[SOLVED] Question about deleting files from external HDD.

Nov 25, 2021
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If you delete something from hard drive, do you receive the exact same amount of space as the amount of space the deleted file occupied in the hard drive?
 
Solution
If you delete something from hard drive, do you receive the exact same amount of space as the amount of space the deleted file occupied in the hard drive?
Yes but there may be some discrepancy in reported space. If you look at any file properties in most cases you will see two values, "Size" and "Size on disk" which includes empty, wasted space due to fragmentation.
PS. when deleting data it's not completely deleted unless space it was in is "Zeroed" ie, erased not just deleted. In addition OS will retain data about deleted file so that may take some space too.
If you delete something from hard drive, do you receive the exact same amount of space as the amount of space the deleted file occupied in the hard drive?
Yes but there may be some discrepancy in reported space. If you look at any file properties in most cases you will see two values, "Size" and "Size on disk" which includes empty, wasted space due to fragmentation.
PS. when deleting data it's not completely deleted unless space it was in is "Zeroed" ie, erased not just deleted. In addition OS will retain data about deleted file so that may take some space too.
 
Solution
Nov 25, 2021
66
0
30
Thanks for the answers. I already emptied Recycle Bin but still there is 4,096 bytes left on my Seagate external HDD used space together with my old files.

Here’s the scenario. I copied files on my Seagate external HDD. After several hours I deleted it. Strangely there is a 4,096 bytes difference in space.

USED SPACE:

Before: 1,101,750,411,264

After: 1,101,750,415,360


There is 4,096 bytes difference.

What do you think it is? Please check these pictures.

Before:
View: https://imgur.com/a/c6nnEHJ


After:
View: https://imgur.com/a/0UUkFZ0


Thank you.
 
Thanks for the answers. I already emptied Recycle Bin but still there is 4,096 bytes left on my Seagate external HDD used space together with my old files.

Here’s the scenario. I copied files on my Seagate external HDD. After several hours I deleted it. Strangely there is a 4,096 bytes difference in space.

USED SPACE:

Before: 1,101,750,411,264

After: 1,101,750,415,360


There is 4,096 bytes difference.

What do you think it is? Please check these pictures.

Before:
View: https://imgur.com/a/c6nnEHJ


After:
View: https://imgur.com/a/0UUkFZ0


Thank you.
Does this ext have it's own recycle bin?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Thanks for the info. But my concern is what is that 4,096 bytes left on my Seagate external HDD?
4,096 bytes is the size of one cluster.
That is likely holding the file allocation table, or the indexing info.
A pointer to the recycle bin.

I'll leave you to do the math as to how incomprehensibly small 4,096 bytes is in relation to a multiTB storage device
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
In addition, since this drive is not actually empty....that 4,096 is quite probably one tiny part of a file, in a different cluster.
A 2 byte thing is shown as consuming 4,096 bytes...the size of the whole cluster.
 
Last edited:

Satan-IR

Splendid
Ambassador
You can use command "fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo [your drive letter]" (without quotes) in Command Prompt to check your drives cluster size.

The Size on disk is the space of all those clusters (whatever size from 512 bytes to 32K or even more) in which the file is saved. So the Size on disk is always greater than the actual file size.

Your disk most probaby has typical cluster size (4096). For example this size (4096 bytes) means that Windows will allocate 4096 bytes for any file that is from 1 to 4096 bytes in length. That 4096 might be a fraction of a cluster which the system will count as 1 x 4096 anyway.

Nothing to worry about.