ThinkVantage Adventures #1: The Case of the Missing Hard Drive Space

I only installed Vista and ThinkVantage (all utilities except Client Security Solution, Access Connections, Power Management, Easy Eject, Presentation Direction, Maintenance Manager, and Keyboard Customizer Utility). Strangely, Vista already reports 27GB used!!!!!! How can Vista and ThinkVantage take up that much space?

I hope others can verify whether or not my conclusion is correct.

While making a backup of my drive using Rescue and Recovery, I noticed that this strange "mounted volume" that had a shorcut icon appeared on my HD. I double-clicked it and found an exact copy of my hard drive inside. When the backup was done, the mounted volume disappeared, but the amount of space used on my HD didn't change. Could it be that R&R is secretly tapping into my HD space by mirroring everything I have on it, almost in RAID 1 array fashion? This would definitely explain why my setup is taking so much HD even though I have nothing but Windows and ThinkVantage installed.

What do you all think? Are your setups taking vast amounts of HD space too, or did I just screw up mine?

 

Mine seems like it's taking up a lot too.

I'm guessing it's the recovery partition? But i'm not sure.

 

I hope you aren't *sighing* because you think you know the issue like the back of your hand. When I'm talking about 27GB used, I am excluding the 5GB recovery partition because that isn't even viewable in the OS environment. Not to mention, I did not store the HD backup on the same HD, but on an external drive.

So, subsequently, I hope you *sighed* because you're still just as perplexed as I am.

 

bump*

Any ideas guys?

 

I'm assuming you did a clean installation? Each software you install will create a system restore points which take up a lot of space.

 

Well, for some perspective, I have a desktop rig at home with the same exact stuff installed minus ThinkVantage.

Desktop rig (at idle): 53 processes, 25% physical memory used, 22GB HD used
T61 (at idle): 79 processes, 37% physical memory used, 35GB HD used

What gives?

 

I just figured that one out. Just FYI, it's called "System Restore." To access and disable system restore, go to Control Panel, Systems, System Protection, System Protection Tab, and uncheck the C: drive.

I noticed it when i was deleting files but actually losing HDD space at the same time.

1987: What is the size of your HDD? How much available space do you have, and how much is free to you?

100gb HDD would have about 93% free, so 93gb's. The partition appears to use up 6gb's. So what is available to the user, and me, is 87gb's.

 

Yea i was wondering this too... 2 days after buying it, i only had like 30 gb left LOL

 

No, system restore isn't the answer. My computer hasn't created any restore points yet and my desktop rig always had system restore on and isn't taking nearly as much space up even with the same programs installed (excepting ThinkVantage of course).

 

If restore is on, then it is probably taking up space whether it tells you its making a restore point or not. Id turn it off and also delete the hidden partition if you really want all the space back.

 

" my desktop rig always had system restore on and isn't taking nearly as much space"

 

Why dont you try turning off restore first and see what happens. Quit comparing your desktop system to your notebook.

Your answers make you seem like a rather ****y person, and that could be the reason why no one else is trying to help you out.

And again i'll refer back to my original question to you:

Edit: Why dont you try another install through the partition to see for sure whether or not you installed it correctly [if your "theory" is correct or not]? That'll answer your question quicker then waiting for someone to reply to your thread.

 

I don't want to be antagonizing, but there's no reason for me not to compare my desktop rig to my T61. They both have the same software installed with the only difference being ThinkVantage. The fact that one computer is smaller than the other isn'st going to change the amount of data stored on them.

And don't insinuate the reason as to why this thread is unpopular as something other than the fact that people just may not know the answer. I've helped many people on these forums with their inquiries and it isn't exactly unreasonable for someone to get frustrated when a person's answer completely ignores what has already been said.

Anyhow, My HD is 120GB total. I know 5GB is used by the secret recovery partition. After NTFS formating and the 5GB taken out, there is only 105GB total. 30GB out of the 105GB is used after only Vista and ThinkVantage are installed.

I also turned off restore. Nothing's changed. Except that restore is now off.

 

120gb* 93% is 111.6gb

111.6-6= 105gbs including partition.

So that's making sense. I agree with you 30gb's is waaay too much. On my 100gb hdd, the OS + the base software i chose to keep came about to be about 15gb's total. For some reason your notebook is not clearing the original install, and is installing the new one on top of it.

Can you walk me through what you do to do a "clean" install from the partition? [I've personally done it four times since i received my notebook and know the process is tedious at best, so i sympathize.]

 

I purchased the computer with Vista Basic, but I had a copy of Ultimate on hand, so I did not use the Base Software program. My hard drive was cleaned for sure because when only Vista was installed, 8GB was gone. The explosion only occurred after ThinkVantage was installed. This is what I did:

I did not touch the recovery partition.
1. Installed Vista Ultimate, formating drive in the process.

2. Installed System Update

3. System Update 3 installed all the drivers and some ThinkVantage software:
a. ThinkVantage Productivity Center
b. ThinkVantage Productivity Center Supplement
c. Active Protection System
d. UltraNav Utility
e. Thinkpad Hotkey Utility
f. Thinkpad Fingerprint Software
g. Rescue and Recovery

4. If it makes any difference, I installed and uninstalled Power Management and Client Security Solution. I also installed and uninstalled UltraNav utility a few times (couldn't get it to register with the F8 hotkey).

