Disk Cleanup hasn't changed a lot in Windows Vista, at least not to the casual user. The interface and cleanup process is essentially the same, except that now you're prompted to choose between cleaning up only your personal files or all users' files before starting the cleaning process. [See Image 1] As with older versions, if more than one hard drive or partition exist, you're prompted to select the one to clean.
Once Disk Cleanup is running, you'll notice a More Options tab along side the Disk Cleanup tab, where you can access tools to free additional disk space by deleting programs you don't use, and to remove all but the most recent System Restore points and shadow copies if desired. [See Image 2]
Before you run Disk Cleanup, you must decide what to delete. [See Image 3] Here's a rundown:
* Downloaded Program Files - These files download automatically when you view certain Web pages.
* Temporary Internet Files - These files contain copies of web pages you've visited.
* Offline Webpages - These files are web pages you opt to view without being connected to the Internet.
* Recycle Bin - These are the files in the Recycle Bin. Note that files are not permanently deleted until you empty it.
* Setup Log Files - Files created by Windows during setup processes.
* Temporary Files - Files created and stored by programs for use by the program.
* Thumbnails - Files that represent icon for pictures, videos, and documents.
* Per user archived Windows Error Reporting - Files used for error reporting and solution checking.
* System archived Windows Error Reporting - Files used for error reporting and solution checking.
As noted, you can also access the More Options tab, where you can remove programs that you do not use. Clicking Clean Up opens Control Panel, where you can view installed programs and remove the ones you don't use. If you purchased your computer from a "Big Box" store, you probably have lots to get rid of. Do it. Also from the More Options tab, System Restore and Shadow Copies Clean Up option lets you delete all but the most recent restore point s(which I won't suggest), and old backup images.
You might want to schedule Disk Cleanup to run once a week or once a month. You can do this with Task Scheduler. Using Task Scheduler, you can be sure that your computer is free of unwanted data, without having to remember to run it and manually start the program yourself. With Task Scheduler, you can configure Disk Cleanup to run when you aren't using the computer as well, like at 2 a.m. in the morning.
