Windows 3.1 and NDW Do Not Agree on Free File Space

• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

When you install Norton Desktop for Windows (NDW) and Erase Protect (EP.EXE) is installed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the available disk space reported by NDW is usually different from the available disk space that MS-DOS and File Manager indicate is available.

Neither product is reporting incorrectly. Windows and MS-DOS report the actual amount of disk space that is available; NDW reports the actual amount of disk space available plus the amount of disk space that is used by the hidden trashcan directory. A trashcan is created for each logical disk.

MORE INFORMATION

The best way to find out how much disk space is occupied by the trashcan directory is to use File Manager. From the View menu, choose By File Type. Check the Show Hidden/System Files box. You can then view the trashcan directory and get an accurate reading of how much disk space is being used.

You can run out of disk space if you do many file creation and deletion activities and NDW retains the files for a long period of time (the default is 3 days).

In addition, if you have a temporary swap file, some versions of Erase Protect try to back it up every time it is deleted. Other version do not detect the presence of the temporary swap file. If a you are running NDW, use a permanent swap file if possible while running Erase Protect.