Slow laptop due to nearly full partition

Hi My daughter has a Toshiba a100 sattelite laptop running vista home premium 2gig ram and a 120 gig hdd. she has noticed it getting slower recently. when I had a look at it for her I found that the hdd has 2 patitions of 55gb which we didnt realise. one of them is completely empty and the other has only about 5gb left. My question is can both partitions be merged or would i have to do a clean install and have only 1 partition? any other ideas would be welcome. Many thanks Peter

The partition that you identify as "completely empty" may not actually be empty.
It "may" be set as a protected recovery partition with a backup copy of the machine's operating system and manufacturer original configuration software.

If the above it correct, then it is very important to not compromise that information.
I do agree to 55gb for a recovery partition is larger than I would want. Such should require no more than 20gb and probably less.

Let's get more information about the machine…

Please Run the PCPitstop.com OverDrive Full Tests

Here's how:

You must use your Internet Explorer for this procedure. (doesn't work so well in Firefox or others)

Go to: http://www.pcpitstop.com
Click on "Free Computer Check-up" listed below PC Pitstop OverDrive
In the User Login - Click on "Sign up FREE!"
You'll need to submit a valid email address and create your own password, then click - Create Account(button)

Now enter your email address and password to Log in, Select - Scan this system Now!(button)
You will then be asked to download an ActiveX component and allow it to install.
It is safe and does not compromise your privacy.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install the ActiveX and to allow the Full Tests to be run on your machine.

The Full Tests take about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on most machines.
When complete, a Results - Summary - Recommended Fixes will be displayed.

Please post the URL internet address from your Results, back here into this Topic Thread so that we can review the configuration and present performance levels of your machine.

Note: During the graphics 2D and graphics 3D testing, your screen will display some rapidly moving objects.
If you are sensitive to visual flashing, it may cause dizziness. Therefore, look away from the screen during that portion of the testing.

After reviewing the results we will be more informed and may be able to provide better recommendations for you to work towards improving your machine's performance.

Best Regards

Thanks for reply Doug. will do as you advised as soon as i can get laptop of daughter, as she is busy at the moment with exam coursework. Peter

Hi Doug

Here is the link to the scan you asked for

http://www.pcpitstop.com/betapit/sec.asp?conid=23413017


I look forward to your reply

Peter

HI, Until Doug gets back here are some thoughts for you….

1 Running your c drive whilst its practically full, is likely to have a bad effect on your computer's performance.
2 Windows needs a fair bit of elbow room to operate satisfactorily, utilise its swop file, create temp files etc
3 As you correctly say, one partition, C is nearly full whilst the other E is empty, and the simple answer may be to move your data files "Documents etc" to the E drive
4 There is a lot to be said for keeping Windows and all your applications on C with data on E……. if you take an image of C once its running fast and smooth all detritus removed, free from malware, junk files and with data files safe on E then in the event of serious trouble with Windows or your applications, that cannot be resolved in a timely and cost effective way by the normal means, then you can re-image your C drive back to its"perfect state" in the time it takes to walk the dog! ( you will still need to apply recent "updates" issued since you made the image.
5 If you follow the above route then it is advisable to keep your "perfect " image safe on removable media (a USB ext hard drive is ideal for this) make a bootable CD ROM (handy for when Windows won't boot…) and make sure your image is verified, so its accurate and reproducible.
6 Paid for products are available from Symantec/Norton. Paragon, Acronis etc, whilst free versions are available from here:
http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/backupandimage.shtml
links are also available from that site for disc partitioning and management tools that will allow you to resize partitions etc……. Some of these can resize partitions without losing your data……be sure you know exactly the correct steps to take before starting, but even using software that is designed not to lose your data, make sure that your back up is up to date accurate and reproducible and kept safe on removable media. when you make fundamental changes to your system by resizing partitions etc it is possible to make a mistake….. so the separate back up is essential.
Regards
paws