Apps that eat space on the boot partition

[joe tweaker]

One of the biggest problems I face on a daily basis is applications filling my boot drive with files I would rather store elsewhere, but they seem determined to fill up the boot drive no matter how I configure them. I'm talking about saved email messages, newsgroup archives, bookmarks, "temporary" internet files, cookies, internet browser cache folders, email cache folders, etc. These files consume tons of space, and on small boot drives a shortage of free disk space can cause major problems.

Is it possible to safely reinstall these "space-hungry" apps on a larger drive, where they can have all the space they want, and not consume every last byte of my boot partition? I presume one just points to another drive during setup, instead of allowing the default location of "C:\Program Files\Vendor\App\Etc". But is this asking for trouble if I have to wipe my OS and reinstall it again, and these apps are on a different (larger) drive? I mean, they would not get wiped, which is good, but they would have to be reinstalled to recreate the necessary registry entries, correct? Would renaming the top folder before reinstalling these apps protect the existing data? ie, rename D:\Appname to D:\OldApp, reinstall (creating a new D:\Appname), then move the existing data from D:\Oldapp to the new D:\Appname? Would the same idea work for moving apps from drive C: to D:? (ie, Can I remove apps from the registry via the Control Panel after renaming the folder on C: to preserve the data, reinstall the app on D:, then move the preserved data to D:? Or does renaming the folder on C: prevent removing the registry entries?)

Are there any reasons I haven't considered why these apps need to remain on the boot partition? I've tried reconfiguring these apps to store their data elsewhere, but that hasn't stopped them from consuming the boot drive as well. It seems the only option to stop these apps from consuming all of the boot drive is to install them elsewhere. What I'm worried about is if installing something like IE6 to another drive has a negative impact on the O/S? With other apps I don't think it would, but with IE6 being integrated into the O/S, I'm not sure it could be safely moved. Has anyone ever tried installing IE6 on a drive other than C:? Is it possible without bad effects on the O/S, applying patches, etc?

[eidenk]

One of the biggest problems I face on a daily basis is applications filling my boot drive with files I would rather store elsewhere, but they seem determined to fill up the boot drive no matter how I configure them. I'm talking about saved email messages, newsgroup archives, bookmarks, "temporary" internet files, cookies, internet browser cache folders, email cache folders, etc. These files consume tons of space, and on small boot drives a shortage of free disk space can cause major problems.

Is it possible to safely reinstall these "space-hungry" apps on a larger drive, where they can have all the space they want, and not consume every last byte of my boot partition? I presume one just points to another drive during setup, instead of allowing the default location of "C:\Program Files\Vendor\App\Etc". But is this asking for trouble if I have to wipe my OS and reinstall it again, and these apps are on a different (larger) drive? I mean, they would not get wiped, which is good, but they would have to be reinstalled to recreate the necessary registry entries, correct? Would renaming the top folder before reinstalling these apps protect the existing data? ie, rename D:\Appname to D:\OldApp, reinstall (creating a new D:\Appname), then move the existing data from D:\Oldapp to the new D:\Appname? Would the same idea work for moving apps from drive C: to D:? (ie, Can I remove apps from the registry via the Control Panel after renaming the folder on C: to preserve the data, reinstall the app on D:, then move the preserved data to D:? Or does renaming the folder on C: prevent removing the registry entries?)

Are there any reasons I haven't considered why these apps need to remain on the boot partition? I've tried reconfiguring these apps to store their data elsewhere, but that hasn't stopped them from consuming the boot drive as well. It seems the only option to stop these apps from consuming all of the boot drive is to install them elsewhere. What I'm worried about is if installing something like IE6 to another drive has a negative impact on the O/S? With other apps I don't think it would, but with IE6 being integrated into the O/S, I'm not sure it could be safely moved. Has anyone ever tried installing IE6 on a drive other than C:? Is it possible without bad effects on the O/S, applying patches, etc?

It's not installing IE in another partition that would make that its caches are stored on the boot drive.

My IE is installed normally but I have the TIF, cookies and history folders on another drive along with the swap file and the windows temp dir as well as temp dirs for third party applications, etc.... My emails are on the boot dir but I could move them there as well if I wanted to.

