
PUP.Optional.Astromenda.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{5BB09347-649C-486E-9FDF-A4C90C3BE09D}|TopResultURLFallback, http://astromenda.com/results.php?f=4&q={searchTerms}&a=ast_frg01_14_41_ch&cd=2XzuyEtN2Y1L1QzuyCtD0AyEyE0CyD0Ezy0F0Ezzzzzzzz0AtN0D0Tzu0StCtDtCtAtN1L2XzutAtFyDtFtCtFtBtN1L1CzutCyEtBzytDyD1V1StN1L1G1B1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2StDyC0B0EzzyD0D0FtGtC0BzztDtGzzyD0DyEtG0CtB0EtDtGtBtA0BzytDyEtB0Dzz0EyDtB2QtN1M1F1B2Z1V1N2Y1L1Qzu2SyB0FyCtD0A0AtBzztG0EyB0B0DtGyE0DyCtAtG0ByB0E0CtGtByDtB0EyByCyEyDzz0EyDtB2Q&cr=1307245668&ir=, , [f28d1c79b1d930067740fc6de81db64a]
PUP.Optional.Astromenda.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{5BB09347-649C-486E-9FDF-A4C90C3BE09D}|FaviconPath, C:\Program Files (x86)\WSE_Astromenda\\FavIcon.ico, , [46399104692177bfe1d62a3f53b231cf]
PUP.Optional.Astromenda.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{5BB09347-649C-486E-9FDF-A4C90C3BE09D}, Astromenda, , [a9d6078ec6c441f505b2aebbbf465ca4]
PUP.Optional.Astromenda.A, HKU\S-1-5-21-4226263538-640418759-553767252-1000\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\SEARCHSCOPES\{5BB09347-649C-486E-9FDF-A4C90C3BE09D}|DisplayName, Astromenda, , [b0cf6f26ff8b7cbabbfcfc6d0104da26]
 
Registry Data: 0
(No malicious items detected)
 
Folders: 7
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7, , [83fcccc9d7b331053708214abd4830d0], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo, , [83fcccc9d7b331053708214abd4830d0], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\ASPNET\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7, , [98e70392f79341f597a84b2040c5d030], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\ASPNET\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo, , [98e70392f79341f597a84b2040c5d030], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7, , [36493d58f49625111d22343706ff3fc1], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo, , [36493d58f49625111d22343706ff3fc1], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug, C:\ProgramData\pdpajcncpdengdpfakpjkjmdipohchnn, , [413e2b6ae5a5b680d3be1e4e2fd638c8], 
 
Files: 20
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\lsdb.js, , [83fcccc9d7b331053708214abd4830d0], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\background.html, , [83fcccc9d7b331053708214abd4830d0], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\content.js, , [83fcccc9d7b331053708214abd4830d0], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\ku_F.js, , [83fcccc9d7b331053708214abd4830d0], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\manifest.json, , [83fcccc9d7b331053708214abd4830d0], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\ASPNET\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\lsdb.js, , [98e70392f79341f597a84b2040c5d030], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\ASPNET\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\background.html, , [98e70392f79341f597a84b2040c5d030], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\ASPNET\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\content.js, , [98e70392f79341f597a84b2040c5d030], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\ASPNET\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\ku_F.js, , [98e70392f79341f597a84b2040c5d030], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\ASPNET\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\manifest.json, , [98e70392f79341f597a84b2040c5d030], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\lsdb.js, , [36493d58f49625111d22343706ff3fc1], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\background.html, , [36493d58f49625111d22343706ff3fc1], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\content.js, , [36493d58f49625111d22343706ff3fc1], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\ku_F.js, , [36493d58f49625111d22343706ff3fc1], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug.A, C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\mnkdopdccdhekmnbanfmhehkbidjppmo\3.7\manifest.json, , [36493d58f49625111d22343706ff3fc1], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug, C:\ProgramData\pdpajcncpdengdpfakpjkjmdipohchnn\lsdb.js, , [413e2b6ae5a5b680d3be1e4e2fd638c8], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug, C:\ProgramData\pdpajcncpdengdpfakpjkjmdipohchnn\background.html, , [413e2b6ae5a5b680d3be1e4e2fd638c8], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug, C:\ProgramData\pdpajcncpdengdpfakpjkjmdipohchnn\content.js, , [413e2b6ae5a5b680d3be1e4e2fd638c8], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug, C:\ProgramData\pdpajcncpdengdpfakpjkjmdipohchnn\ECjMlfYY.js, , [413e2b6ae5a5b680d3be1e4e2fd638c8], 
PUP.Optional.MultiPlug, C:\ProgramData\pdpajcncpdengdpfakpjkjmdipohchnn\manifest.json, , [413e2b6ae5a5b680d3be1e4e2fd638c8], 
 
