topic Re: Identifying a piece of software in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 07:27:40 GMT

My hard drive is starting to complain about lack of free space, so I have been goiung through looking for software I could delete. I have found a large piece of software on my pc, which is about 2 GB, so would make a significant effect on this problem. The trouble is I dont know what it is for so dont want to delete it in case it is important to me. Its name is

linuxmint-19.1-cinnamon-64bit.iso

Please, if you could someone identify it, would you let me know what it is, and if I could delete it safely. Judging by the way the name starts, and the fact that it is an iso file, it is an image of a version of linux, but I have never used linux nor iso files so dont know for certain.

Thankyou for any help

Re: Identifying a piece of software

jab1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 07:31:42 GMT

@penneck Yes, it is a Linux .iso, and you must have downloaded it at some time. I can't remember, but does the file have a date on it in the list?

Re: Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 07:38:41 GMT

The file doesn't have a date in its title, but the date stamp on it in WindowsExplorer is 03/08/2019. If I downloaded it, I dont remember why. Perhaps I was considering moving to linux then, but didn't. It was 5 years ago so who knows

Graham

Re: Identifying a piece of software

jab1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 07:40:15 GMT

It is safe to delete anyway - way out of date.

Re: Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 07:41:45 GMT

Thankyou John, that's what I needed to know

Graham

Re: Identifying a piece of software

Baldrick1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 07:56:28 GMT

@penneck

If 2GB would make a significant differnce then maybe it's time to fit a bigger or additional drive? If it's a mechanical HDD the transfer rate will have slowed considerably as the disk filled with data.

Re: Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:17:10 GMT

Hello Baldrick1,

2GB is significant compared to a lot of the files I have been able to delete. Most of what I have been able to delete have been small files in the Download area in C:/Users - it's the C: drive that needs the space, but I have't got much space on the E: drive (its one hard drive physically divided into two with the operating software, etc on the C: partition, and the data in the E: partition). I found a lot of garbage in the Downloads area.

As for adding another hard drive, my pc can only take one drive internally. External hard drives would require another USB2 port, which I have't got available to me. Do they make USB2 port hubs? I have't found one yet. The hubs I have found seem to need a USBC port on my pc which I dont have, and then offer a mix of other types of USB ports, which doesn't get me anywhere - my pc only has USB2 ports

Cheers

Graham

Re: Identifying a piece of software

jab1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:28:59 GMT

i can find any mains powered@penneck I have just typed 'usb2 hub' into Amazon and got a list: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=usb2+hub&crid=NU21Y9WGQC68&sprefix=usb2+hu%2Caps%2C92&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-sample-20_1_7 - these are usb powered ones - I'll see if I can find the mains powered ones, as these, IMO, are better.

Mains powered: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=usb2+hub+powered&crid=CH054D7TK9QQ&sprefix=usb2+hub%2Caps%2C76&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-sample-20_5_8

If you find any you like but aren't certain, come back and let us know.

Re: Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:39:55 GMT

Thanks very much John

Graham

Re: Identifying a piece of software

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:54:08 GMT

@penneck

As @jab1 says, linuxmint-19.1-cinnamon-64bit.iso is very out of date - v19.1 was current for around six months at the beginning of 2019.

FYI, Linux Mint 22 is due to be released in the next few weeks - if you wanted to try out the latest version!

Re: Identifying a piece of software

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:59:54 GMT

@penneck

Just a heads up, in case you aren't aware - Amazon Prime Day ends at midnight tonight.

My son needed an external hard drive in a hurry a few weeks ago - if he had been able to wait until now, (he wasn't), he could have saved himself over £80 on this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TYZCN61

Re: Identifying a piece of software

Baldrick1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 09:06:04 GMT

@penneck

If you do feel the need for more space don’t even consider using an external USB2 drive, they will slow the computer down even more.

Personally I would install a new, bigger, preferably SSD drive, partition it and do a clean install of the operating system. Then put the old drive in a caddy and copy the E drive data across.

Re: Identifying a piece of software

jab1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 09:19:07 GMT

@Baldrick1 If I need 'more space on my main drive I do have a dedicated data SSD where needed but not often stuff is housed, but even then, I have a couple of externals for storing such as music/photos/documents which I only need to access very infrequently - both SSD's only contain essential data 250/200GB ones at only around 20% 'full'.

Re: Identifying a piece of software

Baldrick1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 13:01:22 GMT

If that is all @penneck needs then here's a Prime Day deal with 64 times the capacity of that being discussed: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015CH1PJU/ref=pe_27063361_485629781_TE_item

Re: Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 13:57:56 GMT

Sorry all, I have been off line for a LONG time. Only just got back on. Cause of the off-line - I deleted that iso file, and then, you know in Windows Explorer you can click on a partition and select Properties. In that Properties, it tells you how much total space the partition has, how much is in use, and how much empty space is available. You can also do Disk Cleanup there. Well I used the Disk Cleanup, and then having done that, I shutdown the pc and rebooted just to see if the Properties gave me a different value either side of the Disk Cleanup. Well the reboot came up with a message about it sort of reconfiguring some of Windows updates, and it quickly got to 100% done, but it also said Do Not Power Down. Well 3/4 hour later I gave up waiting and powered down (I remember a long time ago when in a similar position the bootup had got stuck and the solution was to power down, and then boot up). The power up got me to that same message but only 35% done, so I waited and waited, and it didn't move on. However, this time, eventually, it changed the message to cleaning up (I may have changed the wording for these messages, but you should be able to understand). Again a long wait, but eventually the desktop appeared. I went back into Properties, and now I have over 6GB of space in the C: partition in a 66GB partition.

Its been a worrying time during the various reboots. I was getting myself prepared to use my wife's computer to contact you all and yell HELP, but no need.

Thankyou all for your help. You forum people are absolutely brilliant (as always)

Cheers

Graham

Re: Identifying a piece of software

jab1 — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 14:03:41 GMT

I know Windows is bloated, @penneck - but you must have quite a few programs on there to be using 60GB.

Re: Identifying a piece of software

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 14:23:50 GMT

@penneck

Ah, the delights of Windows!

Once you have got your storage sorted out, you might want to have another go with a Linux distro. 😀

Re: Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 14:48:46 GMT

I also have MS Office, Mailwasher and lots of other "operating software" type software (what makes a process work) on the C: partitiuon, but all the data is kept on the E: partition. The trouble seems to be that a lot of things I go to on the web seem to insist that you cannot just look at something, and then decide to download it if you want it. Oh no, you have to download it anyway (outside my control but it may be something on my pc that is doing it). These downloads always go onto the C: partition, so anything I decide I dont want, I have to remember to go and delete it. So the C: partition gets filled up when I'm under the impression I'm not adding to it. I've learnt now to go in and have a clearout every so often.

Regards

Graham

Re: Identifying a piece of software

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 14:51:34 GMT

@penneck

Which web browser are you using?

The ones that I use, (Firefox and Chromium), allow you to change where downloads are saved in their Settings.

Re: Identifying a piece of software

penneck — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 15:06:31 GMT

I use Chrome. I also have Internet Explorer (which I haven't used for years) and Edge which I use on the odd occasion when there is a problem which might be Chrome related.

Bear in mind I am still using Win 7. To go to Win 10 or Win 11 would require a new pc, and I've never used either so I would have to learn the new OS. Quite why when MS produce a new OS they cant have the icons which do the same thing having the same name and looking the same, independent of which version of OS it is.

Also, a new pc would require a new printer - my present printer uses a parallel port but works okay. My pc is almost as old but has the necessary port. The cost of updating is mounting so I will only update when I am forced to.

Graham