Remove Files and Programs to Free up Space

Freeing up Disk space can improve the speed of your hard drive and computer. One way to do this is the Disk Cleanup tool. The utility finds files that you can safely delete, and then allows you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.

Here are some ways to free up space:

• Remove temporary Internet files. (Can be done via Disk Cleanup tool)
• Remove downloaded program files. (Can be done via Disk Cleanup tool)
• Empty the Recycle Bin. (Can be done via Disk Cleanup tool)
• Remove Windows temporary files. (Can be done via Disk Cleanup tool)
• Remove optional Windows components that you don't use. (Can be done via Disk Cleanup tool)
• Remove installed programs that you no longer use. (Can be done via Disk Cleanup tool) I often have old software packages or games that take up a lot of space. This is a great way to free up a lot of space.
• Move/Delete Old Music, Pictures, or Videos. These files can take up a lot of space, so moving or deleting them can free up a lot of space. I would suggest an external hard drive if you have a lot of these files that you want to hold on to.
• Turn Off Hibernation to Save Disk Space.

Quick Tip: Find Large Files Using Windows Search

Another way to find files to delete is by using the windows search utility. Windows Search can help you find the largest files on your hard drive. To do this, Click "Start" -> "Search" to open up the windows search dialog window. On the left side of the window, Click "All files and folders", then click the search button. To find the largest files, Order by "Size" descending by clicking on the column heading for "Size" twice. After windows is finished searching, you will have a list of all files on your hard drive ordered from biggest to smallest.