HD full of Metadata

[Mr.BerexaCEO]

I don't know if anyone here can help me with this but a week ago I had almost 50 GB free on my 225 GB HD. After About two days ao, after running Checkdisk (don't know if it's related) My HD was about full. When I used Perfect Disk 8 to analyse the drive, it looked like over a third of it was full of 'Metadata' and it definitely wasn't like that before. Any ideas what I can do to free up space?

[Krell]

First of all, is this your work or home PC?

Find the "metadata" and show the file path where the folders and files are, take a screen shot and post it.

Use treesize (freeware) to get a better indication of how to clean up your drives, you can also export file lists etc.


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[Mr.BerexaCEO]

This is my home PC. I don't know how to find which files constitute metadata, I only know what the disk analysis by Perfect Disk says.

[DigitalJunkie]

First you should get free CCleaner & other pc cleaner ultility program(s) to clean up those junk files on your HD first! Then, tells us what you used your computer or programs mostly for, so we can find out what programs are generating those metadatas for.

[Krell]

DJ, we do not know whether he has a real problem yet or not. I deleted TONS of Meta data from a workstation last week so I know this exists. C:\windows\?\?\metadata . . I think it was related to office products.

My original question was whether this is something else pushed out by group policy, in which he needs to consult his work IT dept, or whether this is due to windows updates etc. This may also be recovered files that were orphanned and put in a folder by the chkdsk.

If he deletes files that are critical, then comes back (IF HE can come back) then there will be compound issues.

Again - before anyone trusts some bitch-assed 3rd party utility, do as I advised and use treesize and some basic investigation.




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[Mr.BerexaCEO]

It's weird, My computer and most other programs say my HD is 225 GB. In the bottom left part of TreeSize, it shows all partitions, and it says C is 225 GB, with 48.5 GB free (I spent all day deleting old programs and stuff). But the file tree going down the left size shows C as only 111,131.6 MB. Where's the rest?

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Is it partitioned?

[Mr.BerexaCEO]

There is one extra partition put there for backup, using all of the extra physical space (7 GB).

[Krell]

click on My Computer and View Details

Take a SCREEN SHOT!

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[Sparky9]

are any disks compressed?

[Mr.BerexaCEO]

Neither is compressed. Did you want a screenshot of C: viewed in TreeSize? Here's that.

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Is it just me or can that data not be read in that image file?

[DigitalJunkie]

LOD, you not the only one!

[Krell]

It's 160x128 PIXELS

nice thumbail, but i usually imagine boobies in pics that size.

got microscope?

Well, at least he's trying



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[Lord_of_the_Dense]

And here I thought you had a bigger template for boobies.

[Mr.BerexaCEO]

Sorry guys, the bitmap limits on this forum are so small, I guess I went a little too small. I'll make another one. It's normal size now, in a zip.

[Krell]

Great, before I answer to this, I want one more thing of you.

Right click My Computer > Manage > Disk Management

Make sure I get a good full screen shot of this and zip it,

thx


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[Mr.BerexaCEO]

Here you go, zipped up like the last one. Thanks for your time so far.

[Krell]

EDITTED:

Let me ask you a question, do you use this drive for P2P or any media editting?

We can clearly see from the graph that you have a considerable amount of data in your profile and Program Files, what do you discover when you keep expanding that tree? What files do you find?



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[silentscream]

ok an amazing prog i use to find crap is sequoiaview

tis free and easy to use

it shows ure disk as an image and if u like colour codes ure files

u can see what each is just by hovering over them

try it

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[MP3Pr0]

Might be what's known as "alternate data streams" (ADS). These are collections of data that Windows XP allows to be stored along-side file data, totally hidden from view (unless you use an ADS detection utility). Do a Google search by going to
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=alternate+data+streams&btnG=Google+Search .

[Mr.BerexaCEO]

I do use it for P2P and I have some DVD's and Game Images stored. I was just wondering why part of the disk seems full but whatever is filling it is completely hidden, even in Treesize. Maybe it is ADS. I'll look it up.

[silentscream]

seriously check out sequoiaview

it saved me about 20 gig once that i couldnt find

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[Krell]

This is bunk.

Click on Show Hidden Files.

Keep expanding the folders in treesize till you narrow down WHERE the file is, I refuse to accept that you can post a screen shot, but cant narrow down where 50 #%$#@! gig of data is!

Dont you have any children? Ask them to do it.


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