Windows 8 Saving space on SSD machine running Win 8.0

[SimonKravis]

I have an SSD machine with 90 Gbytes of storage running at home, not connected to server. I use a USB drive for extra capacity but I seldom have much spare space on C: as I have SQL server and Visual Studio installed. Looking at storage use on C: I notice 1.7 Gbytes of files in C:\Users\Simon\AppData\Roaming. Can I delete these as I use my login on only one computer at home? Roaming profiles are not enabled.

There are also 1.9 GBytes of files on C:\Users\All Users. I believe All Users is used for creating profiles for new users and All Users contains folders corresponding to those in C:\Programs and C:\Programs (x86). Can I delete any folders with programs that wouldn't be needed by any new accounts I might create?

 

[kemical]

Hi,
your probably best leaving those folders as they are as they can contain files and caches related to apps your using. Have you tried stuff like setting the shadow storage limit? It's where system restore files are kept and you can either turn it off or reduce how much storage it uses. My screenshot shows you how:

Another thing you could try is setting your Pagefile to 2GB unless you want to turn that off too.

 

[badrobot]

You can install an HDD as data drive. SSDs are usually just used as boot drive where only the OS and programs reside. Data should be saved/stored on a separate hard drive. But you can also install programs on separate drive too.

As for deleting "Users", it won't do any good (or it may do harm) as that is created automatically by the system and will come back again later.



...

 

[BurrWalnut]

Here are a few more locations that you may have overlooked:

1. Delete any temporary files that may be left over from CD and DVD burning. Navigate to the hidden folder C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Burn\Temporary Burn Folder and delete all the files.

2. Remove any programs that are no longer used, via the Windows Logo key+X (or right-click or press and hold off the bottom left corner) and choose Programs and Features. You may also want to turn some Windows features off (in the left pane).

3. Open Computer (This PC) > Double-click or double-tap the 'C' drive > Manage > Cleanup > Cleanup system files (at the bottom). After the system checks for files that can be removed, tick any other files you want to cleanup and press OK > Delete files.

4. Now cleanup two other folders by opening a Run window (Windows Logo key+R), type temp and press Enter. Delete everything that appears (there may be a few files that cannot be deleted, just skip them). Repeat the command for the other folder using %temp% in place of temp.

5. If you don't use Hibernation you can save almost the equivalent in hard drive space as the amount of RAM that is installed by turning it off. In a Run window (Windows Logo key+R), type powercfg.exe -h off (note the two spaces) and press Enter. To turn it back on type powercfg.exe -h on and press Enter.

6. Reduce the space used by the Recycle Bin by right-click or press and holding the Bin, clicking Properties > Custom Size and amend as necessary.

7. Remove any other files that you may have overlooked in the past, e.g. old videos, also look in the Downloads folder for unwanted items.

 

[Mitchell_A]

Adding to the last post, download CCleaner (free version at www.ccleaner.com) which is a lightweight program that is capable of analyzing and then cleaning up almost every aspect of your system that becomes filled with temporary files over time. An important option to realize is to NOT under any circumstances select "Wipe Free Space" while using an SSD as this can have serious long term effects on the lifespan of the drive.

 

[IHateWindowsEight]

well, in roaming program data is stored. Pretty poor name considering what the name suggests compared to what it actually does.

In roaming, program data is stored. You don't want to delete the folder. You will want to delete stuff in there though. There could be program folders/files left over in ..\\roaming, ..\\local, and ..\\loacallow.

It's a pain in the arse, because uninstallers somtimes don't remove stuff from there (making the dumbas assumption that you might re-install the program lat a later date and want your settings and crap). The problem is, none of these folders are ever deleted after a certain time! The assumptions that companies make regarding uninstallers is a bad one overall when it leaves crap lying around.

So, what you need to do, is go through the folder. Check what programs each sub-directory in there belongs to. If that program isn't on your system, delete that folder. If it is, and you don't use that program, uninstall the program and remove the folders if it didn't do that for you.

CCleaner does not "clean" roaming. It's not going to remove these folders. It only removes log files and caches and the like. You're going to have to get a little dirty here and dig through it all.

