Often systems report less space on a hard drive than the space advertised on the box. Which OS you are using affects how much disk space is reported as free. Windows based OSs report using a certain method of measurement, Apple uses another and Liniux another yet. Some are more accurate than others. However, the bottom line is that whichever OS you are using uses a method of measurement which is never equal to the amount listed on the box. This is because disk manufacturers use the most general method of all to report disk space.
If you are low on space you will continually receive "out of disk space" errors. Whether you move or copy a file matters in the generation of Out of Disk Space errors becauase when you copy you double the amount of space that file takes. A Copy operation creates another instance of that file. When you to a Move operation the file is moved from one location to another, and does not increase the amount of space used.
If you have issues after copying a file, such as Access Denied errors, it is due to the NTFS permissions. How they are applied on an NTFS disk. NTFS disks provide a level of security never before available on previous versions which uses FAT or FAT32, but it can become confusing on why after you copy a file from your personal folders to a shared folder and give Everyone Full Control, why they get Access Denied errors. This is seperate from the question you asked, but it is a part of moving or copying data, so I thought I would mention it. Get in the habit of Copying files instead of Moving files, if you don't want the file after it is moved, just delete the original file. That is off topic, but related to shared data.
Also, the disk management graphical user interface reports in gigabytes, but dialog boxes list in megabytes, which can create differences in what space is reported as used and free. For ecample, 35080 MB appears in the graphical view as 34.26 GB. The graphical view always shows the size a bit smaller than dialog boxes.
When I installed a new 320 GB drive, installed 15 GB of OS system files, so I should have had 305 GB of free space, yet Windows Disk Management reports it as a bit less than 300 GB, and in a decimal format. It showed around 294.46 GB. So, what happened to that 11 or so Gigabytes of disk space? Did it just evaporate into mist? lol
A huge problem which arises when a disk is low on space is repeated Out of Disk Space errors when attempting to install or copy/move data. During installation there are installation files which are suppose to be deleted after the setup is completed, but often arn't. Also, if you use certain Microsoft programs, such as Office, often the full installation files are copied and stored on your disk. This allows for simple and easy access to the files if repairs is required, such as a currupt file needing replacement, etc. However, these installation files take up a huge amount of disk space. If you have your Office CD and are having Out of Disk Space errors, use the Windows Disk Cleanup tool to delete these installation files from your hard disk. Go to Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tool-Disk Cleanup. Run the tool and click on any item listed and a short description appears at the bottom of the dialog box. This will also help clear up other temp files etc you may be unaware are sitting useless on your disk.
I also reccomend that you not store data or programs on the same drive as your system files. If you run out of space on your system volume you can create a situation where neccasary system resouces are unable to be accessed or run, such as services which must run in order for Windows to boot and create your desktop. If the Workstation service or the RPC services are unable to run, well, your system will not run well if at all. There ARE non essential and thrid party services but I wouldn't remove any of them.
Take a look at your installed programs list and remove anything you have not used in the past two months. A hard disk can become as cluttered as a pack rats home when unused programs sit on the hard drive.
Also, if at all possible, add another disk to install your games and store your data. This will solve your issue quick. It is fairy simple to add a hard drive, just follow the instructions which come with it. I reccomend a Seagate is a great manufacturer, and it recently bought out Maxtor, but I prefer Seagate. Western Digital is also a good choice.
Good luck and have a nice weekend.
Your Paging File is related to RAM, Random Access Memory, not your HDD, Hard Disk Drive. Changing your Paging File will have no affect on Low Disk Space issues. It is also not a good idea to have a small Paging File anyway, I would keep it at least twice the size of your installed RAM. Even with large amounts of physical RAM, the Paging File is used by the system. I won't get into the technicalities, as this has become too long already.
You can use a free ulitity called CCleaner, along with the Windows Disk Cleanup tool. CClearner or Crap Cleaner, rids your system of, well, crap which has accumalated on your drive. You can get it at:
http://www.cnet.com/downloads
Put CCleaner in the upper right corner search box, hit Enter, and a page with a link to CCleaner, plus simular utilities, will appear, click on the CCleaner link, then read as many reviews as you like, download, configure and use. It is a very simple utility, which has five tools. The Disk Cleanup tool for which is got its name, a Software Removal tool which works far better than Windows Add/Remove applet, a Registry cleaner which is very safe and allows simple two click registry backup before use, if configured for it, a Startup manager, which allows a user to simply and quickly stop programs from starting at logon, a Cookie manager which allows a user to keep only those cookies which are useful, such as for logging onto Yahoo! Mail, Answers, and other websites which you logon too to use. This tool is extremely easy to use and it provides a link to a Help file which provides all the information needed to get going.
*note* Be careful with this tool. While it is safe, if you don't first configure it to work as you wish it too, you may find your Recent Documents both system and in certain programs deleted, your recycle bin dumped, your Run dialog box list cleared, and other items you may wish to keep cleared too, such as your browsers list of recent webistes and history. It is great for getting rid of your tracts if you share a computer, but if you are the only user you may not wish to doo this. Just be sure to read what each item does before selecting it for cleanup.
If you use CCleaner in conjunction with the Windows Disk Cleanup tool you will discover more space has been released back for use. While each program alone cleans up certain items, together they do a immensely grand job. I have used it on all my systems both at home and at my office for years now. It also can automatically update itself, or simply report to you when an update is available and provide a link to access it.
System Restore is configured Out of the Box to use 10% of your disk space to store system restore points. Restore Points are actually snapshots of your system at certain points in time. These snapshops allow a user to take their system back in time to a point prior to whatever issue they are experiancing. I do NOT reccomend changing the allocated space for System Restore unless you have a disk larger than 50GB. In Windows XP you can change the allocated space for each individual hard disk you have installed, but you can do this in Windows Vista. System Restore is vital to recovering from disasterous crashes, and allows a user to go back as far as three months.
If after doing these maintaince jobs you still are having issues I reccomend you either use a Newsgroup, such as the Microsoft Windows XP Administration and Security group, or one like it, or take your system to a reputable repair shop.