Hard drive half full

Question

I got my laptop about three weeks ago. I ordered it with a 40GB hhd. It came with so much stuff pre-installed it only had roughly 15GB of free space. After installing necessary programs for school I was left with 11GB. I still need to transfer work/files off my desktop that I need to have, I am afraid this will take a lot more space. Is There a way I can remove all the extra stuff it came with? I've gone into add remove programs and I got it up to 13GB by removing unnecessary programs/software/games. If I do a clean install with the CD I got with it, will it give me an option or is there a way to only install the operating system? I really need the extra space. I didn't know getting a 40GB hhd will only actually give me 15GB of free space.

Fonseca1015 · Answer

Sorry about that, I was in a little of a hurry. Fast response though, thank you.

Its a Inspirion 6000. I called and they told me about the pc restore partition but they didnt say anything about the diagnostic partition. I will remove them and see how much space that frees up. Also when I called I went ahead and asked for the pc resotre on a disk. They sent that along with a second disk. I believe that was the utilities and drivers.
Would that include some of the extra stuff they add? probly since it does say utilities on it.

thank you for the help and quick response. I had forgoten about the restore being on the laptop.

boppo · Answer

http://www.djdenham.com/Install%20Procedures.htm#Install    you didn't state what system you had but you can do a clean install which will get you more space. dell put a pc restore partition and a diagnostic partition on your drive plus the os. if you never want to go back to the way your system was before you open the box you can remove that partition. I would keep the diagnostic partition because that is smail. you need to go on the dell site and download all the drivers for your system and once you install windows you need to install the chipset first.

boppo · Answer

there is a cd with software on it like your record now and media experience. I would not delete the diagnostic partition incase you need to run it to help you out. get rid of the pc restore partition and go from there. after you do the chipset driver then note book system software then quickset and video and so on. let me know if you need more help.

rickmktg · Answer

@Fonseca1015 wrote:
Sorry about that, I was in a little of a hurry. Fast response though, thank you.

Its a Inspirion 6000. I called and they told me about the pc restore partition but they didnt say anything about the diagnostic partition. I will remove them and see how much space that frees up. Also when I called I went ahead and asked for the pc resotre on a disk. They sent that along with a second disk. I believe that was the utilities and drivers.
Would that include some of the extra stuff they add? probly since it does say utilities on it.

thank you for the help and quick response. I had forgoten about the restore being on the laptop.
Using the Advanced Forum Search on the bottom of this page, you can quite easily find the answer to this often asked question.

Diagnostic partition is 47mb... PC Restore won't be sent on disk as it doesn't exist that way, they will only send OEM Windows, the "extra stuff" that you get for free only comes installed on the PC. Drivers are downloadable.

A 40gb drive is 37.2gb. Minus Dell PC Restore should be 32 - 34gb. There is no way you were left with 15gb due to Dell pre-installing anything, perhaps you misread it. Should have been in the mid 20s.

jocase · Answer

Or. you can leave things the way they are and get an external usb hard drive. See http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1828384

Fonseca1015 · Answer

@rickmktg wrote: Using the Advanced Forum Search on the bottom of this page, you can quite easily find the answer to this often asked question. Diagnostic partition is 47mb... PC Restore won't be sent on disk as it doesn't exist that way, they will only send OEM Windows, the 'extra stuff' that you get for free only comes installed on the PC. Drivers are downloadable. A 40gb drive is 37.2gb. Minus Dell PC Restore should be 32 - 34gb. There is no way you were left with 15gb due to Dell pre-installing anything, perhaps you misread it. Should have been in the mid 20s. You are right; thats what they sent me, the OEM disk. It was actually 17.4gb when I got it. I'll just reinstall, no big deal. jocase I do have a 160gb external drive. What i should have gotten is a 2.5-Inch usb external drive, then i wouldnt need the power plug. something like this with a nice large size drive... http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=BLK-AP25-U

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Hard drive half full

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