Physical Sectors: 0
(No malicious items detected)
 
(end)

 

[FAST6191]

The computer will usually tell you it is increasing the size of the page file/swap space. You would probably also know about it as the thing would be running slow as sin if you are worrying the upper limits of swap space.

Equally depending upon the file system you are using then files can take up things by sector allocation, if you have only downloaded a few files but have made thumbnails for each one then -- as a test once I needed to make a large selection of files so I made a few hundred thousand small ones. Even when they were mostly 0k it dropped the space.

But yeah some kind of cache/update downloader. Windows updates can do this to you but assuming you are reasonably current it should not go down that much. Are you doing any downloading in general? A lot of things might copy the resulting folder to a downloads drive but use the primary one as a kind of cache/temp location as it is doing it. Depending upon the speed of the downloads then it can be fun.

After this then yeah you are looking at some kind of crazy reallocation thing seen in dying hard drives.

On the malwarebytes thing then yeah it looks like you have a dodgy search bar/browser extension installed. Theoretically it could be those dropping your space but it would be a first for a basic browser homepage redirect type thing to do it.

 

[sarkwalvein]

I recommend using SpaceSniffer, it will not solve your problems but perhaps you can detect where your space is going, and anyway it is a nice tool so if it doesn't work for you this time it may be handy in the future.

 

[the_randomizer]

The computer will usually tell you it is increasing the size of the page file/swap space. You would probably also know about it as the thing would be running slow as sin if you are worrying the upper limits of swap space.

Equally depending upon the file system you are using then files can take up things by sector allocation, if you have only downloaded a few files but have made thumbnails for each one then -- as a test once I needed to make a large selection of files so I made a few hundred thousand small ones. Even when they were mostly 0k it dropped the space.

But yeah some kind of cache/update downloader. Windows updates can do this to you but assuming you are reasonably current it should not go down that much. Are you doing any downloading in general? A lot of things might copy the resulting folder to a downloads drive but use the primary one as a kind of cache/temp location as it is doing it. Depending upon the speed of the downloads then it can be fun.

After this then yeah you are looking at some kind of crazy reallocation thing seen in dying hard drives.

On the malwarebytes thing then yeah it looks like you have a dodgy search bar/browser extension installed. Theoretically it could be those dropping your space but it would be a first for a basic browser homepage redirect type thing to do it.

So should I be terribly concerned about this? I turned off Windows Updates so I could do it manually, but haven't done so lately (as I've heard recent updates muck things up on some lucky peoples' machines), the filesystem is NTFS for both HDDs. One thing I tried was entering the command "vssadmin list shadowstorage" via CMD in admin mode, currently tells me there is about 13 GB for shadowstorage, is that what you meant? http://www.postseek.com/meta/42900df3b0feaaf1bca6a48a27b15c82

The question now is, what can I do about this? Should I be concerned at all or is this a perfectly normal occurrence, given the nature of the OS and NTFS? Yeah, I do download a lot, but nothing huge, the files don't even reach 100 MB in most cases. But what I want to know is, the fact it could be crapping out is utterly ridiculous, seeing as this HDD is barely two years old, and it's Western Digital (1 TB Black, 5 year warranty), so, I don't know

I recommend using SpaceSniffer, it will not solve your problems but perhaps you can detect where your space is going, and anyway it is a nice tool so if it doesn't work for you this time it may be handy in the future.

