Description of the Low Disk Space Notification in Windows XP

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

When free disk space reaches 200 megabytes (MB), you receive the following message for 10 seconds, once per session:

You are running out of disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here.

When free disk space reaches 80 MB, you receive the following message for 30 seconds, every four hours, twice per session:

You are running very low on disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here.

When free disk reaches 50 MB, you receive the following message for 30 seconds, every five minutes, until free space is above 50 MB:

You are running very low on disk space on [drive]. To free space on this drive by deleting old or unnecessary files, click here.

Note There is a registry value you can set to disable this feature. To disable low disk space checks, follow these steps, log off, and then log on again: Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type NoLowDiskSpaceChecks, and then press ENTER.
5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. Type 1, and then click OK.

Problems Occur after Using Microsoft Backup Tool in Microsoft Vista

What are the issues?

• The Microsoft Backup Tool fails while backing up the system.
  Figure 1: Back Up Files error

  
• Low disk space errors appear every time Windows opens after the backup failed. Such as, Low Disk Space. You are running out of disk space on Recovery (D:).
  Figure 2: Low Disk Space message

  

You can verify a failed backup easily by opening HP Total Care Advisor and looking at the Backup section of PC Health and Security.

Figure 3: HP Total Advisor: link to Microsoft Backup Tool showing failed backup

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Why do these problems occur?

The Microsoft Backup Tool tried to store files to the recovery partition and ran out of space. The recovery partition is a reserved section on the main hard drive that should only be used for an HP System Recovery.

The Microsoft Backup Software views the protected HP recovery partition (labeled Recovery (D:) or FACTORY_IMAGE (D:)) as a valid extra storage device. Recovery or FACTORY_IMAGE can be displayed as the first option in the Microsoft Backup Tool's list of places to save a backup. Someone using the software and seeing Recovery or FACTORY_IMAGE can mistake the selection as a place where the backup can be stored.

Once the backup files are written to the recovery partition, Windows Vista finds that there is not enough free space left on the recovery drive and displays a Low Disk Space error.

Figure 4: Microsoft Backup Tool: Recovery D: as the default selection

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How do I fix the problems?

Remove the failed backup files as follows:

CAUTION:

Make sure that you have created a set of recovery discs before using these steps. If the system crashes, recovery discs can be used to perform a system recovery.

1. Open Windows and log into an account with administrative rights (the account used to setup the computer will work).
2. Right-click Start and select Explore All Users .
3. Before you can remove the backup files and folders, set Windows to view hidden system files as follows:
   1. From the explorer window press the Alt key on the keyboard to make the menu bar appear in the window.
   2. From the file menu, click Tools , and then select Folder Options .
      Figure 5: Folder Options

      
   3. Select the View tab.
   4. Select Show hidden files and folders , remove the selection from Hide protected operating system files and then click OK .
      Figure 6: Folder Options: View Tab

      
4. From the Folder Options window in explorer, double-click Recovery (D:) or FACTORY_IMAGE (D:) .
5. Find the folder that has the same name as the computer name. For example if the computer name is Pavilion_PC-PC, the folder that contains the backup files would be named Pavilion_PC-PC.
   Figure 7: Example of folder where backup files are stored. The folder name on your computer is different.

   
6. Select the folder that contains the name of the computer. Do not select any other folder or files. Only select the folder containing the backup files.
   For example, if the computer name is Presario123, select the folder named Presario123.
7. With the folder selected, press Shift + Delete .
8. A Windows opens stating "You don't currently have permission to access this folder" opens. Click Continue .
   Figure 8: Message window

   
9. Several confirmation windows open. Click Continue , and Yes until the folder is deleted.
10. Set Windows Folder Options back to their original setting as follows:
    1. From the explorer window press Alt to view the file menu.
    2. Click Tools , and then select Folder Options .
    3. Select do not show hidden files and folders and select Hide protected operating system files .
    4. Click OK .
11. Close explorer. The Out of Disk Space errors should no longer appear. If you would like to use the Microsoft Backup Tool again, open it and select a different external backup device other than Recovery.

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How do I prevent the problems from happening?

When using the Microsoft Backup Tool, select a different external backup device that has enough free space to hold the backup files, like an HP personal Media drive, HP pocket Media drive, or other USB external drive. Never save files to the Recovery/FACTORY_IMAGE partition.

Figure 9: Microsoft Backup Tool: Selecting other devices (DVD RW Drive and USB storage)

To prevent Backup and Recovery Center from writing files to the Recovery Partition, change the Backup and Recovery Center settings as follows:

1. Click Start , enter Backup in the Start Search field.
   Backup and Restore Center opens.
2. Click Change settings in the Back up files section.
   The window "Backup Status and Configuration" opens.
3. Click Change backup settings . Click Continue if a User Account Control message appears.
   The window "Where do you want to save your backup?" opens.
4. Select On a hard disk, CD, or DVD and then select an available CD or DVD drive that is capable of burning discs, and then click Next .

   NOTE:

   Do not select Recovery/FACTORY_IMAGE as a storage location. The partition is small, and overwriting the partition causes failure. If Recovery/FACTORY_IMAGE is your only option, click Cancel and do not use the Backup utility. You will need to backup your important files to some other medium, such as an external USB storage device. The window "Which disks do you want to include in the backup?" opens.

5. Make sure Recovery or FACTORY_IMAGE is not selected and click Next .
   The window "Which file types do you want to backup?" opens.
6. Select the file type that you would like to backup and click Next .
   The window "How often do you want to create a backup?" opens.
7. Select the settings you want to create a backup schedule and click Save settings and start backup .

   NOTE:

   When creating the schedule, it is best to choose a time when the computer will be on but will only be used for backup purposes.

   The backup process starts.
8. You can either complete a backup of your files at this time or cancel. You are done.