Running A Windows Inbuilt 'disc Clean-Up'

[Barsel]

Hi, Can someone explain how to do this, please? Thanks.

[Old_Geezer]

Unsure, but if you right click on a drive in the file browser I believe one of the tabs offer "tools"

[bhg481]

Click the windows logo and choose "computer".
Right-click the drive you wish to check and select Properties.
Open the Tools tab
Error Checking and Check Now.
Select both options.
If it's your system disc you want to check it will need you to restart your computer as it can't do it whilst you're using it; any other disc will probably be done in the background.
Depending on the size of the disc it might take some time.

[Barsel]

bhg481 Where is the windows logo?

[bhg481]

I run Windows 7 and it's at the bottom left of my screen on the taskbar.

[Barsel]

I have Windows 10 and the only windows logo I can see is the start button. I clicked onto that but it didn't say computer in the list. Could it be listed as something else?

[bhg481]

Sorry Barsel, I know nothing about Windows 10. The Start button is the one you want and on Windows 7 it opens up options for you to see your photos, music etc and one of the options is the discs on your computer.
What we need is someone who knows Windows 10 to tell us how to display the properties of a disc drive.

[Barsel]

I've found it. It comes under Windows Administrative tools and then Disc clean up. I will go and try that. Thanks for your input.

[bhg481]

If it's the same as the Windows 7 version one option (already ticked) is "Automatically fix file system errors". The other option is " Scan and attempt recovery of bad sectors"; this checks every sector on the disc and, if there's a problem with it, replaces it with a "spare". This is a useful tool to use occasionally as it can speed up your computer, saving it waiting whilst several attempts are made to read a sector when just one is needed in normal circumstances.

[CrapAtCryptics]

There are different levels of cleanup - the one mentioned earlier is the basic version - if you delete old system files such as completed windows installation files there is a great deal to be saved. The button for that is on the same cleanup page a little lower down. I recommend a defrag after this as itshould speed up file access significantly.

[Barsel]

I don't think this is going to work for me as it's asking me which files I want to uninstall and I have no idea. I didn't know what disc clean up would do, I thought it was something that would happen automatically. I once uninstalled something (not on this computer) that I shouldn't have done and it took ages to sort out that problem. Thanks anyway fro your help.

[Barsel]

Perhaps I can just do a defrag if that will give me more space?

[CrapAtCryptics]

its safe to delete them all unless, like I do, you are in the habit of leaving downloaded files in the download folder. If you do just untick that folder and let it delete the rest. Just defragging on its own wont make much of a difference.

[HansUrbancka]

Unless it's an ancient computer (which yours isn't) a defrag is somewhat pointless and could take a very long time to perform.

Do the Disc clean-up and report back.

I'll have a look-in after lunch.

Hans.

[bhg481]

My suggestion is not a "Clean Up" but more a means of improving the reliability of the disc and, possibly, improving its speed; it does not involve deleting any files.

[Old_Geezer]

Defrag doesn't create space, merely consolidates smaller spaces into one larger area. I was under the impression that Windows recent versions tend to take care of that pretty well anyway, automatically.

[hc4361]

Type 'disk clean up' in the search box bottom left of the screen.
Click on the first in the list, then choose the disk you want to clean.
It is safe to tick all the option boxes.

[Barsel]

Have done that hc and it comes up with 9 boxes for me to select like Delivery Optimisation files., Thumbnails etc. I don't know what any of them mean. If I click onto Thumbnail will that get rid of all the photos on my computer? I know I come across as sounding thick, but I really don't understand what the files are for and what would happen if I uninstall them.

[hc4361]

This should help, Barsel
https://www.howtogeek.com/266337/what-should-i-remove-in-disk-cleanup-on-windows/#targetText=Thumbnails%3A%20Windows%20creates%20thumbnail%20images,you%20view%20that%20folder%20again.

[Atheist]

Barsel, Cclean is free and cleans up all the unwanted junk that accumulates. It's pretty quick, too.

[Barsel]

Thanks for that. Will have a look later when I get back from Tesco.