Shell Folders keys in the registry are the way of making most of those changes.

[joe tweaker]

My IE is installed normally but I have the TIF, cookies and history folders on another drive along with the swap file and the windows temp dir as well as temp dirs for third party applications, etc.... My emails are on the boot dir but I could move them there as well if I wanted to.

Shell Folders keys in the registry are the way of making most of those changes.

Ah. I have so much to learn in the registry. I guess email is my biggest problem right now, but I see other apps heading in the same direction if I don't change something soon. I use Eudora for one mail account and Thunderbird for another. Both store their message archives on the boot drive. I set Eudora to send email attachments to a folder on a bigger drive, but embedded pictures still end up in a subfolder within the Eudora app on the boot drive. That folder is getting huge and I can't figure out how to make it use a different drive. It seems to be hard coded to store them in a subfolder where the app was installed. If I simply empty that folder, the embeded pics disappear when the original email is displayed. I had the same problem when I was using Forte Agent for viewing newsgroups. I finally backed up all the message archives to CDR and then deleted them from the boot drive. But now I can't read those messages without reinstalling them to the same drive again. And that drive has no space left to reinstall them... If only all these archives could be stored on other drives. They're just too large to store on C:!!!

[eidenk]

I set Eudora to send email attachments to a folder on a bigger drive, but embedded pictures still end up in a subfolder within the Eudora app on the boot drive. That folder is getting huge and I can't figure out how to make it use a different drive. It seems to be hard coded to store them in a subfolder where the app was installed.

So you just need to move the Eudora folder to another drive if that's the case isnt'it ?

If Eudora would refuse to run from it's new location or still store it's data to the old location. you would just need to adjust a path or two in the registry probably. (Tip : you can use regedit search function)

As for Thunderbird and other apps that are using subfolders of the Application Data folder, just change the latter's path in the registry under one of the Shell Folder keys.

Of course that procedure will not move the already existing data to the new location so you'll need to copy the data to the new location before you reopen the affected applications.

You'll need at least to log-off and maybe even reboot for the relocation of a Shell Folder to become effective.

You can use MS TweakUI to change the location of most Shell Folders, Internet Options to relocate the TIF folder and the free X-Setup Pro for some others I think btw if you don't feel doing it by hand in the registry.

You should be all sorted by tommorow if you don't mess up.

Edited September 26, 2007 by eidenk

[joe tweaker]

As for Thunderbird and other apps that are using subfolders of the Application Data folder, just change the latter's path in the registry under one of the Shell Folder keys.

You can use MS TweakUI to change the location of most Shell Folders, Internet Options to relocate the TIF folder and the free X-Setup Pro for some others I think btw if you don't feel doing it by hand in the registry.

You should be all sorted by tomorrow if you don't mess up.

LOL... your confidence in my ability to read your mind underwhelms me!

I am confident in my ability to manually edit my registry with REGEDIT - IF I KNEW WHERE to find these 'Shell Folder' keys you wrote about. The registry is a large place to those of us who don't know where every feature is located, and you gave no hint where to find 'Shell Folder' keys in your reply. Do I search for 'Shell Folders'? Or for each application I want to modify? Could you point me to the precise (or general) location of the keys I need to edit? (ie, Local Machine/Software/etc?)

I have TweakUI 1.33 installed, and I looked at every tab in it. I didn't see any mention of 'Shell Folders' on any tab. Could you be more specific as to where this function is located in TweakUI? Perhaps it is worded differently, or maybe I am blind, but I could not find it.

I had better luck with the Internet Options. The setting there is on the General Tab, TIF, Settings, Move Folder. Done.

Now if some kind person would be willing to be as precise about TweakUI, or where the 'Shell Folder' keys are located...

[Fredledingue]

You can move the temporary internet files to another location on the internet explorer options. No need to hack the registry for that.