Ugh, I really really hope the effing drive isn't failing, I don't have my Windows 7 DVD lying around, much less the key code...this sucks.....and yeah, I'll try out that program for sure.

 

[Qtis]

Have you checked how much you have allocated to possible system restore? Most OSs nowadays have a recovery option for failed updates regardless of origin of a failed update. These files can eat up quite a bit space if you haven't limited the space to a specific amount. IIRC Windows removes files after a specific amount of time so this may explain your space allocation changes

 

[the_randomizer]

Have you checked how much you have allocated to possible system restore? Most OSs nowadays have a recovery option for failed updates regardless of origin of a failed update. These files can eat up quite a bit space if you haven't limited the space to a specific amount. IIRC Windows removes files after a specific amount of time so this may explain your space allocation changes

Yeah, I read up on that, as well as pagefile space, which would explain a lot, now that I think about it. Is there a command or easy way to accessing how much is actually allocated? Also, one option I've seen suggested is turning off system restore altogether, but that might not be conducive.

 

[Jayro]

System Restore does indeed gobble space, same with the Recycle Bin. I change them both to 1%.

 

[the_randomizer]

System Restore does indeed gobble space, same with the Recycle Bin. I change them both to 1%.

Hmm, again, this would certainly explain a lot, what's the easiest way to change how much is allocated?

 

[sarkwalvein]

Yeah, I read up on that, as well as pagefile space, which would explain a lot, now that I think about it. Is there a command or easy way to accessing how much is actually allocated? Also, one option I've seen suggested is turning off system restore altogether, but that might not be conducive.

If you want to know how much your paging file is using, just look at the size of C:\pagefile.sys
If you want to change the maximum amount allowed (not recommended), do this:
1. Press WIN+PAUSE keys (alternatively, go to start menu, right click computer and select properties)
2. Click advanced system-whatever on the panel left side (my PC is in German, PLEASE UNDERSTAND)
3. Then go to the advanced tab.
4. Click in the first "Properties" button.
5. Again go to the advanced tab (this is very advanced... it seems)
6. Click in the button "Change"

If you want to change the size of system restore:
1. Press WIN+PAUSE keys (alternatively, go to start menu, right click computer and select properties)
2. Click advanced system-whatever on the panel left side (see above)
3. Go to the system protection tab.
4. Press the Configure button.
5. Configure it as you like.

 

[the_randomizer]

If you want to know how much your paging file is using, just look at the size of C:\pagefile.sys
If you want to change the maximum amount allowed (not recommended), do this:
1. Press WIN+PAUSE keys (alternatively, go to start menu, right click computer and select properties)
2. Click advanced system-whatever on the panel left side (my PC is in German, PLEASE UNDERSTAND)
3. Then go to the advanced tab.
4. Click in the first "Properties" button.
5. Again go to the advanced tab (this is very advanced... it seems)
6. Click in the button "Change"

If you want to change the size of system restore:
1. Press WIN+PAUSE keys (alternatively, go to start menu, right click computer and select properties)
2. Click advanced system-whatever on the panel left side (see above)
3. Go to the system protection tab.
4. Press the Configure button.
5. Configure it as you like.

Thanks for those steps, now, since it's not recommended, what do you suggest I do so I'm not so bloody paranoid about something so trivial? I don't know why I let this worry me, you know? What about the system restore points? Google search yielded threads that mention them too.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Thanks for those steps, now, since it's not recommended, what do you suggest I do so I'm not so bloody paranoid about something so trivial? I don't know why I let this worry me, you know? What about the system restore points? Google search yielded threads that mention them too.

I live without restore points, I don't like that shit (I have it completely deactivated).
Regarding paging, my page file normally doesn't grow over 5GB, and I am Ok with that.
If you limit the maximum size of your page file, or just deactivate virtual memory, you will not have stability problems or so.
The only thing that will happen is that you will run out of memory and will not be able to run some programs probably, you will notice, it will annoy you, and you will reactivate it.

