[SOLVED] emptying recycle bin doesn't empty at all

[bwallx]

On my desktop is an icon for the Recycle Bin. I understand that when a file is deleted it isn't really and gets listed in this Recycle Bin. But I assumed that when this was emptied, those files were finally gone.

A third party file manager shows the recycle folder on my several additional drives to be chock full. Yet Windows says the properties of Recycle Bin includes all my drives.

What about all that space being consumed? When if ever, will those files be totally removed?

 

[Grobe]

What about all that space being consumed? When if ever, will those files be totally removed?

When the file owner (may be a service) does empty it's recycle bin. When you empty recycle bin, I assume you can only remove the files deleted by that particular user profile you're currently logged in as.

 

[onespeedbiker]

See if you can go to the Recycle Bin hidden folder and delete the contensts. https://superuser.com/questions/556...cycle-bin-in-on-win7-how-to-check-files-there

 

[bwallx]

Using File Commander as my file browser, I deleted the contents of all the recycle bins on every drive with no problem. Everything still works! I also use 'Everything' - a file search app that is just incredible for its speed. This too showed masses of deleted files but wouldn't let me delete them. Now Everything shows clean drives. The reported drive capacity is the same so somehow Windows didn't count those files yet if the drive became fuller, would windows automatically "delete" some to make room?

 

[onespeedbiker]

Yes. if you right click on on the recycle bin icon, you are given the ability to set the max size of the recycle bin folder. Once you reach the max size, windows will permanently delete the files that have been in the recycle bin the longest.