Low disk space due to files in Recycle Bin or too many files on drive.
Cause:
The computer is low on disk space which could be due to a number of things including a full 'Recycle Bin' or unnecessary files. Low disk space may create problems when running applications or starting Windows 95.
Solution:
Empty the 'Recycle Bin'. Back up and delete unneeded files. Reduce the 'Recycle Bin' disk space requirements.
CAUTION: Make absolutely sure that none of these files are needed by any program or user before deleting ANY file. Do a complete backup of files which are on the hard disk before deleting any of them.
1) Delete old .tmp (temporary) files.
NOTE: .tmp files may be stored anywhere on the computer.
2) Delete unneeded .bak (backup) files.
CAUTION: Make sure a valid copy of the backup file is available if these backup files are important.
3) Delete the files installed by programs that are no longer used. These files may be stored in the C:\Windows and C:\Windows\System directories (and perhaps several others), as well as in the main application directory.
NOTE: See the manual for the application, for help in determining the files to delete.
4) Delete files for Windows utilities including:
a) .Bmp files--Bitmaps, such as wallpaper files, that are not used
b) .Hlp files--Windows Help files that are not used
c) .ttf files--TrueType font files for fonts that are not used
d) .wav files--WAV digital sound files that are not used
e) .Mid files--MIDI sound files that are not used
f) .Avi files--AVI movie files that are not used
5) DOS commands, including:
a) Append.exe--APPEND, if this command is not used
b) Assign.com--ASSIGN, if this command is not used
c) Calc.exe--Calculator
d) Calendar.exe--Calendar
e) Clock.exe--Clock
f) Country.com--Country settings
g) Diskcomp.com--'Disk Compare' command if this command is not used
h) Diskcopy.com--'DiskCopy' command, which is unneeded if floppy diskette copying is done within Windows 95
i) Edit.com--Editor, if this is NOT used to edit text files
j) Edit.hlp--The 'Help' file for the editor
k) Fastopen.exe--'FastOpen' utility
l) Msd.exe--Microsoft Diagnostics
m) Msd.ini--Microsoft Diagnostics configuration file
n) Mspaint.exe--Windows Paint
o) Pbrush.exe-Windows Paintbrush, if Windows 95 was installed over a previous Windows version
p) Print.exe-print command, which is unneeded if ALL printing is done within Windows 95
q) Qbasic.exe--Microsoft Quick Basic, for programming in BASIC
r) Qbasic.hlp--The Help file for Microsoft Quick Basic
s) Readme files--Read Me files that contain last-minute information about programs or utilities. These files may have different names, including: Readme.txt, Readme, Readme.1st, Readme.doc, and Readme.now
t) Write.exe--Windows Write, if Windows 95 was installed over a previous Windows version
u) Write.hlp--Windows Write Help file, if Windows 95 was installed over a previous Windows version
v) Wordpad.exe--WordPad may be unnecessary if the user always uses Microsoft Word to do word processing
6) Compress any other rarely-needed files with a compression utility like PKZIP.
7) Empty the Recycle Bin:
CAUTION: Selecting 'Empty Recycle Bin' deletes ALL of the files from the 'Recycle Bin'.
a) Double-click the 'Recycle Bin' icon on the desktop.
b) Select the 'File' menu and select 'Empty Recycle Bin'.
NOTE 1: To delete only some of the files in the 'Recycle Bin', select the file(s) to be deleted by holding down the CTRL key while selecting multiple items, and then select the 'File' menu and select 'Delete'.
c) Click 'Yes' to empty the 'Recycle Bin'.
8) Reduce the amount of disk space reserved for the 'Recycle Bin':
a) Right-click on the 'Recycle Bin' icon to display the pop-up menu.
b) Select 'Properties' from the pop-up menu.
c) Click the 'Global' tab.
d) Move the slider to the left in the 'Maximum size of Recycle Bin section' to decrease the size of the Recycle Bin. (The percentage of the drive dedicated to deleted files is displayed.)
Changing disk space for the Recycle Bin
9) (Optional) Right-click the 'Recycle Bin' icon on the desktop, select 'Properties', and select the 'Do not move files to the Recycle Bin' check box.