Also, when I unhide the hidden and system protected files and highlight everything on my HD, only 18.8GB is reported. So another 12GB is completely unaccounted for.

 

Client Security Solutions is 99mb's and UltraNav is ony a couple of mb's, so that cant be it. Would it be possible to do another install, and install the ThinkVangate software through system update one at a time to figure out what the culprit is? Other then that, i'm as lost as you. Good luck to you.

 

Hahahahaha.....I hate this.

Do you have R&R installed? Have you tried making a backup? I know R&R does janky things, like how I described the weird mounted volume that appeared and disappeared. As long as I know what is responsible for the missing 15GB, I'll be fine with it.

If I have to format again, I will just get rid of R&R altogether. Its pre-OS presence slows down the boot process and I can reload the factory settings with my recovery discs if necessary.

 

Here's something that you might actually find helpful:

http://w3.win.tue.nl/nl/onderzoek/onderzoek_informatica/visualization/sequoiaview//

 

LOL. Yeah i hear you. If it doesnt drive you nuts, then it's just not worth it!

Yup, i have R&R installed and my HDDs' used up space looks about right. All my reinstalls came from the partition. Nope, havent made a backup yet. I'm still waiting for my new 3.5" HDD to come in.

Did you start your notebook with the factory installed OS when you first got your notebook, or did you just go ahead and reformat your HDD and do a clean install? If the first, i was wondering if you had the same problem as now with missing HDD space?

15gb's just gone out with the wind is a pretty big deal. Just do a new install. It'll probably solve your problem.

 

I went straight out to do the clean install, but I don't think the factory install took as much space.

 

That's weird how things work out. What was the total for all the ThinkVantage software and drivers from the ibm download site? Something must have been installed multiple times in different locations.

 

Yeah, but I can't find any duplicates by looking in explorer.

 

Most probably is your Rescue and Recovery program. It put your backup at C by default and at first installation, it create backup files automatically. Have you look at your RnR settings?

After you turn it off then you have to DELETE your backup, otherwise the files would be there still.

I have similar experience, missing 40GB of HDD size and it turns out that the space used by RnR backup.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=101484

 

I don't know the answer, but I have XP on T60p, I have not removed anything, except some bloatware, I have installed a load of applications (Office, Visual C++, Ghostscript, Firefox, Origin, Matlab, Photoshop, True Image, Symantec Corporate ed. and some more), created R7R of the original instllation and I have:
Preload (C NTFS Capaity: 143.9GB Free space: 117.68 GB
SERVICE: FAT32 Capaity: 5.25 Gb Free space:611 MB

My total HDD size is 160 GB.

When I click on the C drive properties I get a full capacity of 154.4 GB, that with the service volume adds up pretty much to 160GB.

The difference between 143.79 and 154.4 GB perhaps are things like virtual disk, hidden files, etc.
Peter

 

Jonny, you're not giving us enough info. You have a clean install of Vista and 27GB used which is unusual. The question is what is the breakdown of space use by file and folder?

 

I know this may seem stupid but there may be an error on the file system. Have you tried running chkdsk?

 

just a shot in the dark here but maybe the clean install formats the drive with the largest sector size and the vista install / apps have several super small files?

 

I also have a similar problem. I am using Vista, and I don't have a copy to actually do a clean install.

I have a 100GB 7200 RPM hard drive. However, I checked my C Drive today under My Computer, and it says I only hvae 3-4 GB free! It's strange because since I've gotten it, I've only installed some small applications and transferred music and videos from my desktop, which totals no more than 30GB. I'm confused as to why it says I only have 3-4 GB free; if anyone could help me out, that would be awesome.

 

Thanks for trying to help everyone:

I searched R&R settings and the only backup detected was one made on my external drive. R&R was not set up to make backups by itself and I don't have any backups on my drive to delete.

I said that when I unhide every file on the system, both normal hidden and OS protected files and highlight all of them, they only account for 15GB of space. There's still 12GB unaccounted for.

Wouldn't the file system be completely clean after a format? I went through this process twice now.

 

Did you try the program I posted on page #2?

 

Yeah I just did. Laughably, the program shows nothing different from explorer. There's still 12GB that magically disappeared. Whatever, screw ThinkVantage.

 

Right click on C: and choose Restore previous versions. Do you see anything under that?

 

ive got a huge goggle of HD space being wasted too: both on the R61's and the T61 - all clean Ultimate installs

 

Nope.

Yep. I've done clean installs twice now as to eliminate confounding results. I gave up on ThinkVantage R&R. I deleted the hidden partition and will not reinstall R&R. I figure I don't need the hidden partition if I have the factory restore disks already made and I don't need R&R because I can get Norton Ghost which is likely easier and less annoying to use.

 

So how is that working out for you? Are you still missing 12gb's of space?

 

I went to C: drive on my moms laptop with vista and it was using 20GB of space and I didnt know where it was going figured out it was in restore points and shadow copies if you go to your disk cleaup under properties and then more options and cleanup restore points and shadow copies it will free up tons of space when I did this I went from 106GB free to 125GB free