Category: Windows

If you need to automatically delete files and folders when disk space on your drive falls below a certain threshold, you can use a PowerShell script to accomplish this task. Here’s how you can set it up.

PowerShell Script

This script will delete files and directories under a specified path when the available disk space is less than 5 GB.

# Define the path to the directory
$directoryPath = "C:\DeleteFilesFolder\

# Set the threshold for disk space (in bytes)
$threshold = 5GB

# Get the drive information
$drive = Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem | Where-Object { $_.Root -eq "C:\" }

# Check the available free space on the drive
if ($drive.Free -lt $threshold) {
# Get all files in the specified directory and subdirectories
$files = Get-ChildItem -Path $directoryPath -Recurse -File

# Loop through and delete each file
foreach ($file in $files) {
Remove-Item -Path $file.FullName -Force
Write-Output "Deleted file: $($file.FullName)"
}

# Get all directories in the specified directory and subdirectories
$directories = Get-ChildItem -Path $directoryPath -Recurse -Directory | Sort-Object -Property FullName -Descending

# Loop through and delete each directory if it is empty
foreach ($directory in $directories) {
Remove-Item -Path $directory.FullName -Recurse -Force
Write-Output "Deleted directory: $($directory.FullName)"
}

Write-Output "All files and directories in $directoryPath and its subdirectories have been deleted due to low disk space."
} else {
Write-Output "Sufficient disk space available: $($drive.Free / 1GB) GB free."
}

Explanation of the Script

1. $directoryPath: Specifies the directory path where files and folders will be deleted.
2. $threshold: Sets the disk space threshold to 5 GB.
3. $drive: Checks the free space available on the C: drive.
4. if ($drive.Free -lt $threshold): Checks if the available free space is less than 5 GB.
5. Get-ChildItem -Path $directoryPath -Recurse -File: Gets all files in the specified directory and subdirectories.
6. Remove-Item -Path $file.FullName -Force: Deletes each file without user interaction.
7. Get-ChildItem -Path $directoryPath -Recurse -Directory | Sort-Object -Property FullName -Descending: Gets all directories in descending order to ensure deletion from the deepest level first.
8. foreach ($directory in $directories): Deletes each directory and its contents without user interaction if it’s empty.

Running the Script Manually

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Run the Script:
   C:\Scripts\ClearIncomingQueue.ps1

Automating the Script with Task Scheduler

You can use Task Scheduler to automate the script.

1. Open Task Scheduler: Open it by typing taskschd.msc in the Run dialog.
2. Create a New Task:
   • Right-click and select “Create Task”.
   • General tab: Name your task (e.g., “Clear Files and Folders”).
   • Triggers tab: Click “New” and choose the schedule (e.g., daily).
   • Actions tab: Click “New” and select “Start a program”. Enter powershell.exe as the program/script.
   • In the “Add arguments (optional)” field, enter:
     -File "C:\Scripts\ClearIncomingQueue.ps1"
   • Conditions tab: Check “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power”.
   • Settings tab: Check “If the task fails, restart every” and set an interval.