Kitz Forum
Computer Software => Windows Vista => Topic started by: UncleUB on July 28, 2009, 12:37:39 PM
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Hi all I have just downloaded SP2 from m/s auto updates.
I have now noticed I have quite a bit more free hard disc space...before I had 218GB free,now it states I have 256GB free ?
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I noticed I had more free space after installing it too :-\ ???
This could give the answer:-
http://www.pcworld.com/article/165799/windows_vista_sp2_readers_report_big_increases_in_free_disk_space.html
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Good find jamie
one reader claimed that installing Vista SP2 freed up a massive 40 GB chunk of disk space. Another reader said, "Wow! I didn't notice that til now. I went from about 88GB free to 122GB free. That's a significant change 'under the hood,' isn't it?" And yet another reader gained back 130 GB of hard disk space. Wow.
At least a couple users told me that their free space grew significantly after installing SP2, without them doing anything else. Vista SP2 includes a command-line cleanup tool (compcln.exe) you can run to remove older system files and restore points, thus freeing up hard disk space.
That certainly is one heck of an improvement.!!!!! :o
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Thanks for the link Jamie. :thumbs:
38GB better for me,still saying that I have plenty of disc space so it didn't really matter,better than losing 38GB though.
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I think it was about 20gb after working it all out...
It shows how much space a quick clean can free up...
Shame they waited till SP2 to roll the clean out though...
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It shows how much space a quick clean can free up...
I was going to suggest it may have been down to a system clean, but you got there before me.
As I run a dual-boot system, Vista re-store points are not saved as they removed automatically when booting into XP.
So any saving on my system was not noticeable what-soever.
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Hi
One of the comments on the same page noticed all restore points before SP" installation had disappeared . Was that the gained space ?
Regards Jeff
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...before I had 218GB free,now it states I have 256GB free ?
256GB + 20Gb for Vista = 276 (so I am assuming a HDD of 300GB which is actually 28,416 MB of usable space)
On a HDD of 300GB, with Vista using 20GB then system restore at it's default setting of 13% would automatically use up-to 36.4GB
(That's assuming no other information was being stored on the particular drive/partition)
However, I don't see it as being something that should be done automatically without any warning, just in-case you needed to restore because of a faulty download and update install.
(Although probably the last restore point would still be available)
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256GB + 20Gb for Vista = 276 (so I am assuming a HDD of 300GB which is actually 28,416 MB of usable space)
Hi OF,my HD is 320GB,
Surely Vista isn't taking up 20GB, I have got loads of music and photo files which are taking up about 8GB,plus other programmes?
My C drive is showing 256GB free out of 287GB
and I have a recovery partition,D drive which is showing 6.34GB free out of 9.99GB
@ Jeff,yes I have noticed that previous restore points have gone.The only one available is one created while SP2 was installing yesterday.
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1. Surely Vista isn't taking up 20GB,
2. and I have a recovery partition,D drive which is showing 6.34GB free out of 9.99GB
1. I have just checked my dual-boot system and after carrying out the same clean-up on both XP and Vista.
Vista is using 18.5GB & XP is using 4.50GB.
Both systems have roughly the same programs installed on each system, so yes, that gives you a rough idea of how
much space Vista use.
(Obviously the size and quantity of programs will vary from user to user)
2. Obviously the maths and calculations depend on whether your 320GB drive is the total size of your drive
"including" the recovery, or if 320GB is what is being shown as your C: drive plus 9.99GB drive (manufacturers
back to factory setting)
But as you can see, the space that "System Restore" is using (15%) is about right according to your figures.
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edit.
A How to: Tutorial can be found here on how to reduce the System Restore size in Vista: (http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=1304.0)
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It's certainly a bit naughty that it deletes all the restore points without warning - this is most likely the reason for the large and varied increases in free space noticed after the install. So unfortunately most of the gained space is only temporary and as restore points are recreated the space will be swallowed up again.
I have been trying to think of a reason why old restore points wouldn't work after installing a service pack, but I can't. It is probably to try and ensure SP2 becomes the new standard Vista platform.
Has anyone actually noticed any other improvements since installing SP2?
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Has anyone actually noticed any other improvements since installing SP2?
Only more free disc space. ;D
To answer your question Mr Chris,no not really.Tbh Vista has always worked fine for me,I am more than happy with it.Saying that I moved to Vista after using Windows ME for 6 years. :) So I never had the chance to use XP which everyone seems to say was /is the best m/s operating system there has ever been.
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... and I have a recovery partition,D drive which is showing 6.34GB free out of 9.99GB
This little tip is really only of use to people who like myself create a "Image" of their HDD OS on a fairly regular basis for backup purposes.
As with a lot of new/ish computers these days they come with a restore/recovery partition, (sometimes it's a hidden partition, but that does not matter either) which as we know, the recovery partition has a bit/lot of wasted space of which we will probably never use. (Dead space)
The tip is to transfer your "Pagefile" (Virtual memory) to the recovery partition, the recovery partition is probably FAT 32, but that does not matter, (and does not need changing).
However, this will not speed-up (or slow down) your PC as the recovery partition is usually a partition of the same HDD. But it will reduce the size of your C: drive by the size of the Pagefile.
Also there is less chance of the Pagefile becoming "fragged" as the recovery partition is very rarely used and you can use the maximum setting that your PC wants, needs or recommends.
If you use this method, please "Defrag" the recovery partition before selecting it to transfer the pagefile settings onto-it.
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edit.
I forgot to say, if you use a dual-boot system, you can still assign both "Pagefile" settings to the same drive.