Where’s the Disk Cleanup option in Windows Server 2008?
Windows Server 2008 doesn’t have the Disk Cleanup option switched on as a default. In order to enable it, you’ll need to install the ‘Desktop Experience’ which actually contains rather a lot of other stuff. Not quite sure why Microsoft have bundled so much stuff into this ‘Desktop Experience’ when 99% of most people will just want the Disk Cleanup option, just another MS idea which *could* have been good, but not quite.
To enable the ‘Desktop Experience’
Step 1 – Open the Server Manager (Start -> Administrative Tools -> Server Manager)
Step 2 – In the Features Summary section, click on Add Feature.
Step 3 – Select the Desktop Feature experience and click through the various ‘Next’ steps to install
Step 4 – Reboot your machine and then you should find the Disk Cleanup option now appears in the usual place. (Right click on disk name -> properties)
That’s it, you’ll now be able to easily delete the swathes of junk that Windows builds up, easily and from one place. If you’re going to De-frag a disk, always run this first and get rid of as much junk as you can.
To enable the ‘Desktop Experience’
Step 1 – Open the Server Manager (Start -> Administrative Tools -> Server Manager)
Step 2 – In the Features Summary section, click on Add Feature.
Step 3 – Select the Desktop Feature experience and click through the various ‘Next’ steps to install
Step 4 – Reboot your machine and then you should find the Disk Cleanup option now appears in the usual place. (Right click on disk name -> properties)
That’s it, you’ll now be able to easily delete the swathes of junk that Windows builds up, easily and from one place. If you’re going to De-frag a disk, always run this first and get rid of as much junk as you can.
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