please advise

stormchaser · 17 Feb 2013 at 19:49

hi
I am currently looking at my friends acer laptop which has windows 7 and has slowed to an intolerable crawl.

right clicking on the c drive reports it is 31.9 gb free of 285 gb yet I can only find 74.9 gb of files including windows file ?

any ideas guys ?

many thanks

djshauny1 · 17 Feb 2013 at 19:49

virus?

stormchaser · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:03

yeh he did have but I cleaned them all out

tnx · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:20

I have a thinking. Most folk do not agree.

The only and best way to deal with a virus. Format an a new install.

stormchaser · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:31

completely agree and intend to to do a complete fresh install but I was trying to save everything and couldnt account for the discrepancy in gigs

tnx · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:43

Save everything ?

Be careful not to save infected files.

What needs saving, pictures, music, documents and favourites.
Save these files to a dvd-r and do a fresh install of windows 7.

Maybe first use another hard drive to do a test install, use this to see if the lappy speeds up any also test getting all the drivers together.
Once your happy do the real install and your mate will be happy as Larry.

You could use the recovery discs or make your own OEM disc seeing this is a lappy and was bought with a working licence

This is how I would attack things.

bertles86 · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:43

DBAN and fresh install.

stormchaser · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:45

bertles86 said:
DBAN and fresh install.

DBAN ?

bertles86 · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:47

stormchaser · 17 Feb 2013 at 20:49

thankyou

any more theories on the discrepancy ?

bertles86 · 17 Feb 2013 at 21:06

Cache
Hidden Files

KIA · 17 Feb 2013 at 21:38

Run Windirstat.

BigBoy · 18 Feb 2013 at 09:35

Most likely system restore points or perhaps volume shadow copy?

NotAGolf · 18 Feb 2013 at 09:44

Download space sniffer and it should show you where the usage is.

My guess would be some kind of hidden temporary files. Or his 'secret collection' of videos :eek:

bledd · 18 Feb 2013 at 10:00

BigBoy said:
Most likely system restore points or perhaps volume shadow copy?

This

Disable system restore and clean all the restore points.

Run CCleaner
I'd run a few scanning tools like MBAM, Spybot S&D, NOD32 online scanner.

Then hijackthis to see what's running at startup, streamline the startup entries and check event viewer for hard drive issues.

Or just backup files and format.