The hard drive on my two year old HP desktop, running Windows 7 64-bit, came partitioned with a C: drive (584 GB) and a D: drive (11.5 GB), with the D: drive being labeled "FACTORY_IMAGE (D: )" The D: drive has been slowly filling up over time and is now down to about 700 MB of free space (and is in the "red" zone). A few weeks ago it had over 800 MB free space, and a couple months ago it was over 900 MB or more of free space. Not knowing a lot about the workings of a computer, I don't know why this is happening, but more to the point, it's going to eventually run out of free space and gosh knows what will happen then.

Is there anything I can do about this? to open up more space? to stop it from incrementally filling up?

It doesn't seem to be fragmented. Computer runs very well. BTW, C: drive is fairly full itself--currently with 65 GB of free space--though I occasionally dump files off to external drives to open up space.

I'm not adverse to adding another, larger internal HD but wouldn't know what to do once I did that. I do have several external HDs with lots of space, though all are connected via USB.

Any thoughts? Advice? -Randy

Hi Randy and welcome to Techie7.

Nothing should be getting saved on the Factory Image (D partition (it is not really a second hard drive) so it should not be filling up. The sole purpose of that small partition is to return the C: drive to the state it was when the computer came out of the HP factory.

So you need to look at the D: drive with Windows Explorers (not IE) from under the Computer icon on your desktop and see what is being saved there. Then we might be able to stop more stuff from being put there. So take a look and note the time stamps for the more recent stuff and let us know so we can go from there.

Digerati,

Thanks for replying, and thanks for the welcome. I am aware that this is a partition, not a separate drive, and that it's for returning the computer to the state it was in when it came from the factory, if need be. I also didn't think anything should be saving there. Besides the "Recovery" folder, there are four TMP files listed, though each says they are 0 Kb in size. I can/will delete these four files, though not until I am sure I don't need them (I'm pretty sure I don't, but....).

I would insert a screen shot of the contents of the D: drive, but can't quickly figure out how. As I'm sure is normal, the first file listed is "Recovery", Date modified = 3/10/2010, Type = Folder. Trying to open that just gives a warning not to change anything. Then there are the four TMP files--the first of the TMP files is: 2452_35756864_MVM_15.tmp - Date modified = 12/31/2011, Type = TMP File, and the other three TMP files are very similar, different string of numbers, different dates modified, but all include MVM_xx I have no idea why or where these came from.

What d’ya think?
-Randy

Well, if they are all 0Kb in size and space is still be used up, then it would seem there are some hidden files there. So you might make sure in your folder options, you have have it them set to view or not hide.

It is certainly safe to delete temp files. Google shows MVM temp files are from Photoshop - yet other search hits about such MVM temp files say they are not from PS. Do you have PS installed?

There are no hidden files--hidden files are selected to be seen. I have deleted the four temp files. No issues. (Yes, I have and use Photoshop CS5). D: drive got even smaller today, in the 650 Mb range. Upon right-clicking the drive, I was given the option to compress it, so I did, and gained about 100 Mb of space—not much.

When I right-click D:\Recovery I can select Properties, and then “Previous Versions.” There are 17 previous versions of Recovery, which seem to have something to do with creating Restore Points (for System Recovery), which are mostly created automatically, though on occasion I create a Restore Point before loading software. These 17 Previous Versions go back to 11/13/2011 and occur more or less at semi-regular intervals.

(If I right-click just the D: drive, and select Properties, and then “Previous Versions,” I can see 17 corresponding previous versions of FACTORY_IMAGE (D: ).

As far as I can tell there is no way to delete any of these Previous Versions. I’ve always had a suspicion that the increase in the used space on this D: partition had something to do with saving files/Restore Points (???), in some manner, for the System Restore software. Of course, I could be way off on that.

?
-Randy

I generally recommend compressing, even under normal circumstances, and this isn't normal.

I see no reason for you to be running System Restore on this partition. System Restore is to help undo changes. That partition should e bunused, and not be going through any changes. So, I recommend you right click on that drive, select Properties, then under the General tab, select Disk Cleanup > More Options > System Restore and Shadow Copies > Clean up... > Delete > Ok > Delete Files. Then you should have only the last System Restore point saved.

Then turn off System Restore for that disk. Right click on Computer > Properties > System Protection. Then, under System Protection, highlight that disk, then click Configure. Click on Turn off System Protection then Okay your way back out.

After futzing around this morning, I came to think pretty much what you said, that System Protection, which is indeed turned on, is the problem. I may have turned it on some time ago thinking I was doing a good thing. Thanks for your confirmation that this is the most likely culprit--I will turn it off and also do what you recommend about cleaning up this partition. I will get back to you to let you know one way or another....

Yes, that seems to have done the trick! D: drive is now out of the red zone, and now has 1.8 GB of free space, which may very well be what it once had. If anything changes I will let you know.

Thank you!

Glad that seems to have sorted things out and thanks for the followup.