Operating System

[jotb]

I'm showing only 11% free space left (870mb). My capacity 7.09GB. I need to free up some space but don't know what programs I should remove. My biggest program is the OPEN OFFICE.ORG 3.1 (358MB) but I used this quite often. The rest of the programs on my MINI DELL INSPIRION 910 are frequently use. Programs like WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER 11, ADOBE READER 9.1.3, McAFEE Security center, DELL WEBCAM and SPRINT SMART VIEW (CARD) are a must. These are probably the biggest programs I have on here. I also have MICROSOFT.NET FRAMEWORK 1.1, MICROSOFT.NET FRAMEWORK 1.1 HOTFIX, MICROSOFT.NET FRAMEWORK 2.0 SERVICE PACK 2 (185MB), MICROSOFT.NET FRAMEWORK 3.0 SERVICE PACK 2 (179MB), MICROSOFT.NET FRAMEWORK 3.5 SP1 (28.81MB) and MICROSOFT SILVERLIGHT (19.60MB). To free up some space can I safely remove any of these service packs?

Thank you,
Joe

[Red Knave]

To free up some space can I safely remove any of these service packs?I wouldn't remove any Micro$oft or any other service packs for that matter. Load your internet browser and clear your history or check out some of the free tools like ccleaner ( http://www.ccleaner.com/ ) to get rid of temporary files.

[robert99]

Other thing to consider is an external USB hard drive.
You can put all the programs on that - they will load slower.

Silverlight could go and Foxit Reader can replace Adobe Reader. Net Frameworks I don't think can be removed but you don't need them.
All your media files can go on the USB drive.
Turn off system restore to free up space then turn it on again if you want it.
Turn off any system logs.

[chickenhead]

depends on what use OO for...but you could try out zoho or google for apps if it is for basic things only.

[jotb]

Thank you everyone. Greatly appreciated. I went into my control panel and use the free up space on my hard disk. I now have 16% free space. It's better than 11%.

Joe

[CBedo]

After the disk cleanup, the next thing to do is to check out the add/remove programs in the control panel. It should tell you how much space they use and if you have used it recently. See if there is anything in there that takes up a quite a bit of space that you are not using, and if so, remove it.

After that, try moving your open office data files (or other data) to a flash drive (8 gig for like 14 bucks) or other external storage (which are really cheap now. $100 dollars will get you about 500 gig for a portable drive or 1000 gig for a desktop drive). If you're like me, you'll have some big spreadsheets (and multiple versions) which take up lots of space.

Lastly, I'm not sure what size hard drives Dell offers for their minis, but look at getting a bigger one.

[DJofSD]

I doubt that installed software is taking up all that much space on your HDD.

Try using the Disk Cleanup function that MicroSoft supplies. All programs -> accessories -> system tools -> disk cleanup .

First time, just use the defaults. Look at the temp files line item and make sure it is selected. If it is not selected for some reason, go ahead and click it then OK. Let the big dog run.

Run it again and select More Options. On the More Options page, click the Clean Up button in the section titled System Restore and Shadow Copies. Click OK (yes) when prompted to delete all but the most recent copy. Then procede with the normal click of OK to let the Disk Cleanup process run.

[jotb]

I doubt that installed software is taking up all that much space on your HDD.

Try using the Disk Cleanup function that MicroSoft supplies. All programs -> accessories -> system tools -> disk cleanup .

First time, just use the defaults. Look at the temp files line item and make sure it is selected. If it is not selected for some reason, go ahead and click it then OK. Let the big dog run.

Run it again and select More Options. On the More Options page, click the Clean Up button in the section titled System Restore and Shadow Copies. Click OK (yes) when prompted to delete all but the most recent copy. Then procede with the normal click of OK to let the Disk Cleanup process run.

I just tried that and now I have 25% 1.80GB of space left (capacity is 7.09GB)... This certainly helped. I don't have the slightest clue as to what was actually performed but it's better than the 11% of space I originally had yesterday.

Thank you all,
Joe

[DJofSD]

Selected at random from a search, here's some additional ideas about getting on top of your HDD space problem. See: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/02/26/how-to-fix-shrinking-disk-space-in-vista/

[tupper]

I own a Dell Mini 9, too, but my internal solid state drive (SSD) is only 4GB.

Remember, you can easily add storage by inserting an SDHC card. These cards can remain in their slot indefinitely, and they don't stick out like a USB flash drive. An SDHC-6 card runs faster than a USB flash drive, but more slowly than the Mini 9's internal SSD. 8GB SDHC-6 cards go for about $15.

I use the stock Dell Ubuntu with a bunch of apps (including Open Office), and I have about 400MB available. If I had your SSD, there would be 4.4GB of free space.

However, I also have Tiny Core Linux installed. This amazing little gem takes up only 10MB, and is incredibly snappy. Here is a screenshot with the default theme: http://linuxmag.s3.amazonaws.com/i/articles/7457/tiny-core.png Of course, 10MB is just for the OS -- the apps take up additional space. If I get rid of the Dell Ubuntu, I will easily regain 80% of my SSD.

I would not recommend Tiny Core for a Linux beginner.

