Thread: Missing disk space

My hard disk has suddenly lost a lot of space, with only three per cent free on a 40GB hard disk. I am running Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and Norton Security software.

The most likely culprit is the Norton Protected Recycle Bin. This is installed by Norton and replaces the ordinary Recycle Bin. Right-click on the Norton Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop and select Empty Norton Protected files to permanently delete the contents. If this is a regular problem it might be worth changing how long files are kept in the Recycle Bin before automatic Right-click on the Recycle Bin and select Properties. Click 0)1 the Norton Protection tab and select C: from the dropdown list. Click in the box labelled Purge Protected Files After. and then enter a number of days. At least a week would be a good start.

To return to the Windows Recycle Bin, right-click on the Recycle Bin icon and then left-click on Properties. Click on the Global tab and then Use One Setting for All Drives. Click on the Recycle Bin tab and then on Standard Recycle Bin. Click on the Norton Protection tab, select C: and then uncheck the Enable Protection option. Finally, select Also Empty Protected Files to remove the files that are still in the Norton Protected Recycle Bin. Click on OK twice to confirm the changes and then restart the computer.