Windows does not recognize free space on external hard drive

[jmt356]

Windows 7 is reading 171 GB of free hard drive space on my external hard drive, but when I add up the three files stored thereon, I am getting 305 GB of free hard drive space. Which tool can I use to get Windows to accurately recognize the free hard drive space? Is it Scan Disk or Disk Defragmentation?

[stuck]

What does Windows 7 report as the total capacity of your external hard drive? Also what do you think is the total capacity of the drive?

If the figure Windows 7 is using as the total capacity is not the same as what you think it is then Windows 7 and you are doing different subtraction sums and unsurprisingly getting different answers.

The question then becomes why does Windows think the drive is smaller than you do?

Ken

[jmt356]

Windows reports 465 GB of total space on the 500 GB hard drive. I agree with Windows. However, when I subtract the space taken up by the files on the hard drive (375 MB for file 1; 85.7 GB for file 2; and 176 GB for file 3), I get 202 GB (please excuse the earlier error reporting there should be 305 GB free). Windows is however showing 171 GB, which is 31 GB less than what I am calculating.

I have enabled the viewing of hidden files and folders, yet still nothing more than the three files reported above are displaying. So Windows is not recognizing the 31 extra GB of disk space available.

[stuck]

When you right click on each of the files on the ext. drive and then select 'Properties' the dialog will display two different sizes, 'Size' and 'Size on disk'. The latter is always greater than the former. If you add up the three 'Size on disk' values does that account for your missing 31Gb?

Ken

[John Gray]

Run something like TreeSize Free to find what's taking space...

[jmt356]

The difference between the size and size on disk is negligible and does not account for the 31 GB missing space.

TreeSize indicates that 29.8 GB in an invisible $RECYCLE.BIN file and 2.4 GB in an invisible RECYCLER file. I cannot see these even when I have Windows show hidden files and folders. However, in TreeSize, I can not only see them, but I can also right click and delete them.

I now have 200 GB free, which is very close to the 202 GB I calculated earlier.

Thank you!

[stuck]

...I cannot see these even when I have Windows show hidden files and folders...

but if those files are marked as System files then they will not show until you tick the 'Show system files' option.

I'm guessing here but Windows probably put those files on that ext. HDD so that the trash can / undelete feature works on that disk. If Windows did create those files (and hide / mark as 'system') then now that you've deleted them you might find Windows gets upset at some point in the future.

Ken

[jmt356]

Do you mean untick "Hide protected Operating System files," three boxes down from "Don't show hidden files" in Windows 8 Folder Options?

I wonder if that would have caused the hidden files to appear.

I don't want to upset Windows, but I needed those 30 GB.

[stuck]

Do you mean untick "Hide protected Operating System files," three boxes down from "Don't show hidden files" in Windows 8 Folder Options?

I wonder if that would have caused the hidden files to appear.

I don't want to upset Windows, but I needed those 30 GB.

Yes, that's the tick box I meant.

If the files had the 'system' attribute set then they would have remained hidden until that tick box had been cleared.

Files with the system attribute set are done so for a reason, they are system files, or to put it another way files required by the system. Deleting them is bound to upset the system eventually.

If you need more space buy a bigger HDD.

Ken

[jmt356]

It's an external hard drive so I hope my computer's Windows is not too concerned with what's on there and not on there.