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The old laptop was getting very slow so I decided to save all the personal files (photos, videos and outlook mail, really nothing else) and then to reload Windows XP using the Recovery CD provided by the machine manufacturer.

Machine is Gericom Hummer originally bought from Aldi (around 9 years ago). It has Pentium 4 and a nominal 60gig hard disk

Fair enough with all the personal stuff saved on an external hard disk (and having done a "save everything" using the XP Files and Settings transfer Wizard" just to be sure) I put the Recovery Disk in the drive and re-booted

All seemed to go OK with appropriate screens showing loading XP and for entering user names etc - and finally I get to a Windows page and log on as one of the two nominated users

Remembering that the recovery disk only loads Win XP with SP1 and that I have not added ANY other programs - I look at "properties" for C: AND AM CONCERNED TO FIND

Total capacity 56 Gb
Used 43.5 Gb
Free 12.5 Gb

WHAT is using up all my disk space ????

If I look at the directory structure for drive C: then I note THREE entries for Windows

Windows - 6.25Gb created 17 Jan 2004
Windows.0 - 959MB created today July 4th 2010
Windows.1 - 2.4 Gb created yesterday 3rd July

(Yes, I DID try this reload job yesterday - saw the missing C: drive space and thought I had done something "wrong" so I reloaded it all again today)

If I look at "Properties" for Documents and Settings this
shows a total of 29.1 Gb which seems rather a lot

If I look at the sizes of the individual folders within Documents and Settings these are
Admin - minor size
PersonA - 4.3 Gb
PersonA.Gericom - 2.35 Gb
PersonA.Gericom.000 - 1 Mb
All users - 18.1 GB
All Users. Windows.0 - 5.38 Gb
All Users.Windows.1 - 500 Mb
PersonB - 3.51 Gb
PersonB.Temp - 230 Mb
Owner - 269 Mb

And if I look at the total size of Program Files on drive C: it is 4.13 Gb

Summat is wrong and I do not know why

Could it be that the reload of Windows did not delete the original copy of Windows XP but has simply have added another one?

Having only 12Gb of free space on the disk is daft because I have yet to load Service Pack 3 and my usual software - and I TOOK OFF more than 12 Gb of files onto the external hard disk before I started !!!

Help

Confused idiot

Snod

There are different settings on the "Restore"/"Reload" screens, as the amount you have extra is broadly similar to the amount you moved to an external drive then it could be that you chose a "Non-Destructive" recovery.
This basically means that Windows has been completely re-installed but that your files have been saved (usually under the folder Windows.old but not always)
Your choices are to either be grateful that you don't have to copy them all back again, or to Re-Install again using the Full or Destructive Install.

This IS just an educated guess without seeing seeing it, might also suggest using the chkdsk command "just" in case your hard drive is developing bad sectors.

Hope this helps

Thanks Doc

At one point there was a screen that listed the drives (only one ie C:) in a box and indicated to press
Enter to load windows
D to delete
there was a third option but I cant remember what that was now

I just pressed Enter but I am wondering if "D" for delete means it will delete all on drive C: before loading Windows???

Humm - think you may be getting a visit/ job - like SOON.

I don't mind paying - so long as I can WATCH and work out where I was going wrong

Ta.

Snod

I think Windows.old folder being created only came in from Vista upwards, and the OP is on XP. However, if that was the case, a full reinstall is not necessary to delete Windows.old files, running Disk Cleanup would remove it easily for you.

Back to the OP's problem, it does sound like you may have installed Windows twice. You should have, as you say, pressed D to delete the partition and for it to be formatted clean. I think, on XP, you will just have to do a clean install, making sure that all partitions are deleted. I think it should say C: Unallocated Space when it is ready.

We can but try - fingers and toes crossed

Snod

Ahhhh, got it, I thought you meant you had an all singing all dancing recovery CD, it sounds as if you have a copy of XP with the drivers on it (hopefully)

Ok, the blue screen you came to with the options was showing you any/all drives, including if your drive was split and had a hidden partition (from what you are saying it doesn't). It then gave you the option of where to install Windows, what you did was to re-install it over the top of the origional one, keeping all your files (this is a useful trick when registry gets corrupt).
What you ned to do is to choose Delete Partion, it will then ask you to press a key (L I think) to confirm. You will then be asked if you want to intall or make a partition (you dont) and to press Enter to continue.
Options of which fromat to use NTFS or Fat32, use NTFS, and Full or Fast Format. Fast will do a quick format and then install your OS, Full will actually check the drive for errors and bad sectors before it installs, you don't need to do anything untill iy starts asking for Country and Time etc, one just takes longer to get there but does warn you if the whole thing is pointless as your drive is dying...

You can do it....go on

I'm DOING it

I crossed my fingers and opted for "D" to delete everything on drive C - and then did the other NTFS selection bit etc

At this very moment drive C is being reformatted

I do not know whether the Gericom Recovery Disk contains all the drivers - but anyway I have the original Gericom-supplied Drivers CD

I will report when all done - or shout if it don't work, but I think it will

Wiki IT Help wins again I think

Snod

All working FINE now

Thanks folks!

(Now have three more machines to wipe & reload)

Snod