Recovery (D:) Drive prompts "Low Disk Space" Warning. Issue creating Backups.

[UAHGorgix]

Hello,

So I will lay out the basics that I know that should enlighten the situation.

I'm currently using a 250GB HDD and it is partitioned into 2 Logic Drives:

C: Local Disk (222GB)
D: Recovery (10.2GB)

I'm using a Home Premium copy of Windows 7 32-Bit OS. So, when I click the Start Menu (Windows Button) and then select "Computer", I can see both of the drives.

The Local Disk (C) drive says "77.7GB free of 222GB"; this changes every so often throughout a daily usage, generally by .5GB - 2GB of used space.

Recovery (D) drive says "5.07MB of 10.2GB"; this is what is prompting the windows messages.

Now what I know:

Your actual physical HDD is split into 2 Logic HDDs, called "Partitioning". Here they are the 2 HDD listed above. The Recovery (D) is used to store your System Image so that you may recover your System to a certain date.

At one point in time this drive was a 25GB and I have no clue what happened; it's possible I might have uninstalled a program with the name "*something* Backup". Anyways, having such low space remaining prompts windows to present messages to alert you.

What I have done:

Windows 7 puts up a little flag that shows you the "Alert Center" in the bottom right corner of the default taskbar. I selected the flag and when to the center and then clicked "Turn of Backup warnings" and that resolved one problem.

Then I went to the Start Menu again and Right-Clicked "Computer" and selected Manage. I then went to Disk Management and then Right-Clicked the Recovery (D) drive and removed "Path Name" so that it does not show when I select "Computer"; this resolved the message issue for a while then it appeared again so I un-did my last step and returned it to "Computer" page.

What all this has taught me and what I am now worried about:

When I browse the files in my Recovery (D) drive I can select "Username - PC" and it present a pop-up with 3 options; Manage Space, Restore all user files, Restore all files on computer. When I select Manage Space I can then select "Browse Backups" to see what backup dates are available. HERE IS THE ISSUE: The backup dates are the current date!!!! I.E. -- If I looked today, it would be a backup date for 6/7/2011. It does this everyday and does not save backups for much earlier dates.

Any suggestions?

 

[office politics]

who makes your machine? i'm guessing they installed software to automatically backup data to this recovery partition. you would have to look up or speak with a support rep about how to create multiple different backups.

what os you running? we may be able to find a different software to accomplish your goal.

 

[4P_Bulldozer]

I have a "Recovery Drive" and use WinXP. My "D:" Drive does not change size nor does it keep getting filled up. My Computer is half a dozen years old and I have had a little over 500MB free for many years (without the annoying message).

You ought to have no (or very limited) access to your "Recovery Drive" except through your "Recovery Disks"; which use it to restore your "C:" Drive in the event of OS or Boot failure.

If your Computer is very new then something has broke your hidden Recovery Drive, it may be best to use your Recovery Disks and restore your Drives (without erasing your Data).

If your Computer is old then you can free some space on your Recovery Drive by running "Windows Cleanup" on "D:" and then clicking the other Tab (instead of "cleaning") and choosing to delete all of "D:" Drive's "System Restore - EXCEPT the last one" (since these backups should be of little use since you should not be changing "D:" Drive).

That would recover a bit of space but not help with what is writing there nor why it's size has shrunk. Best to find out why it's size shrank and what is writing there (hope your not downloading to "D:" Drive).

 

[UAHGorgix]

Im running Windows 7 Home and my Machine was assembled by Gateway.

I do remember seeing the symbol for the Backup program down in the lower right of my taskbar and it looked like a light blue CD with a white outline/background.

Built my computer only 4-5 years ago, so its not really old.

I plan on getting a bigger HDD, so what I was going to do was just take it into Best Buy or Staples, tell them to put the new HDD in and transfer all the data from my current to my new one and partition it the following way:

460GB to Local Disk
40GB to Recovery

 

[4P_Bulldozer]

If it is that old it did not come with Win7 and when you installed the new OS you did not make the Recovery Partition the recommended size for the new OS - understandable since you did not wish to erase all your files by re-partitioning your Drive.

It is complicated to do (and risks your Data if you do it wrong) do but you can:

1. Use a "Disk Optimization" Program to compress your Drive "C:" space (not compress your files but move everything to the beginning of the Drive).
2. Use a "Disk Re-Partitioner" to repartition your Drive and make the Recovery Drive larger.
3. Re-install Win7 (without erasing existing Data) as you did before.

That ought to save all your files and settings and inform Win7 of the corrected size for your Recovery Partition. It would be better to wait for someone with Win7 Upgrade experience to post here as I would not wish to walk you through it. I have WinXP.

 

[UAHGorgix]

Oh, it had Vista when I got the computer.

Do you know of any Disk Optimization/Disk Re-Partitioner programs?

And I used the Win7 student deal. Basically it downloaded the Win7 ISO.exe so I can burn it to a CD or convert it for USB usage with the conversion tool.

Or, could I just do what I said above and just get a new HDD and have Best Buy or Staples transfer the Data and then partition the new HDD how I'd like it?

 

[4P_Bulldozer]

Oh, it had Vista when I got the computer. Do you know of any Disk Optimization/Disk Re-Partitioner programs?

See: http://www.techist.com/forums/f43/cant-see-hdd-after-i-installed-ubuntu-10-10-a-244302/#post1894510

And I used the Win7 student deal. Basically it downloaded the Win7 ISO.exe so I can burn it to a CD or convert it for USB usage with the conversion tool.
Or, could I just do what I said above and just get a new HDD and have Best Buy or Staples transfer the Data and then partition the new HDD how I'd like it?

They might charge $80. If you burn the ISO to the new Drive it ought to Partition it correctly since it is empty it will create a new Partition and the "D:" will (should be) the correct size.

Like I said, if you wait a bit someone else here with more Win7 experience may help you it is out of my Territory.

 

[UAHGorgix]

I had found a Disk Re-Partitioner program but it would not allow me to change the size of the D: drive. Both the C: and the D: drives are labelled as "Primary" drives.

Also, using Win7 Disk Manager, I cannot extend the D: drive but I can shrink it. I shrunk the C: drive thinking the unused space could then be placed in the D: drive but still I could not extend it.

 

[4P_Bulldozer]

I had found a Disk Re-Partitioner program but it would not allow me to change the size of the D: drive. Both the C: and the D: drives are labelled as "Primary" drives.

Also, using Win7 Disk Manager, I cannot extend the D: drive but I can shrink it. I shrunk the C: drive thinking the unused space could then be placed in the D: drive but still I could not extend it.

If "C:" and "D:" are on the same physical Drive then you can change the size of both and simply move the space from one Drive to the other, that is exactly what a re-Partitioner does. You will want to use a "Defragmenter" on "C:" and compress the "C:" Drive first. You can NOT have anything at the end of "C:" when you expand "D:" forward (make "D:" bigger).

Remember that if you mess up (which is easy to do with that Program if you don't know how to use it) then your Drive's Data is toast.

 

[UAHGorgix]

What I hadn't done is found a Defrag program. Can't seem to find a good free one.

But yea, they are both physical drives, not logical. I simple shrunk the C: drive, and a new logical drive appeared named "Unallocated". Try to expand D: and got nothing, wouldn't eve allow me.