What is Hidden in Your Hard Drive?

By Bob Rankin

If you’re actively using your computer to try out new software, or you download music or movies from the Internet, you’ll eventually end with some unwanted clutter on your hard drive. Here are some tips to run a ‘search and destroy’ operation on those large files that are just taking up space on your hard drive…

Cleanup Your Hard Drive and Delete Duplicate Files
Over time, stuff can accumulate on your hard drive, just like it does on your desk, your shelves, and in your filing cabinet. Sometimes software programs leave logs, dumps or temporary files that serve no useful purpose.

Large files can waste space on your hard drive, and duplicate copies make it hard to find the file you want. And if you do regular backups, huge and unnecessary files will slow down the process, especially if you use an online backup service.

(You ARE making regular backups, right? If not, see How I Got Hacked… And Why You MUST Have a Backup!)

Fortunately, there are some nifty, free tools you can use to identify and zap the files you don’t want or need on your hard drive. You might even find it fun (and at least educational) to go through the process.

Here are my recommendations to find large, useless and duplicate files:

About Bob Rankin

Bob Rankin is a translator for the technology impaired -- a writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and explaining technology in plain English. His work has appeared in Computer World, NY Newsday, and other publications. Bob is also publisher of Internet TOURBUS, author of several computer books, and creator of the Lowfat Linux tutorial.

•