System folders

Question / Problem

The folder "System Volume Information" in the root of my drive uses a lot of disk space. What is the purpose of this folder?

Answer / Solution

This folder is part of the Windows System Restore. You shouldn't delete any files in this folder manually. Its size can be reduced by changing the appropriate setting in the "System" applet of the Windows Control Panel. Windows Vista only allows to turn off the System Restore here. The space used by this service can only be reduced using the Windows command line utility vssadmin.