How To Fix Runtime Error 61
Runtime Error 61 arises when the storage on the system you are using is reaching, or has reached, full capacity. This could be the hard drive or a USB drive that you are writing to. A full storage device cannot contain any more data and so to prevent further complications, Windows stops all the activities associated with it and displays runtime error 61. To solve this particular error, you will need to free up some space, which can be acomplished by following the steps below…
How To Fix Runtime Error 61
Step 1 – Uninstall Unwanted Programs
Uninstalling unwanted programs is the easiest way to generate more hard drive space. Uninstalling unwanted programs removes the data they store on the storage device, meaning more space is available for programs that you wish to use. To uninstall any unwanted programs:
- Click Start > Control Panel
- Go to either “Add/Remove Programs” (Windows XP / Vista Classic CP) or Programs > Uninstall a program (Windows 7 / Windows Vista)
- From here should be a list of all the programs that you have installed on your PC.
- Search through to find a program which you do not want and click on it
- Click “Uninstall” to remove this program
This completely removes the program from your PC, so make sure that if you do not have the installation files you want to remove it completely from your system.
Step 2 – Remove Junk files
If you do not wish to uninstall programs but still want to generate some more space, if may be possible to achieve this by removing so called “junk files”. These are typically seen as files that you either don’t want / need any more, and files which simply have no purpose on your system (such as downloads).
You could use “RegAce System Suite“, which provides a thorough junk file remover. It searches the registry and the hard drive and finds any files that may still have strings in the registry but may no longer be present on the system. Carrying out both these operations should clean up enough hard disk space, along with your own intuition when it comes to uninstalling programs.
Step 3 – Clean Out The Registry
A good way to make space on your PC is to use a “registry cleaner” to remove any corrupt / damaged settings from the registry database. The registry is a central database which stores all the settings, files and information that Windows computers use to run, and are widely used to help your PC “remember” a lot of important pieces of information for your software & OS. Unfortunately, the registry has a tendency to become bloated & corrupted, leading it to take up much more space than necessary on your system. You can fix this problem by repairing any damaged settings from the registry, with a ‘registry cleaner’, such as the one below: