Is that TRIM thing enabled?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIM

No idea what that is ... lots of discussion on it is around RAID0 configs, I'm just running a single flat drive?

instead of doing properties of c:, try opening c: in explorer, highlighting all the files/dirs and then doing properties of that instead - just as an experiment to see if the 'used space' value changes doing it that way, which might indicate that in your original screenshot, windows is including something else such as potential for pagefile to grow if it's configured as system-managed or something like that

Is ShowMan running as Administrator? (Right click 'Run as Administrator')
UAC could be preventing you seeing a bunch of files

crystaldisk thingy

You can find bad sectors with the Windows ScanDisk thing (Disc properties, Tools tab, Check Now) but if they're really bad sectors I really don't think Windows would be counting them as part of the used space.

Have you tried any other programs similar to ShowMan, like SpaceSniffer or TreeSize?

I expect the issue is basically this:
SSDs are a strange beast when it comes to how space is allocated. Sectors are quite large, and this really wrecks havoc with how it handles garbage collection. As a developer, it's more of a problem because of how many small (tony, like 2KB) files we create.

The very first thing I'd ask you to check though is that the drive is running correctly configured in AHCI with TRIM etc.

On an SSD you tend to need a large amount of actual free space for GC and TRIM to operate properly. See, the problem is, it will only reallocate space to the start of a free block. For large files this isn't really a problem, but for lots of small files, well... 1,000 1KB files can very quickly take up 64MB - or much, much more.
Editing a file, well, that's even worse. it can't just write to the same block as previous, no no. it has to put aside the old one, create a new one, blah blah... I can go in to details, but not now.

Unfortunately when there's no free space and it can't do its auto re-allocation, things get more hectic.

Here is what I suggest as a 'quick fix'. However, and I can't stress this enough - don't do this until you're 100% sure TRIM is operating correctly, or it wont work - in fact it will make the problem worse.

Move all files you can off the drive to another drive. Doesn't matter where, you just need some temporary storage somewhere. Obviously don't move stuff like system files, etc etc. But as much data as you can. You want to create as much free space as you can.
Now, just copy/move that data straight back.

What you should see is a lot more free space than before you moved the files.

If this solves the issue, then I would say your problem is likely not having enough free space for the drive to manage its GC. You want about 20%. The actual figure is between 8 and 18%, but 20% is a good, safe figure.

Judging by the Surface I thought it was standard practise for Windows to take up most of your disk space from a new install!

LOLOLOL

I was going to suggest trying Treesize, it's a great tool.

I'd be weary of deleting any Windows reg or config files, but a quick Google and your link suggest it's for the rollback points - do you use those? If not delete away.

Fuck it, 20GB of registry rollback files? I'd delete them..

At any rate, If you've got the kind of scenario above, I don't think you need them as you'd never use the Windows Restore feature.

Yeh our support is basically me (small office, I own it). As you say we have an SBS with all data on it, recovering my workstation is just apps + whatever I have checked out locally.

I'm deleting them and the related BLF files this morning, bugger it. I need my space!

PS- pro work team, top shit, thanks :)

and ....



Much better! Everything seems nice and stable too. Good shit team, thanks again!

I would have assumed tech goblins were eating your dataz.

It's the goddam recycle bin.

When you empty that stupid bin (windows 7, dunno about windows 8) sometimes it leaves behind some randomass long bitch numbered hidden system folder full of old files that windows thinks hey, ima keep dis shizz incase the feds show up.

I forget which program I use to actually be able to see these homo hidden files, either windirstat, or filezilla (yeah, the ftp program) and just delete the hidden recycle bin inside the recycle bin. BAM! instant free space.




I don't know what the fk.

I did see that, but I'd also regularly check the hidden recycle bins inside the recycle bin. Just in case.

I looked at my computer and I don't have those files, maybe you have some funky setting? Maybe it's a new features? Got any system auditing / tracking going on?

Nice one! Free space ahoy.

Yeah I'd say make sure you've got System Restore, Hibernation, and all that jazz disabled.