 

[the_randomizer]

I live without restore points, I don't like that shit (I have it completely deactivated).
Regarding paging, my page file normally doesn't grow over 5GB, and I am Ok with that.
If you limit the maximum size of your page file, or just deactivate virtual memory, you will not have stability problems or so.
The only thing that will happen is that you will run out of memory and will not be able to run some programs probably, you will notice, it will annoy you, and you will reactivate it.

Then I'll disable system restore points, I've never used them before anyways, and I assume I just go to system restore and disable it? And the latter part, yeah, not gonna disable pagefile size or virtual memory, too risky lol.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Then I'll disable system restore points, I've never used them before anyways, and I assume I just go to system restore and disable it? And the latter part, yeah, not gonna disable pagefile size or virtual memory, too risky lol.

Yeah, there is an option if you follow the steps I wrote, I don't really know what it says in English, but it must be something like "Deactivate System Protection"

Just in case, also hit "Delete all restore points" (or something), in case it doesn't do it automatically when you deactivate it.

 

[the_randomizer]

Yeah, there is an option if you follow the steps I wrote, I don't really know what it says in English, but it must be something like "Deactivate System Protection"

Just in case, also hit "Delete all restore points" (or something), in case it doesn't do it automatically when you deactivate it.

Got it, turned it off and it freed about 9 GB Now, hopefully that will at least curtail the fluctuation somewhat, which will go up and down, given the fact I use virtual memory.

 

[Jayro]

I have 8GB, so don't use a paging file. No problems for me. Although I do have RAMMap.exe clear out my standby memory (from Resource Monitor) every hour to keep me free RAM when I'm gaming, or using Photoshop.

 

[the_randomizer]

I have 8GB, so don't use a paging file. No problems for me. Although I do have RAMMap.exe clear out my standby memory (from Resource Monitor) every hour to keep me free RAM when I'm gaming, or using Photoshop.

I'm thinking that's the main culprit is, the pagefile size needs to be reduced, but I don't trust myself doing it TBH

 

[Jayro]

My downloads folder is my biggest culprit, i never delete that crap. XD

 

[the_randomizer]

My downloads folder is my biggest culprit, i never delete that crap. XD

Well, at least with system restore disabled I can curtail it, but...yeah, it's annoying XD

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I would remove everything in your quote. It's just some search engines installed by adware/toolbars and some Chrome addons that you can always install again if you find out you need them (but it'd be best to find an alternative). Won't make a difference on your HDD space but might lower your CPU/RAM usage a little (and who knows what those Chrome addons are doing in the background?)

I'm thinking that's the main culprit is, the pagefile size needs to be reduced, but I don't trust myself doing it TBH

It won't break anything, it might lead to low memory errors and crashes if you run out of memory but that won't happen unless you run several ram-heavy programs at the same time.
Depends on how much memory you have though. On my laptop I have 16 GB RAM, and I disabled the pagefile completely. The pagefile should never be used much anyway because it slows down the PC a lot when in use, so making it smaller will often help. Windows tends to make the pagefile far too big. If you have 8GB you can safely set the pagefile to half that. If you have less, set it to the same size as your RAM.

It doesn't sound like your issue is related to those though. To me it sounds like you should run Disk Cleanup and CCleaner. Tick all the boxes except things you really want to keep, google ones you are unsure about. I'm surprised there weren't more files in temp but there are other locations that can be cleaned.

Also, grab WinDirStat http://sourceforge.net/projects/windirstat/
It's a great graphical tool that I use to see what's eating up my disk space whenever I'm running out and I'm not sure what to delete. Each folder is shown as a cluster with files in that folder and its subfolders represented as rectangles of the same color, and by looking at the size of the rectangles or individual clusters you can easily spot the main culprits, there's also a file/folder list that's sorted by size. I like to use the graphical view for spotting huge folders that I can just delete, and the list view for deleting individual smaller files or subfolders.

 

[Jayro]

I typically run Ccleaner once a week or so, and have Auslogics Defrag screensaver set for 7 minutes of idle time, keeping my system in it's best shape possible without getting so slow. I also run most of my installed apps from my 32GB SD card, as they are all portable apps, even Photoshop. Having very few "actually installed" apps helps keep things from becoming slow, as well as disabling startup items in msconfig. I hope some of this helps you out.