# Windows 7 C:/User folder large



## mpeill (Feb 19, 2011)

Looking at the properties of my C:/Users/Pauline folder, it shows a size of 198Gb, yet opening the folder and viewing the size of each file and sub-folder, they add up to no more than 2Gb (I keep all the libraries and user data files on a separate drive).
Another user, myself, as C:\Users\Malcolm shows a size of 9Gb. Even this is much much larger than the sum of the sub folders, but I could live with that.
Going to folder options and showing hidden and protected files shows nothing in the way of very large files.
Any ideas welcome, as my C: drive is almost full and I don'y know why!!


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## PedroHin (Aug 13, 2010)

Your best bet would be to download an application like SpaceSniffer which would give you a graphical view of where the consumed space is going.

It's real easy to use. Just open the zipfile you download, drag the application to your desktop, and launch it. 

I see your specs as Windows 7. You may want to right-click on the application and select 'Run as Administrator' which might give you a better view into folders that might otherwise be restricted.


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## mpeill (Feb 19, 2011)

Ah, excellent!! I downloaded and ran SpaceSniffer (never knew these things existed).
It showed 197Gb of tmp files in AppData, of the form acr***.tmp
Searching through Google then indicated these are left over from the Acronis Backup and Recovery I'm running regularly.
I've deleted all these. Still loads of other stuff within Temp, hundreds of empty files and folders, in AppData that I need to look at, but the major problem is solved. Thanks so much for the help.
As a general point, do you think I could safely clear out the AppData\Temp folder completely?


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## TheOutcaste (Aug 8, 2007)

You can delete everything in that temp folder. There may be a few items that can't be deleted if they are currently in use.

You can also use Disk Cleanup to delete the files in the temp folder. Click *Start*, type *Disk Cleanup*, press *Enter*, or *Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup*.
Click *OK* to scan the selected drive.
You'll have a list of items that can be safely deleted. Note that the dump files and Windows Error reports can be useful if problems occur in the future, so unless they are taking up a lot of space (gigabytes) I'd recommend keeping them. (Though if they are taking up a lot of space, you already have problems)


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