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The importance of managing the files on your hard drive cannot be overemphasized. Running low on disk space can result in poor performance, programs that fail to work, or even failure of Windows itself.
Keep in mind that this advice is of a general nature and not applicable in all cases. If you are not sure what to do, please seek the advice of a consultant or someone you trust.
Most computers come with Windows preinstalled and with one or two hard drives usually referred to as drive C and drive D. The C drive is almost always the drive where Windows is installed. This drive should never be overfilled.
All your programs will install by default on the C drive. However, you can override this. I recommend installing on the C drive and putting your data on the D drive until the C drive is about 50% filled.
You can determine the percent that a disk is filled as follows: Double click on My Computer, then right click on the drive you want to check and choose Properties. This will give you a picture and statistics. If you only have a C drive put everything on the C drive until you are at 50% filled.
At this point you need to start installing everything new on your D drive. If you do not have a second drive you should purchase one and install it or have it installed on your computer. Most PC computers today have room for a second drive and the cost is relatively low in the range of approximately 100 to 500 dollars.
Continue to monitor the C drive. When the C drive gets about 80% filled, you should begin to move applications and files from the C drive to the D drive. To move an application you must uninstall the application from the C drive and reinstall it on the D drive. To uninstall an application, go to Control Panel and choose Add/Remove Programs.
I will include some hints on how to find files to delete in a future issue.