Once the GOTD software is downloaded and registered I have .zip folder (compressed) where I have the readme.txt and the .exe and I also have the unzipped files with the unzipped .exe and .txt. Both folders, zipped and unzipped take up memory. So in order to keep the program functional, that I can use it with no problems, is there files that I can delete? Can I delete the .zip folder and it will still work? Please tell me what I don't need in order to keep the sofware functioning, up and running and without losing the license? Thank you for your answers.
What is possible to delete after GOTD registration so I can save space?
(9 posts) (6 voices)-
There is no need to keep the original zip file. Any of the exe files with an icon of the orange key (like you see with 'Activate.exe') can also be deleted. Once the giveaway period is finished - they can never be run again.
If the readme.txt file contains license information - like a serial # - it can be useful to hang onto those (they take little extra space, and sometimes if the giveaway loses it's registration, you can enter the number in again from the readme.txt file) - but edit the file or rename it so you know which giveaway they relate to (having 60 readme.txt files isn't easy to find again, when you need a particular one to fix a problem).
Hope that helps.
Oh and if you don't use/like certain giveaways - there is no point keeping them installed - get a copy of Revo Uninstaller (free) and get rid of them to free up some disk space too.
Posted 14 years ago # -
watcher13
MemberYeah, unless it contains a registration code, you might as well throw away both the zip and the unpacked files. If it's the standard GOTD automatic registration, it won't work after the giveaway date, anyway. It's strictly an installer, and has no effect on the installed program.
Posted 14 years ago # -
GMMan, Hexadecimal Blacksmith
BlockedJust a note that you might want to keep an eye out for the message at the end of an activation. Sometimes the Readme tells you to look at the activation end message for keys, for whatever odd reason. Copy and paste those if it's not in the readme, and then you can throw the rest away. Also, Activate.exe doesn't always do what it regularly does. Once I've seen one that was used purely to display registration info...
Also, remember to empty your Recycle Bin, or else use Shift+Del.
Posted 14 years ago # -
aRenegade
MemberHi Esmeralda,
Try not to go into information overload because trust me it's easy to become so around these parts, but all here mean well...lol
Correct me if I'm wrong but, when you download a program from GOTD it creates a Folder icon on your desktop and that icon has a little zipper pictured on it. You double-click that icon, follow some prompts, and afterwards there will be a new Folder icon only that icon will not look the same. From that point you can safely Drag the downloaded Folder (with the zipper on it) and Drop it in the Recycle Bin/icon because its job is done. Plain, short, and sweet :)
Posted 14 years ago # -
watcher13
MemberTrue, Renegade. But you just don't need to keep every GOTD folder after it's unzipped. The vast majority of them won't work after the giveaway day. I get the impression that Esmerelda's sophisticated enough to understand this. Esmeralda, if the setup, or setup and activate in some giveways, does all the work for you, then you can throw it away. As GMMan says, all the important info. is in the readme. If the read me doesn't tell you that you need to use a registration key, wherever it may be written, but just tells you how to start up the setup, or setup and activate, programs, you can safely throw it away. It won't work after the giveway day. And after all, even most of the GOTDs that have registration keys are only supposed to be use once, if you follow the ethical guidelines of the project. Which is not to say that I have never strayed from the straight and narrow. (blushes)
Again, if there's no instructions about using a registration key, then you don't need the unpacked zip files, and after you install, you never need the original zip. There, I don't think that was too much information. Sometimes you have to be careful. Sometimes plain, short, and sweet is plain, short, and inadequate. After all, what Esmerelda really wanted to know was: what was worth keeping and what was worth throwing away.
Posted 14 years ago # -
Esmeralda
MemberThanks to all for the answers, esp. buBBy and watcher. Pretty clear. I've just dragged them to recycle bin and empty it, not sure if there's a better way to make sure it won't interfere with the program or something else. Also I run the registry cleaner that detected some invalid paths after the deletion of those zip folders.
** Another important thing is to uncheck ASAP the "update" button in the software if you want to keep yours for free, because if it gets an automatic update you have to pay to use from there on. **
aRenagade: It creates an icon on desktop -> Not always, because I don't click so that it creates one. And if I do I click on the icon on desktop and it just opens my program, so I can't really follow you on this one.
My main concern was the deletion after it was all registered and running properly, like the day after the GAOTD when the .txt with the registration # has already done its job, then it's of no use.
Posted 14 years ago # -
watcher13
MemberYour right, Esmeralda. Just dumping them in the recycle bin is sufficient. Deleting the registry entry isn't a bad idea, either. Although, that won't hurt the program one way or the other. As you probably suspect, it was just pinpointing the location of the zip or unzipped folders. Those entries don't really hurt anything, unless you get 100s and thousands of them. Then, because your computer has to search through all those "dead keys", it can start to slow you down.
As to the icons, aRenegade's referring to the icon of the original, unzipped download. aRenegade's likely sending the zipped downloads right to the desktop, as many do, so he/she always gets the icon from the download on the desktop. Others, like me and probably you, send them to a specific folder. I do that because it makes them easier to scan with Windows Defender. So, Renegade's post makes sense if you just picture your folder window instead of the desktop.
As to the updates, it's a good point. As you may have seen, some GOTDs work exactly that way, and, if you don't uncheck an automatic update function, you end up with software that was only a full version for a day, a week, or a month. Definitely something to watch out for.
Posted 14 years ago #
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