!?!? Misreported free disk space on NTFS

[flamingspinach]

I had 6 gigabytes of space left on my primary partition. I created a 4GB file and then deleted it. Now Explorer tells me I have 200 MB left... what happened!?

I tried running chkdsk and scanw32. The reported free space kinda moved around between 171 MB and 227 MB. Also chkdsk "couldn't lock the drive" and asked if I wanted to run it at next boot. I said yes, but when I restarted nothing happened... I kinda need those 6 gigabytes back... can anyone tell me how to fix this up?

Thanks!

-fs

 

[lansalot]

Err. It's not in the recycle bin is it?

 

[firewall]

Or perhaps a utility like Norton Protected Recylce Bin, or some other performing the same purpose, is still keeping the files on the system?

Please check and if it is the case, clear the saved files.

 

[bacillus]

is system restore enabled & have you emptied your recycle bin?

 

[bsobel]

Run SpaceMonger you'll know in a flash what is using that space up...

 

[flamingspinach]

haha, actually, there was quite a bit of stuff in the recycle bin, but even after emptying it, the problem was still there, though the "disappeared" space was of course a lot smaller. I rebooted again, and this time chkdsk DID magically run before boot. Took about an hour, and it seemed to fix the problem.

bsobel: Thanks for the link! That looks like a great program!

-fs

 

[CTho9305]

Originally posted by: bsobel
Run SpaceMonger you'll know in a flash what is using that space up...

Personally I like Scanner but I've never tried SpaceMonger.