Can Win-98 low-disk-space check be disabled?

[Nomen]

If it helps , it is confirmed as a problem in Windows 98: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/187188/en-us

"APPLIES TO

* Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition"

So it doesn't apply to Second Edition? (or is this typical MS being sloppy with their details...)

Does it also apply to win-ME?

Edited July 8, 2012 by Nomen

[submix8c]

I think it does...

FWIW, I found this. Use said utility at your own risk.

Also found this but it doesn't state which OS it applies to. Again, use at your own risk.

Note - appears to be XP, but it may well work for an older OS.

edit - found this - scroll down. Appears to be $$$ package. Again, not responsible, just giving what I find.

Edited July 8, 2012 by submix8c

[jaclaz]

"APPLIES TO

* Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition"

So it doesn't apply to Second Edition? (or is this typical MS being sloppy with their details...)

Does it also apply to win-ME?

WHO knows?

The warning:

According to MS (but we all know how in some cases the info available is somewhat inaccurate, often at least partially misleading or - in a few occasions - plainly wrong )

applies here like everywhere else .

Edit:

@submix8c

Your first link is strangely similar to the one I originally posted, you were not paying attention enough

jaclaz

Edited July 8, 2012 by jaclaz

[submix8c]

Your first link is strangely similar to the one I originally posted

Hot in these parts - must-a got a brain melt... and thx for the reminder of the "standard litany". Will use soon ("How soon?" - "VERY soon!").

Ennyhoo, the "key" is apparently (AFAICT) in the "Explorer\BitBucket" reg entries.

...and I've attempted to find the Topic/Post indicating that the "Recycle Bin limit" is indeed applicable to 98/98SE/ME, but I remember (no old-timers yet) seeing it "once upon a time".

@Nomen - good luck.

edit - hmmm... also found this (on MSFN).

Edited July 8, 2012 by submix8c

[Multibooter]

edit - found this - scroll down. Appears to be $$$ package. Again, not responsible, just giving what I find.

The old version of Space Control (for Windows 98/98SE) v1.0.1.5 (20 March 2001, shareware) can be downloaded from http://web.archive.org/web/20040402043846/http://www.jddesign.f2s.com/spacecon.htm The description file of the software http://web.archive.org/web/20040402043846/http://www.jddesign.f2s.com/spacecon98.txt may perhaps provide additional info.

I am not sure whether SpaceCon would be useful to me personally, and I have never tried the software, I don't need settings for Low Disk Space Warnings. I have come across the Low Disk Space Warning only when the mule had filled up the data partition on my HDD, and with UDF-formatted HDDs under WinXP. The mule can handle disk-full situations fine, some downloads in progress just get paused/stopped and can be resumed when sufficient space is available again. I never had an issue because of low disk space (e.g. 10kB free space on a partition), the (data) partition which gets filled up is not the Windows partition.

This low-disk-space situation may actually be an argument in favor of having a separate data partition: the data partition may become full, but Win98 keeps on working fine. I have not yet tried to run Win98 with only 10kB of free space on the Windows partition. The Low Disk Space message could be viewed a misnomer, a "Low Partition Space" message would be more accurate, there may be still plenty of disk space on other partitions of the disk.

Addendum:

The download page http://web.archive.org/web/20040402043846/http://www.jddesign.f2s.com/spacecon.htm contains links to 2 different versions:

v1.0.1.5 (20Mar2001): http://web.archive.org/web/20040402043846/http://www.jddesign.freeserve.co.uk/spacecon98.exe

v2.1.0.0 (timestamp 1Jan2004): http://web.archive.org/web/20040402043846/http://www.jddesign.f2s.com/spacecon.msi

SPACECON.HLP contained in spacecon.msi (extracted with UniExtract) displays:

"Space Patrol is the successor to our earlier Windows 98 specific Space Control program. While Space Control allowed you to configure the low-disk space notification facilities in Windows 98, Microsoft discontinued this programmatic interface in later operating systems (even Windows ME)"

Edited July 9, 2012 by Multibooter

[Nomen]

Sorry guys. Man, do I feel stupid.

I booted into DOS and ran scandisk on the drive. It took 1/2 hour, it found no real problems - except that the free space wasn't being reported correctly. I let it fix the free space and then when it was finished I ran chkdsk. It now tells me there are 3 (three) free clusters on the drive. (!)

Booting into Windows and looking at the drive in explorer - yup - 96kb free space. So I think this issue has been solved.

Just for the record, I did download v2.1.0.0 of JD Design Space Patrol, and I did disable "operating system's built-in low-disk space checking facility", but naturally this was of no value in this case.

So - time to get a bigger drive...

[Multibooter]

I booted into DOS and ran scandisk on the drive... the free space wasn't being reported correctly.

22GB lost free space is a lot.

So - time to get a bigger drive...

I didn't know that ScanDisk under DOS can fix a 700GB FAT32 partition, but again, I have little experience with 700GB FAT32 partitions and don't use FAT32 partitions larger than 192GB. It would be interesting to hear about your experience with huge FAT32 partitions.

[rloew]

I booted into DOS and ran scandisk on the drive... the free space wasn't being reported correctly.

22GB lost free space is a lot.

So - time to get a bigger drive...

I didn't know that ScanDisk under DOS can fix a 700GB FAT32 partition, but again, I have little experience with 700GB FAT32 partitions and don't use FAT32 partitions larger than 192GB. It would be interesting to hear about your experience with huge FAT32 partitions.

DOS SCANDISK has no problems until you reach approx 1.28 TiB with a normally formatted Partition, and even then it is only a cosmetic problem up to 2TiB. I routinely use a 909GB Partition.

[buyerninety]

submix8c, Post #14

..."The best thing you could do for your setup (again, IMHO) is to

1 - Uninstall that part of Norton 2002

2 - Set Recycle Bins to "independent"

3 - Change that LARGE partition's bin to "Delete Immediately"

4 - BE CAREFUL when deleting files from it"

I have found that CAREFUL is not sufficient, as the menu choices when

right clicking, as standard show;

_______________

Create Shortcut

Delete

Rename

_______________

At some point you will have the intention of renaming a Folder, file, etc.,

move the cursor onto the vicinity of 'Rename', mistakenly click on the

adjacent 'Delete' and ->"Ouch!", Folder/file mistakely immediately deleted.

The odds of such a mistake occuring WILL be substantially decreased by

using the program Reshacker.exe to reorder the choices on the menu to read;

_____________

Delete

Create Shortcut

Rename

_____________

The file concerned is C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\shell32.dll , 'menu 210' of that file.

--------------

Also:

Nomen, Post #16:

"If it helps , it is confirmed as a problem in Windows 98: http://support.micro...kb/187188/en-us

"APPLIES TO

* Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition"

So it doesn't apply to Second Edition?...

Does it also apply to win-ME?"

jaclaz, Post #18

"WHO knows?"

On my kludged together, 'only for into Internet' system, for

Windows Me (4.90.3000) that particular Recycle Bin dialog correctly shows

19.0 GB for my C: drive.

[loblo]

I have used Reshacker to completely remove Rename and Create Shortcut from the context menu long ago.

Those two items are completely useless IMO and so there is more room for shell extensions.