Solved Overwhleming amount of files

When I first ran a virus scan when I first got my computer, I had 100,000 files on it. Now when I run a virus scan, I have over 1,000,000 and it takes over 4 hours to complete a scan. Is it normal to have this many files? I don't add that many files, the only thing I add is music and I surely dont add that much.

Anyone?

Hello Shortmanstuff,

Yes, it could be depending on how long it took to get that many more files.

You might run Disk Cleanup to see what it can do to remove and of the junk files that are no longer needed to help reduce this number some.

Shawn

Thanks. I explained the same thing in another forum and they told me to run ATF Cleaner. I'm going to try that before a scan and see if that helps reduce the number of files.

Okay. Running a Disk cleanup didn't really help. This is my scan info:

Items scanned: 1017000
Time: 4 hrs 40 min

This just seems like a lot to me. I tend to add and delete programs a lot. Would this affect the amount of files. Would it leave files behind?

Oh, I've only had my computer for 1.5 years. It went from 200,000 files to 1,000,000.

Shortmantuff,

Disk Cleanup will only remove the selected junk and temp files from your computer. For a more thorough junk file cleaner, you might try the free Wise Disk Cleaner program.

That is quite a few files, but if you install a lot, then it is possible to have that many. It would not be uncommon for programs that you have uninstalled to still have left over files on your computer. Check in the the C:\Program Files folder to see if any program that you have uninstalled from Programs & Features still has a folder. If it does, then you can delete it.

Okay, before I go deleting things I want to ask you if you know what these programs are...

AOD
Apoint2k
DAP
Desktop Dialer
EsetOnlineScanner
Itmoh
PixiePack Codec Pack

Also, if one of the folder is empty (Example: DAP when I click the folder, it's empty) Can I just delete that or no?

Also, I have two programs that have similar program folders

I have...

iPod and
iPod (460)

Quicktime
Quicktime (483)

Should I keep both of these folders for each program?

You will need to use Google to search the program names to see what they are.

I would not recommend that you delete any C:\Program Files folders unless you have unistalled the program that they belong to first in Programs & Features and they are no longer listed there.

Okay, I deleted programs that I no longer use from program files and checked the programs on google and I needed most of them. But I still have a ton of files. Any other ideas?

That's about all you can do, but this is normal as you install programs.

Okay, thank you.

You're welccome.

About the only other thing you can do is to do a clean reinstall of Vista and reinstall only the programs and drivers you need. This way all the scattered unfindable remnant files of uninstalled programs will be gone to.

How would I do that?

A clean install will wipe everything out on your hard drive. If this is what you want to do to start over, then the links below will show you how depending on if you have a upgrade or full version Vista.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/117366-clean-install-full-version-vista.html

or

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/68767-clean-install-upgrade-vista.html

Thanks. I was just curious. I have too many documents to do that, especially without an external HD. Maybe I'll think about it if I get an External.

WOOHOO! I figured it out. I had this program called Webmynd and it saves all of your internet history in picture form (to see what the website looks like) I just deleted all the files from it and it deleted 787,000 files and freed 5gb of hard drive!