Where do you start when you really need to get rid of some excess hard drive files? Regardless of the fact that taking the time to clean your HDD system works in our favour, we must also consider the potential problems before going ahead. We must concede that personal files may accidentally be erased when invoking software to do the cleaning or by accident when manually selecting files and folders for deletion. Remember too that the removal of unneeded files using either method, takes your time, particularly when the manual methods are used but automated cleanup tools will take time as well. But generally the risks are minimal if due care is taken and the benefits balance any of these negatives.