disc clean up problem

[Talonboy]

anyone have the problem with trying to use disk cleanup and it keeps locking up , then computer runs super slow till reboot ? also are there any other programs better for doing normal "spring cleaning" of HD. Thanks in advance

[TripleRLtd]

I would suspect other problems if disk cleanup locks up the pc, but I will go check. Have you tried running it in safe mode?
As for Spring Cleanup, I wrote an article about just that for the local newspaper several years ago, before XP came out, so it would need updating. But my advice, to get a lot of replies from a lot of techs on this, would be to post that question in Tech to Tech as "spring cleanup suggestions". I think that would be a real good idea, too.

[NooNoo]

Temp files, temp inet files. Any thing that you don't use that's over 6 months old should be on a cd.

[IT Len]

Things that can slow this process down:

Not having done cleanup regularly.
Not purging the restore files from time to time [as long as you have a stable system!]
Not having defragmented regularly. [One of the biggest culprits...after all, sorting through fragmented files can take a long, long time, whether you're just working the machine, or trying to find files to clean.]

A tip: When I do a cleanup other than a regularly scheduled clean/defrag task, I'll intermittently [once a month or so] also turn the virtual memory off temporarilly, clean the "prefetch files" out, run disk cleanup, make sure the recycle bin is emptied, reboot, defrag, then turn the virtual memory back on.

That way, the block of hard drive dedicated to virtual memory is also included, rather than excluded, from the defrag process.

[Talonboy]

how do i purge the restore files ?

[IT Len]

Go to the disk cleanup tool...the tab "more options" lets you delete all but the latest restore point.

[WebHead]

I read somewhere that there can be a problem with temorary internet files being able to be deleted when you have AV software installed. I think the thing I read referred to Norton.

Personally, I am using XP pro. Here's what I do:

1> In Windows explorer address bar type: "%temp%" without the quotes. I clean out that directory manually.

2> From that same "Local" folder from within Documents and Settings, I go to my Temporary Internet Files folder and manually delete those too. But there's a catch. Those take forever to delete and I have to do them in groups at a time.

If you can disable your AV software then try to do Disk Cleanup, then that might resolve your problem.

Anyway, thats my plain and boring two cents.

[TripleRLtd]

2> From that same "Local" folder from within Documents and Settings, I go to my Temporary Internet Files folder and manually delete those too. But there's a catch.
Those take forever to delete and I have to do them in groups at a time.

Try it in "Safe Mode" .

[GrandDad]

Try it in "Safe Mode" .

What about adding a script to the 'ShutDown' that delete IE temps and other ?

[TripleRLtd]

Why add a script when one of the optiions in IE "tools" is to do just that. But, my reply was to Webhead's "forever" problem.

[GrandDad]

Why add a script when one of the optiions in IE "tools" is to do just that. But, my reply was to Webhead's "forever" problem.

I know .
because it would do it for you everytime you shutDown .