Apps which store data in their installation folder can be safely (re)installed on another partition. If you erase your boot partition after that, and have some issues because of that: Make a back up of the files containing the datas (mails etc), then reinstall the apps in the same folders, and if the datas has been erased, bring the backed up datas back there. You can even back up and later copy-paste entire folders of installed programs. That way you will save settings which are not in the registry. That works surprisingly well.

[MDGx]

This is 1 way to do this:

http://www.mdgx.com/newtip12.htm#CACHRAM

But if you're inclined towards tweaking the registry, here are the REG keys + values:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]

"Favorites"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Favorites"

"Personal"="H:\\TEMP\\My Documents"

"AppData"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Application Data"

"Recent"="H:\\TEMP\\Recent"

"Desktop"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Desktop"

"Templates"="C:\\WINDOWS\\ShellNew"

"Start Menu"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Start Menu"

"Programs"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Start Menu\\Programs"

"Startup"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Start Menu\\Programs\\StartUp"

"Fonts"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Fonts"

"SendTo"="C:\\WINDOWS\\SendTo"

"Cache"="H:\\TEMP\\Temporary Internet Files"

"Cookies"="H:\\TEMP\\Cookies"

"History"="H:\\TEMP\\History"

[HKEY_USERS\.Default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders]

"Desktop"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Desktop"

"Programs"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Start Menu\\Programs"

"Fonts"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Fonts"

"Start Menu"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Start Menu"

"Startup"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Start Menu\\Programs\\StartUp"

"Recent"="H:\\TEMP\\Recent"

"SendTo"="C:\\WINDOWS\\SendTo"

"AppData"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Application Data"

"Cache"="H:\\TEMP\\Temporary Internet Files"

"Cookies"="H:\\TEMP\\Cookies"

"History"="H:\\TEMP\\History"

"Templates"="C:\\WINDOWS\\ShellNew"

"Local AppData"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Application Data"

;

The ones in red are modified to point to a RAM [or any other valid drive/partition] drive.

You can "play" with them further of course, to adapt to your preferences.

HTH

[joe tweaker]

Hats off to MDGX for how to create a ram disk for browser cache, cookies, and history files!

Also for clear directions to the actual keys where the 'Shell Folders' are stored in the registry.

After reviewing the data stored on my 8.0 GB boot drive, here's what I have learned:

Two applications, Eudora and Thunderbird, have consumed over 70% of my boot drive.

Like Eudora, Forte Agent also consumed many GBs before I archived its folders to CDR.

Being mostly text, they compressed easily, but in compressed form they are not readable.

Eudora and Forte Agent store their data in the same folders the apps are installed to.

To keep them from consuming the boot drive, it seems best to install them elsewhere.

Eudora is also known to occasionally drop files in the TIF folders used to cache IE6.

I noticed this one day when I received some emails containing links to a photo gallery.

Afterwards, all the photos from the gallery were in the TIF folders, even though IE6 was

never opened. Because of this, I'll probably move the TIF folders off the boot drive, too.

Thunderbird stores its data in C:\Windows\Application Data. This location can be modified

via Tools, Account Settings, Local Folders, Message Storage, Local Directory. Therefore,

modifying Thunderbird in this way may be better than modifying the 'Shell Folder' key

(which would affect every app in that folder, not just Thunderbird).

Firefox also stores files in C:\Windows\Application Data, but I couldn't find any menu option

to move the cache folders in Firefox 1.07. Hopefully Firefox has that ability in newer versions,

but until I update, I won't know for certain. Until then, I plan to clear the cache manually

(Tools/Options/Privacy/Cache) each time I close the browser.

CD Creator 6.0, which I haven't used since I switched to Nero, uses 8% of my boot drive.

Therefore, removing Roxio CD Creater should free up another 8%. I just hope Nero isn't

damaged when Roxio is uninstalled.

After these changes are made, my boot drive should be 75-80% empty. And hopefully,

with Eudora, Agent, Thunderbird, and IE's TIF folders on other drives, it won't fill up again.

[eidenk]

Hats off to MDGX for how to create a ram disk for browser cache, cookies, and history files!

Also for clear directions to the actual keys where the 'Shell Folders' are stored in the registry.

I gave you all the information you needed to find them yourself in five minutes mate.