I am losing hard disk space even though i uninstall applications

[deecee1]

Hello,
Something on my hard drive is eating up the space even though I un-install applications and then it shows lots of space, but in a few moments that space is gone.

I have run Malwarebytes and deleted a lot of my files that is suspected of Virus/Spyware, yet the same thing happens repeatedly.

What software can I use to ensure I get rid of this 'thing' that is eating away or growing on my hard disk?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Cleanup

http://www.stevengould.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=69

 

[CaedenV]

There are 2 ways to deal with this:

Option 1:
turn off the computer
boot into safe mode (press F8 like a crazy person during boot up, and then select Safe Mode when given the option)
run Malwarebytes, and any other antivirus software that you may have
run 'msconfig' and deselect everything except for Windows, your antivirus, and other things you want to run (like special mouse, graphics, or other hardware related software) (start, run, msconfig, startup tab)
reset the computer in safe mode again, and run a full scan of all your antivirus/antimalware software again, repeat this until you get a clean scan
reset again, and go into normal windows, check for antivirus updates, and scan again
run CCleaner's Cleaner, and registry check to remove registry entries related to the malware that has been removed. Rerun the registry checker until you are clear, or there is 1-2 items that it cannot fix.
hope and pray that everything was found
install a physical firewall (like a router) that can run Tomato or DD-WRT which will automatically block most malware attacks, never let your antivirus go out of date, and never ever download or click on anything that could possibly be suspicious.
Estimated time: 6-24 hours depending on how badly infected you are.

Option 2:
Find your restore/install discs and pray that you have backups of all your important files on some other device
During the windows install process be sure to delete your Windows partition (careful not to delete your recovery partition if your recovery disc is on your HDD), and then reformat it which will wipe away all but the most evil boot sector or Bios viruses.
Reload Windows and all your programs.
Get a good router that can run Tomato or DD-WRT to prevent most future attacks
Install antivirus as soon as Windows is up, and before doing any updates or other installations.
Estimated time: 3-6 hours, and you can rest assured that the bug is gone (unless it is a boot sector virus, which means you have to run something like DBAN. Or a BIOS virus in which case you have to flash your BIOS or get a new mobo... both of these are EXTREMELY rare though.)


Viruses suck, good luck!

 

[CaedenV]

Also, while Malwarebytes is really really good (I use it on ~300 systems that I am responsible for, and it is an invaluable tool), it is still no substitution for an antivirus program.
I highly suggest Microsoft Security Essentials, but there are other excellent free antivirus programs out there like AVG Free, or Avast! Free. But do not run more than one antivrus program on your system at the same time as they will fight each-other for resources without adding much extra security. Just pick one antivirus, and one anti-malware program (MSE just added an antimalware component, but I am not sure how effective it is yet, but I am hoping it will replace Malwarebytes).

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials

 

[mcnumpty23]

which anti virus are you using?

had this happen with avg before

it was generating a huge error file and no matter how much i deleted it kept growing the file to occupy the empty space

had to unhide hidden files and unhide protected operating files

then just browsed the c drive till i found a 50gb plus file which turned out to be from avg

just uninstalled avg deleted the file and re-installed avg and all was fine

you can use this method to find if its something similar making a huge file even if you are not using avg

 

[arvindranganath]

This was happening to me as well... It turned out to be a malware called Sweet.IM... Malwarebytes took care of it pretty good, and I was back to 12 GB free space!

 

[Scatman]

Its your restore points, I have just got back 70GB on my C Drive by doing the following...

Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.


In the left pane, click System protection.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.


Under Protection Settings, click Configure.


Under Disk Space Usage, click Delete.


Click Continue, and then click OK.

Thats It!

If you dont want to lose System Restore, which is by far the best method of regaining lost disk space, you can delete all but the most recent restore point...

Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.


If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.


In the Disk Cleanup for (drive letter) dialog box, click Clean up system files.  If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.


If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then click OK.


Click the More Options tab, under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click Clean up.


In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click Delete.


Click Delete Files, and then click OK.

For Windows 7.

 

[de-man]

thank you so much i didnt even think it was system restore that was my problem but i just cleared out 80 gb off my hard drive because none of my programs saw that as my problem so thank you so much man

 

[Scatman Crothers]

You're welcome man, glad to help.
You may have to repeat this every now and again. Dave.

 

[Rakly3]

Hello,
Something on my hard drive is eating up the space even though I un-install applications and then it shows lots of space, but in a few moments that space is gone.

I have run Malwarebytes and deleted a lot of my files that is suspected of Virus/Spyware, yet the same thing happens repeatedly.

What software can I use to ensure I get rid of this 'thing' that is eating away or growing on my hard disk?

Malwarebytes creates data insanely fast.
I installed it yesterday, and I saw free space getting eaten in real time.
I usually have 15-30 browsertabs open any given day, and every piece of junk coming in, Malwarebytes writes away in quarantine.
In one day it gobbled up 1.7G on my HDD.
Everything in the quarantine folder is junk, delete it.
Also you might want to install WinDirStat. It visualizes which programs use a lot of space, or where you got loads of temp files cleaners don't clean... etc. And it's free.

At the bottom, where it says PUP & PUM, you'll want to put it to Ignore to stop Malwarebytes from saving that much junk data.
http://i.imgur.com/JXVF9q6.png?1