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Hard Disk Full: What to uninstall?

I went to install something today and my PC said no. Three years worth of gaming has filled my 250Gb hard drive up to the very brim.

A quick scan with Spacemonger confirmed that 90% of the disk was filled with games. I decided to be moderately ruthless and un-install any game I haven't played in over a year.

Some folk have a strong sentimental attachment to their save games as this terrific piece by Lara Crigger in Gamers with Jobs testifies. There was time when I felt the same way. I was so proud to have completed Doom / Descent / Half Life that I religiously copied my save games from one PC to the next each time I upgraded. Now however I seem to have outgrown that. There are too many games and just too little time. The truth is that even when I do go back to an older game I generally start over from the beginning. Unless I seriously think I am going to use them again the save games are going too.

By the way I am using the excellent Revo Uninstaller to do the actually clean up. It is free, easy to use and a a lot more powerful than the Windows XP control panel.
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Anonymous said…
Yeah, I used to religiously preserve saved games but haven't done for a while. Mind you, it's been a while since I had to uninstall a game to make room, I've just added extra hard drives...
12:43 am
mbp said…
Hi Zoso. My wife adopts your approach and adds new hard drives. She has 3 on her machine now each bigger than the last. Mind you she is into photography and video and they eat space.

Personally I find it cathartic to do a clean out. There is a moment of painful yet necessary honesty when you finally admit to yourself that "I am never going to finish Divine Divinity". It is good for th e soul imho.
7:33 am
Anonymous said…
Funny to read this piece mbp, I have been busy selling off my PC games so that I can fuel my PS3 system with new titles.

Sadly I think I have called time on PC gaming...
9:37 am
mbp said…
You and the rest of the world DM. People have been predicting the end of PC gaming for quite a few years but for the first time I think I believe it.

MMOs looked like being the Saviour of PC gaming but the more I think about it the more convinced I become that MMOs are just a passing fad. Some day very soon gamers are going to wake up and realise that they just don't want to do that anymore.

If that happens that just leaves hard core strategy games and so called "casual gaming" for the PC.

I haven't bought a current gen console yet but I am being very miserly about spending money upgrading my gaming PC.
10:26 am
Anonymous said…
It's came to a point where my PC cant hack the game requirements needed to play the new titles coming out & the PS3 was just too tempting.

If games like Spore are released on the PS3 then I can't see why more hardcore strategy games can't be sold via the PS3 platform.

Can't comment on the XB360 though...any thoughts on what console you may go with?
10:45 am
mbp said…
Tough choice at the moment DM. Wii doesn't really do the type of games I play so its Xbox or Playstation. A Couple of months back I would have said Xbox but Sony seem to be making a comeback. I think Xbox would still win by a nose.

THe truth is those I don't think I am ready for any console. I play games sitting at a PC desk in my little office. I have gotten used to tabbing out to check email / browse the net etc. A console (from what I remember) lives in another part of the house, it plugs into the television. I don't really watch TV. I would need to ask my wife which room we keep the TV in nowadays.

I might just give up gaming. Seriously.
6:55 pm
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