# Windows 2008 EATING ALL MY HDD SPACE!!!



## Nub (Apr 27, 2009)

Hi,

Running Windows Server 2008 SBS. Started with 70gb free, slowly over the last few months its been eating and eating hard drive space and I cant find where exactly its all going. I now have 2.3gb free and have to do something or I'll start getting lots of errors. Not got alot of experience with 2008, been using 2000 up until a few months ago so any advice on where all my space is going would be apreciated.

Also are the any programs out there for Windows 2008, such as System Mechanic, to scan and remove useless temp and log files etc?


----------



## djaburg (May 15, 2008)

Likely it's your email logs. If you're not running backups, then the log files will just keep taking up space.


----------



## Wand3r3r (Sep 17, 2010)

restore points, volume shadow copies are other areas to look at.


----------



## vladimirb (Mar 31, 2008)

What roles you have running on your Windows Server 2008?


----------



## Nub (Apr 27, 2009)

Exchange 2007 supporting about 20 users and centralised storage is mainly all its used for. It does have the ability to connect people externally to a web interface for their exchange as well as remote desktop but thats all as far as it does for web. I assume its log files but when i search for log files they dont add up to all the space im loosing. So where do i need to look for the likely causes?

BackupExec backups have been failing too which might be adding to the space issue. It wont overwrite data on the tapes automatically anymore so i always get tape full error. Also its 320gb tape but the option only allows up to 160gb even with compression enabled. Thinking of uninstalling backupexec and starting again with it.

Edit: 
Deleted Shadow copies 5gb free'd, was taking 2 per day. With only 20 users i have set it at 1 per day but i doubt we even need that.


----------



## tbradley (Oct 25, 2010)

Nub said:


> Exchange 2007 supporting about 20 users and centralised storage is mainly all its used for. It does have the ability to connect people externally to a web interface for their exchange as well as remote desktop but thats all as far as it does for web. I assume its log files but when i search for log files they dont add up to all the space im loosing. So where do i need to look for the likely causes?
> 
> BackupExec backups have been failing too which might be adding to the space issue. It wont overwrite data on the tapes automatically anymore so i always get tape full error. Also its 320gb tape but the option only allows up to 160gb even with compression enabled. Thinking of uninstalling backupexec and starting again with it.
> 
> ...


Going off this info have you considered checking into users mailbox usage? Honestly 70GB is pretty small for a mail server, even if it is only 20 users. You also mentioned centralized storage which to me means that you're using your mail server as a file server which is both a security and free space nightmare.


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

There are Free Software that you may use to analyze what's eating up space in the harddrive. WinDirStat - SequoiaView - SpaceSniffer


----------



## Nub (Apr 27, 2009)

70gb is just for windows os and exchange db... i have a raided 250gb for the file storage. Will look into exchange more closely as i think that does have something to do with it. 

Getting worried now though, dissabled shadow copies and down to 1.3gb.


----------



## Nub (Apr 27, 2009)

Thanks for the SpaceSniffer app its given me alot of insight.

Pagefile.sys is 12.2gb
GFI Content Security 3.8gb
WSUS\SUSDB\UpdateServicesDBfiles\SUSDB.mdf 3.5gb - what is this?
Windows 19.3gb
- System32 4.7gb
- Winsxs 7.5gb
- Installer 2.4gb

As to earlier post, exchange is stored on 250gb data drive seperate from c:\


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

You may move SUSDB.mdf, it's your WSUS database, you may use the 'wsusutil movecontent' to move it to another partition. Here's a more detail info.

You may also move the Pagefile to another harddisk (partition) and not on the same harddisk where the Operating System is installed. Here's How.

Hope this helps.


----------



## Nub (Apr 27, 2009)

The is a WSUS folder on my Data drive too its 13.4gb WSUSContent, can I delete this? Can I delete the WSUS Database file? 

In SpaceSniffer i reconfigured it to show "unknown space". Its showing 17.8gb of unknown space + the pagefile.sys being 12.2gb thats 30gb of my space right there. Anybody know what the unknown space is?


----------



## Nub (Apr 27, 2009)

Added up all the content of c:\

total size of drive 68.3gb
104,988 files, 19,488 folders comes to 29.8gb
on disk 30.0gb
free space 7.7gb
so where is the other 30gb hiding? (12gb pagesys?)


----------



## 2xg (Aug 5, 2009)

Please go back to *Post#10* and follow the directions on how to move the WSUS database and move the Pagefile, I wouldn't delete any WSUS files. You'll be able to free up a lot of space from the C Drive.


----------



## Nub (Apr 27, 2009)

Ok ive moved the pagefile and the windows update repository, i now have 21gb free. But still the drive shows 15.6gb unknown space. Any idea what this space is? I figured it might be System Restore files but I cant find any information about System Restore in Windows 2008?


----------