You can also run this little sucker I whipped up:

cls && ECHO Cleaning Windows chocolate chip cookies && ECHO . && DEL /F "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCookies\*.txt" & ECHO . && ECHO Cleaning Software Distro && RD /S /Q "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution" && MD "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution" & ECHO . && ECHO Mopping up Flash Player && RD /S /Q "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects" && MD "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects" && ECHO . && ECHO . && ECHO DONE & PAUSE

What this will do is clean up some garbage that likes to collect. Flash player saves stuff on your computer somtimes. Windows saves cookies on your machine (it shouldn't!!! that's your browser's job!!!) for god only knows what reason, and software distribution is a BIG heap of garbage that collects when windows updates. Windows update information is stored there. It isn't cleaned up by any tool. You have to remove it yourself. Furthermore, when you update windows, it will take longer to check. If you get an error, try to update at least a couple more times (it does that for me, but It ends up worksing) and it should work. It will re-download all of that data, and you can clean it out when you're done updating.

That should save you a few gigabytes.

 

[Mitchell_A]

CCleaner does not "clean" roaming. It's not going to remove these folders. It only removes log files and caches and the like. You're going to have to get a little dirty here and dig through it all.

My point was being that CCleaner cleans significantly more storage space than the conventional Disk Cleanup which had been mentioned in a previous post.

 

[catilley1092]

There is another function of the default Disk Cleanup that can remove lots of unneeded junk, such as those massive collection of Windows Update installers. First, run the standard Disk Cleanup. There will be an option to "Cleanup System Files". That's the one that does the real cleaning.

But be careful when selecting to clean driver install packages, as while these may not be needed, it's possible that they may. This cleanup will take several minutes & a possible reboot to finish (reboot anyway). It may appear as though updates are configuring again, don't worry, they won't install again.

I gained nearly 2GB of space with this option on one computer.

Make duplicates of the folders that's used, such as Documents, Pictures, Downloads, etc on a partition of a Data HDD. This HDD doesn't necessarily have to be permanently (or internally) installed, it can be attached by USB docking station/enclosure. Store your downloads & other items of importance there & for extra protection, on another drive or CD/DVD, Flash drive, SkyDrive or Google Drive.

It's best, SSD or HDD, to store these items off the "C" drive anyway, in case of hardware failure or infection. The fact is, hardware fails & the HDD is a common item to drop first. While I backup 2x weekly, one automatically with the inbuilt Windows Backup, one with Macrium, I realize that many doesn't. Protect your data, OS's can be recovered, your data is priceless,

Cat

 

[kemical]

I've posted these before but they're so handy I'll post em again. If your using either Windows 8 or 8.1 these guides are invaluable for SSD users:
Windows 8:
http://www.tweakhound.com/2012/11/14/windows-8-ssd-settings-etc/
Windows 8.1
http://www.tweakhound.com/2013/11/02/windows-8-1-ssd-settings-etc/

 

[Mitchell_A]

There is another function of the default Disk Cleanup that can remove lots of unneeded junk, such as those massive collection of Windows Update installers. First, run the standard Disk Cleanup. There will be an option to "Cleanup System Files". That's the one that does the real cleaning.

But be careful when selecting to clean driver install packages, as while these may not be needed, it's possible that they may. This cleanup will take several minutes & a possible reboot to finish (reboot anyway). It may appear as though updates are configuring again, don't worry, they won't install again.

I gained nearly 2GB of space with this option on one computer.

Make duplicates of the folders that's used, such as Documents, Pictures, Downloads, etc on a partition of a Data HDD. This HDD doesn't necessarily have to be permanently (or internally) installed, it can be attached by USB docking station/enclosure. Store your downloads & other items of importance there & for extra protection, on another drive or CD/DVD, Flash drive, SkyDrive or Google Drive.

It's best, SSD or HDD, to store these items off the "C" drive anyway, in case of hardware failure or infection. The fact is, hardware fails & the HDD is a common item to drop first. While I backup 2x weekly, one automatically with the inbuilt Windows Backup, one with Macrium, I realize that many doesn't. Protect your data, OS's can be recovered, your data is priceless,

Cat

A little tip to save time, running Disk Clean up as an admin from the get go is the equivalent of clicking "clean up system files" without it having to analyze the first time. That function is great for cleaning up windows.old folders after a clean install of Windows without formatting.

 

[catilley1092]

Thanks to both kemical & Mitchell_A for feedback here! I didn't realize that Disk Cleanup could be can as Admin, well now I do. Great tip.

kemical posted a ton of tips for Windows 8/8.1 SSD users. Have seen them before, but it's still good to see them again. There are many who are still in the dark about SSD drive optimization, thinks it's defrag & disables w/out looking. While some brands of SSD's has a toolbox or installed software that can handle this manually or automatically, it doesn't harm any thing to allow Windows version of TRIM to optimize the SSD.

Too, it's defrag option for HDD's is faster than ever! My Data partition was like 6-7% fragmented, it brought it to 0% in under a minute. The one on Windows 7 takes much longer to run.

Cat