Hard drive question

[blueonblack]

I have a 1TB drive that I keep pictures of my kids on. I just did a manual copy to a separate 500GB drive. When I check the properties of the original drive in Windows (My Computer/right-click/properties) it shows 135GB used, but I notice that the backup I just made only shows 63GB used??

Putting them side by side on the screen, every file and folder seems to have made the transition, and when I select all of the folders in the initial drive and right-click/Properties, it comes out to 63GB, exactly the same as the copy I just made. A quick check in Partition Wizard shows 135.29GB used in the original drive and 63.14 GB used in the (seemingly identical) copy.

Where did the lost 72GB of capacity go??

Thanks in advance, I'm somehow sure this will come back to make me feel stupid...

[Kayin]

Do you happen to have a shadow copy on that drive?

[blueonblack]

Do you happen to have a shadow copy on that drive?

Not that I am aware of or that I can detect, though the numbers do seem to indicate a duplication of some kind.

[Outlaw]

Try changing your folder view to show hidden files?

If there is, they will appear like this
http://i43.tinypic.com/20rp4y0.jpg

[TLHarrell]

Also, if it's a pre-configured system (Dell, or other) there might be a recovery partition.

[blueonblack]

Try changing your folder view to show hidden files?

If there is, they will appear like this
http://i43.tinypic.com/20rp4y0.jpg

A good idea, and it did reveal one AVG-related folder but it's only 2.55MB.



Also, if it's a pre-configured system (Dell, or other) there might be a recovery partition.

Also a good thought, but it's strictly user-configured, bare OEM drives originally, and Partition Wizard shows no unknown partitions on the drive, and all of the "used" (by something) space is within this single partition.

:?

[Outlaw]

When you showed hidden. Did you un-check 'Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)'? This can show additional hidden files that the 'show hidden' wouldn't show.

[blueonblack]

When you showed hidden. Did you un-check 'Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)'? This can show additional hidden files that the 'show hidden' wouldn't show.

THERE IT IS!! That option showed the $recycle.bin folder. Doh! It's 72GB, may be time to empty the trash.

Thanks VERY much. +rep to all

[blueonblack]

Ok, so I emptied the trash and the space is still being taken up. I know "deleting" a file doesn't actually erase it, just allows that section to be overwritten, but shouldn't it show up as available space?

[Outlaw]

If this in an internal, that hidden recycle bin may just be a copy of the one on your desktop. Is that one clear?

[blueonblack]

It wasn't empty at first but as soon as I found the hidden recycle.bin file I emptied the recycle bin on my desktop and even rebooted, but no change in the available space on the drive.

[Outlaw]

hm, there has to be something. In Disk Management, does it show any unallocated space (beside the ~100mb)?

This isn't really a partition and maybe a reason it doesn't show in Partition wizard?

[pcclan]

have you tried space sniffer (http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/) ?

[blueonblack]

hm, there has to be something. In Disk Management, does it show any unallocated space (beside the ~100mb)?

This isn't really a partition and maybe a reason it doesn't show in Partition wizard?

No unusual space unallocated, no. It IS a partition, I have a single 931.51GB partition on this 1TB drive.



have you tried space sniffer (http://www.uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/) ?

I have not, but I will try that a little later this afternoon, thanks!

[xr4man]

holy crap, how did i not remember space sniffer. that's one of my favorite programs for finding large files or folders that i can get rid of.

[Outlaw]

Just checked out space sniffer, pretty cool program. You will have to let us know what you find. I can't say I have ever come across a rogue space hog of that size. Usually it was just preinstalled/hidden/recycle bin garbage taking a few gigs.

[Konrad]

Windows Search Index garbage can occupy a lot of space, usually "only" 10-15% of the total drive contents, but sometimes as high as 25-50%.

I would second the guess for hidden or unallocated partition areas, every system comes with a recovery HPA these days. And every system comes with many gigabytes of bundled "value" junkware which can be safely deleted.

The drive might store the virtual memory swap/cache on it; this could easily eat up dozens of gigabytes on a poorly configured or very busy system.

There's always some "slack" associated with the file system. Volumes with different file system parameters might store the same data in wildly different quantities of drive space ... although I thought Windows could report "actual" file sizes in the properties. Optimal parameters are sometimes dictated by the geometry (heads, cylinders, etc) peculiar to each physical HDD model.

[Outlaw]

I was in my external 2tb drive and was messing around. There was the $RECYCLE.BIN. It is using 21.5GB with 41Files, 10Folders.
http://i45.tinypic.com/5xqrs9.jpg

Opening the folder, there is 5 different recycle bins.
Bin 1- Size 129bytes / Size on disk 4KB / 1 File
Bin 2- Size 16.6GB / Size on disk 16.6GB / 9 Files, 4 Folders
Bin 3- Size 4.98GB / Size on disk 4.98GB / 29 Files, 1 Folder
Bin 4- Size 129bytes / Size on disk 4KB / 1 File
Bin 5- Size 129bytes / Size on disk 4KB / 1 File

Before Delete:
http://i50.tinypic.com/3523pfs.jpg

After Delete:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2u8xdnp.jpg

I did physically delete the Recycle Bins in the $RECYCLE.BIN folder as there was nothing visible, even with all the hidden views on.

Not sure if it will help, but I thought I would share.
Outlaw

[blueonblack]

I was in my external 2tb drive and was messing around. There was the $RECYCLE.BIN. It is using 21.5GB with 41Files, 10Folders.

Thanks! Seems mine is using 72GB with 17,584 files, 964 folders. :eek:

Weird thing is, when I open the hidden $RECYCLE.BIN folder all I see are fourteen icons I don't recognize, all labeled Recycle Bin, with the top and bottom ones having padlocks on them:

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/blueonblack/Cutout%201.jpg

And when I open these every one of them contains the same thing, one single icon for a shortcut that I removed from my desktop (which should have nothing at all to do with this physical hard drive) that takes up a whopping 837 bytes!

As you can see, some of these have dates back from 2010. I don't really NEED the space this thing is taking up, but then we're not really about what we NEED around here, are we? The waste is pissing me off but I'll admit I'l leery of deleting what I don't understand. Anyone recognize these icons showing in this phantom recycle bin? Or know where the other 17,570 files went?

:?

[Outlaw]

Looks like you found your missing 72gb.

I just deleted all of the recycle bins after posting my SS. I haven't had any issues since. I did NOT delete the folder. Using Vista/Win7, the lock just shows you will need Admin rights to modify/delete. if they are not using any of the storage, I would just leave them.

I believe you will get a new recycle bin when you plug into a new workstation.

I would at minimum just delete the bins that are using up all your storage.


The only thing I found related was http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/108772-57gb-externals-hidden-recycle-bin-2.html. They recommend backup/reformat/restore.