reported file size and used disk space do not match (by a lot)

[curcija]

There is discrepancy of more than 16 GB between the size of all files on my hard drive (TOSHIBA A135-4427 laptop with Vista Home Premium) , which I get when I select all files and right click to properties, vs. the size reported by C: properties. All files show 62 GB, while C: used space shows 78.7 GB. Does anyone have any idea where are "missing" 16+ GB. If it was 1 GB or so, it would be OK, but 16+GB seems like offly lot.

[HSK2840]

There is discrepancy of more than 16 GB between the size of all files on my hard drive (TOSHIBA A135-4427 laptop with Vista Home Premium) , which I get when I select all files and right click to properties, vs. the size reported by C: properties. All files show 62 GB, while C: used space shows 78.7 GB. Does anyone have any idea where are "missing" 16+ GB. If it was 1 GB or so, it would be OK, but 16+GB seems like offly lot.

I think you forget those files that are "shadow copied" - in other words look at the "Previous Versions" tab on folder properties......

[curcija]

I do not see that tab when I click on properties, either from C: or when selecting directories and files.

[HSK2840]

Not like this?

[mannyo]

I see this to, you can disable system restore temporarily to recover the space and then try it. Not forgetting to turn system restore back on again. System restore in vista is different to XP, I have yet to locate the folder its stored in.

[curcija]

In my cae, Properties for the C; drive look like his

[pcp_vista]

I have the same problem, not sure what to do.

[spacesurfer]

I would imagine your MFT also takes up considerable space which is not accounted for when you right click all files and folders within C: and view the total file size of all files and foldes.

Right-clicking C:\ would give a better representation of disk space usage, including MFT vs right-clicking files and folders, which would show just the space occupied by just that.

Someone else might be able to shed more light on this.

[nightthief]

Vista stores it's System restore data in a Super-Hidden System Folder on the root of each drive. In order to protect the dta it backs-up into that folder, Vista has a default permission on it which give access only to the System Account (the one used by the OS, itself). As a result, you - as a regular user or even an administrator - cannot read it's contents or use file properties to determine how big it is.

This is why you see a difference in the amount of space allocated to all the files and folders on your hard-drive and the amount of space used across the entire disc.

While this may seem undesirable, realize that System Restore, under Vista, provides a numbe of benefits. Among these are the ability to "rollback" your operating system to the way it was at an earlier date, in order to recover from damage caused by virii, bad program installs, or poor drivers. for those who are using Vista Business or Ultimate, the backed-up data also provides the ability for users to "rollback" any document on the computer to a version which existed on a prior date. (Since this function s not available in Vista Home editions, users of those editions will not see the "Previous Versions" tab within a properties dialog box.

If you don't wish to use the System Restore function, you can turn it off on any given drive (or the entire computer) by accessing the System dialog from Control Panel, clicking on the Advanced System Settings link and then on the System Protection tab.