Disk cleanup stops responding

Why does Disk Cleanup tool stops responding?

Cause: This problem occurs when there is an incorrect entry in the registry that is used by the Disk Cleanup utility to locate compressed files.

Important: This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.

Follow the below steps to accomplish the task:

1. Click Start--> and then click Run.

2. Type regedit in the Start Search box--> and then press ENTER.

3. Locate and then click the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches

4. On the File menu--> click Export--> click Desktop--> type VolumeCaches in the File name box--> and then click Save.

Note: This step creates a backup of the VolumeCaches registry key. If you experience any problems after you complete the steps that are listed in this procedure, you can use this backup to restore the VolumeCaches key to its original state. To restore the key, double-click the VolumeCaches.reg file on your desktop, and then click Yes.

5. Expand the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches

6. Delete the Compress old files registry key.

7. Exit Registry Editor.