There are many other lightweight Linux distros specially tailored to netbooks and to Linux beginners:
Easy Peasy http://www.geteasypeasy.com/
Linpus: http://www.linpus.com/
Ubuntu Netbook Remix http://www.canonical.com/projects/ubuntu/unr
Moblin http://arstechnica.com/open-source/reviews/2009/05/hands-on-intel-brings-rich-ui-to-moblin-linux-platform.ars
Pupeee http://www.linux.com/distrocentral/distronews/8219-puppeee-puppy-for-your-eee-pc
Puppy Simplicity Netbook Edition http://www.puppylinux.org/?q=downloads/puplets/simplicity-netbook-edition
etc.

Most of these netbook distros will use 100MB-1000MB.

As you know, all of these OSs are free.

Here's an article on Netbook Linux distros: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/09/which_linux_for_netbooks/

By the way, I sometimes boot Slitaz Linux on my Mini 9 off of a USB flash drive, which leaves my entire SSD free!: http://slitaz.org/ The base version of Slitaz (which includes a lot of apps) is around 30MB, but takes up 100MB when installed on a drive.

[robert99]

tupper,

Steven A Ballmer is instructing his lawyers as we speak. :ThmbUp:

[tupper]

Steven A Ballmer is instructing his lawyers as we speak.If Steve Ballmer is reading posts on paceadvantage.com, perhaps some of his billions will eventually end up in the pools.

I just hope he doesn't smash my Mini 9!: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/11/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-part-lxii-steve-ballmer-publicly-ridicules/#continued

Incidentally, I'm typing this in a coffee shop on my Mini 9, from within Tiny Core and Opera.

[robert99]

If Steve Ballmer is reading posts on paceadvantage.com, perhaps some of his billions will eventually end up in the pools.

I just hope he doesn't smash my Mini 9!: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/11/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-part-lxii-steve-ballmer-publicly-ridicules/#continued

Incidentally, I'm typing this in a coffee shop on my Mini 9, from within Tiny Core and Opera.

Bing's not Google. He's missed you so far, but one day....

http://www.bing.com/search?q=linux+paceadvantage&form=QBLH&filt=all&qs=n

[tupper]

Bing's not Google. He's missed you so far, but one day.... http://www.bing.com/search?q=linux+paceadvantage&form=QBLH&filt=all&qs=n (http://www.bing.com/search?q=linux+paceadvantage&form=QBLH&filt=all&qs=n)Ha, ha!

Thanks for the link to the M$ Bing search. I have never tried it before.

One of the links in the Bing search led to boardreader.com. This is sort of interesting: http://boardreader.com/t/Off_Topic_Computers/Operating_System_6681X1bgn.html Look at the "Top Contributing Authors."

[robert99]

Ha, ha!

Thanks for the link to the M$ Bing search. I have never tried it before.

One of the links in the Bing search led to boardreader.com. This is sort of interesting: http://boardreader.com/t/Off_Topic_Computers/Operating_System_6681X1bgn.html Look at the "Top Contributing Authors."

Shucks - I dissed Silverlight. Lucky we Brits do not get extradited to America - What do you mean we do!
Best shop jotb in then, as he started it.
"Are you now or have you ever been an operator of the Linux Operating System? ...

[robert99]

Microsoft now joined the propaganda mobs with downright lies and scare tactics. Getting worse than the reign of Stalin:


Microsoft
"indoctrinating" Best Buy employees

By Matthew DeCarlo, TechSpot.com
Published: September 10, 2009, 1:32 PM EST
Microsoft has confirmed reports that it is equipped to train Best Buy employees in the fine art of trashing Linux -- or rather, the "important differences between Linux computers and Windows computers." Less than a week ago news broke that the software giant was "indoctrinating" Best Buy workers in preparation for the launch of its much-anticipated Windows 7 operating system.

The employee who leaked the training material has joined Linux advocates in these accusations. The training material avows, "Linux does not support many common applications and online services," including iTunes, Zune, Quicken, Photoshop, and Office 2007. It also supposedly debunks the claim that Linux is safer than Windows.

Microsoft further asserts that "few" cameras, iPods, MP3 players, printers, and scanners are compatible with Linux. It also claims that video chat is not available on all major IM networks, and games like World of Warcraft are incompatible with Linux -- though many (including WoW) can be played via WINE. The list goes on, and you can view about eleven slides here.

Specific content aside, the slides are repetitious and encourage trainees to regurgitate Microsoft's message via a quiz. I'm no Joseph Goebbels but I believe both are common tactics in disseminating propaganda. No matter your stance in the Windows versus Linux debate, the training material is certainly full of half-truths. "

http://www.techspot.com/news/36163-microsoft-indoctrinating-best-buy-employees.html

[PaceAdvantage]

Specific content aside, the slides are repetitious and encourage trainees to regurgitate Microsoft's message via a quiz. I'm no Joseph Goebbels but I believe both are common tactics in disseminating propaganda. No matter your stance in the Windows versus Linux debate, the training material is certainly full of half-truths. "Are we that far removed from the atrocities of Nazi Germany that it's now OK to raise the evil spectre while discussing the fairly innocuous world of OPERATING SYSTEMS???

What other ways can we find to further water down the meaning of what happened in Germany during World War II?

Unreal.

[robert99]

Are we that far removed from the atrocities of Nazi Germany that it's now OK to raise the evil spectre while discussing the fairly innocuous world of OPERATING SYSTEMS???

What other ways can we find to further water down the meaning of what happened in Germany during World War II?

Unreal.

You are confusing propaganda (the point) with Nazi atrocities (a topic that was simply not mentioned). The propaganda comes before the evil.