2 hours ago, Rocky_53 said:

I have been a great advocate for years for Macrium Reflect backup program. It's free too! I create a backup of both Windows, MSFS and a storage drive, very easily and effortlessly, every month or so and have used it many times over the years. Every time it has restored things perfectly. To me it's a no brainer.

Better yet use Windows 7 backup, which is included with Win10 and Win11, to make a system image that can include ALL drives - best part is you already have it and don't have to buy backup software.

Matter of fact I had to restore my system drive yesterday because I had done something bone-headed that corrupted my admin account and I also couldn't get NVCP to start, even with an uninstall/reinstall of NVCP, so I said the heck with it and just restored from a 5 day old C drive image - took 17 minutes.

For the life-of-me I can not understand those who don't have backups - I bought a 4TB internal HDD that writes at around 250MB/sec and can backup all drives in my desktop in 90 min or less - I start it before I go to bed - weekly.

16 hours ago, ctiger said:

The 3 separate MSFS packages over time sold which I purchased thru steam. I have always started MSFS thru Steam. This time when I started up -  each of the MSFS  packages (3)  reinstalled. After the reinstall, msfs advised I could now reinstall all the MSFS I purchased thru the MSFS market. 

You are losing me here... what are the three separate packages?  Are these the standard / deluxe packages?  Or something else?

If you lost 200 GB of space, there must be a duplicate folder somewhere that is taking up that space.  Someone suggested that you might have moved the folder without realizing it.. 

Start by searching for the folder name(s) that you think you deleted, you may actually still have them somewhere, taking up space..

17 hours ago, KERNEL32 said:

I highly doubt if over 200 GB were sent to the recycle bin, unfortunately.. I think windows prompts "are you sure you wish to permanently delete" if over a certain size...

Correct. I did this recently as msfs was crashing to the desktop. I deleted the whole community folder. Too big for recycle bin so i deleted permanently the works. Took me 24 hours to reinstall everything. Yikes. But i was fed up. All the add ons etc looks like the folder blew a gasket.😅

5 hours ago, cobalt said:

 

Using AL can save tons of grief, is easy to use, and there is simply no reason not to do this!

Another advantage is if you have 2 versions of the same airport. In my own case, I have several 1935 airports. I remove the modern airports with a click and put in the old versions with another.

Also the overhead toolbar can become messy with too many icons. You can not use some of the addons that populate it.

Bert , yes the packages were standard/deluxe and premium. So after I realized  I had deleted  the community folder (by mistake} I panicked and decided to restart MSFS using steam.  Rather  than a normal start MSFS started reinstalled all three of the packages. It took about an hour. After reinstall I noticed drive now only had 40gigs remaining. Before all of this happened my drive had over 230g remaining. I agree I lost almost 200gigs. I have gone thru the drive looking for the lost 200gigs. So far I have not found the loss gigs.  

I have used orbx and downloaded a few sceneries and all were installed in the new community folder with others that I have reinstalled. My problem now is only have about 25gigs.

I do have a backup,  which was done sometime ago and but updated.  However I don't believe I can move it since my gigs are almost gone, until I found out where the loss gigs have gone.

 

Thanks for the rest of you all comments. Thanks kerosene 31 for your comments.  it sure help because high anxiety was taking over. .   

It might help to open File Explorer. Click on C drive. Click on Type to segregate all the folders from other stuff. And then Sort by Date Modified. If the files went somewhere, it may be they went into one of the folders modified most recently.

Or install Tree Size Free for windows (freeware).

https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free

If I click on C, and then on size I can see which folders hold lots of GB of files. Like maybe 200 GB of files. And then keep clicking on subfolders, looking for one that is 200 GB huge.

 

20 hours ago, KERNEL32 said:

I highly doubt if over 200 GB were sent to the recycle bin, unfortunately.. I think windows prompts "are you sure you wish to permanently delete" if over a certain size...

A warning may depend on having the option "Display delete confirmation dialogue" enabled in the Recycle Bin options.  I always have it enabled but was curious myself why the OP did not get a warning about the size of folder he was attempting to delete.Perhaps not enabling the confirmation overrides all warnings?

Edited August 6, 20241 yr by cj-ibbotson

Gosh folks thanks for all your suggestions,  I have gone thru every folder in my NVMe Drive where the MSFS is installed .  How 200 gigs can just disappear, is over my head. . Everything appears to be normal  and with no increased expected.

I have enjoyed MSFS since the beginning 2 years ago with real problems that I could fix or see someone else that I could us his experience.  I do have MSFS workinig ok but with a lost of over 200gig gone with lost of a lot planes scenery.  I guess I will settle  down and take a break.  Will probably need some more help when I try to start all over.   Maybe I can hold off till the new MSFS come a onboard.

Thank you all for your help. Heck I might fine those gigs somewhere if I take a beak and try to fly a little bit.

I no longer feel 82 but 92 (lol)

3 hours ago, ctiger said:

Gosh folks thanks for all your suggestions,  I have gone thru every folder in my NVMe Drive where the MSFS is installed .  How 200 gigs can just disappear, is over my head. . Everything appears to be normal  and with no increased expected.

Choose one or several  of the addons that you had to reinstall... If you search your drive for the folder name, do you only find the most recent install?  Or is there another instance?

citger, I think you keep writing that you now have far less space on your C drive. If community was deleted then you would have far more space on that drive, not less.

On 8/5/2024 at 7:43 PM, ctiger said:

I am still not sure why I have lost almost 200gigs.  I may have deleted something else that I must check on.

Make sure you did not accidentally MOVE the folder somewhere.  When you say you have so little free space left, that makes me think you didn't delete it but instead moved it somewhere.

Yes, either a folder or folders have been moved or orphaned. There is now possibly a duplicate installation of MSFS. The previous (now defunct installation) folders can be deleted, taking extra special care to ensure that they are indeed the old installation and not the new. Do you recall how you installed MSFS originally? Did you instal to a custom directory that you chose or did you accept the default directory that the sim installation setup process presented to you? This can help you trace the location of possible duplicate installation folders and files. Keep in mind that the sim installs files into multiple different and sometimes quite obscure (to the typical Windows PC user) directories, including hidden directories.

Also try empty the recycle bin. Space is not recovered until that is empty.

Edited August 7, 20241 yr by RaptyrOne

A couple other tips I recommend for everyone:

Keep a spreadsheet/database of ever add-on you have.  My last community folder was massive and I had no idea what I had.  I had downloaded airports I didn't even remember, and obviously never flew to.  An add-on manager is nice, but it isn't the same thing as having an actual list.  Not everyone names things consistently.  

I have a simple spreadsheet with airport code, name, then a location.  Then whether it is payware or freeware (I don't have this but I wish I had a source where it was bought field).  

A few months back I "shift deleted" all my freeware and started over.  It was a good thing.  I realized I never used the vast majority of what I downloaded.  I realize I have a bunch of places I'd like to fly, but mostly I stick to a few of the same areas.  I was also downloading huge airports when I don't even fly any airliners. 

I re-downloaded some essential freeware (all the great GA airports in California that I use all the time) a few in the Caribbean and a few around my home in the northeast US.  What little time I have for flying anymore is usually in the A2A Comanche and usually 100 miles or less.  

I don't keep track of payware aircraft because I really don't have all that many, and I don't use much non-airport freeware either.

I've gotten my MSFS 2020 lean and mean, and it felt good.  There's so much excellent freeware out there, but I simply don't have the time.