Free up space on your hard drive

Image via Wikipedia

Your computer is running low on disk space and causing it to respond slowly.  You want to know what files are not needed so you can free up space on your hard drive.

You should be able to delete all files with .CHK or .TMP extensions.  Files with .CHK extension are created by the Check Disk (Chkdsk) utility, which allows you to examine a hard disk for errors.  Files with the .TMP extension are temporary files.  Sometimes temporary files are not deleted, as in the case of system failures.

You should not delete files with the .EXE or .COM extension.  These are executable files that run programs.

You should not delete files with the .OCX or .DLL extension.  .OCX files are ActiveX controls and .DLL files are dynamic link libraries.  Both types of files are loaded by executable programs.

You should not delete files with the .SYS extension.  These are system driver files.  They are required to enable the operating system to communicate with hardware devices.

Disk Cleanup is a Windows XP tool that searches for files you can safely delete.  See the link below to see how to use the Disk Cleanup tool in Windows XP.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

Related articles

• Data Recovery Tips (livecrunch.com)
• Switch from a Hard Disk to an SSD with Little Fuss and Bother (itexpertvoice.com)
• Will using the Repair feature on the Windows Xp Installation disk delete the files on my computer? (grand-alliance.com)
• 10 steps to speed up a slow Windows PC | Ask Jack (guardian.co.uk)