Safe C: Drive Cleanup

Problem

When Windows C: drive runs low on space, manual deletion can damage pagefile.sys, WinSxS, System32, or user data. This skill separates cleanup into read-only scanning, scope confirmation, and recoverable removal to reduce accidental deletion.

Workflow

• Scan: uses Python os.walk to generate a Markdown report, bucketing top-level and second-level directory sizes, listing files of 100 MB or larger, and skipping symlinks to avoid runaway traversal.
• Confirm: proposes safe candidates such as Temp, updater caches, Windows.edb, and old backups, while explicitly excluding core system paths and user data; requires explicit multi-select confirmation before removal.
• Execute: calls SHFileOperationW with FOF_ALLOWUNDO to send selected files to the Recycle Bin instead of permanent deletion; processes paths in small batches and skips locked files with reporting.
• Special cases: if Windows.edb is locked by Windows Search, it can stop WSearch, recycle the file, then restart and verify the service; pagefile.sys is never touched.

Boundaries and Notes

The skill relies on a specific command form to work around sandbox restrictions on protected paths, requiring Windows paths in single quotes with literal backslashes. It only moves files to the Recycle Bin; actual space is reclaimed only after the user explicitly confirms emptying it.