You need to be VARY careful. Just because you are not using a track doesn't mean what it may contain is still not in use elsewhere in the project or even in another project.
Believe me, I do this a lot when you have multiple projects happening for the one client. At the moment I have two clients with multiple projects. What makes it worse is they keep starting new projects that use bits from old projects.
Asset management is a HUGE industry within this industry. At the big end of town there's serious money involved in systems just to manage assets.
Best solution I've found is to have a big removable drive, one or more per client and delete nothing.

You can also buy a drive that's on sale (if you're missing some space) and Save Project with Media.
You can trim every clip that's used in the project on both in and out edges by telling the program how many seconds you want added when it saves.
(p.270 of V5 manual if you want the details)
hTh!

Interesting Futz...Dan was not talking about the media bin but rather the files the contains the actual files.

Randini

If you right click an event and click on "Select in Media Pool",
the Media Pool will open with that file highlighted.

Right click on this and select "Remove from Project and delete files"

This will do just that, including deleting the file from your Hard Drive.

There are two or more prompts asking if you really want to do this, but it's an excellent facility if used carefully. I use it a lot to delete unwanted takes from audio projects and keep things tidy.

Yes, but this assumes that you can identify for yourself the files that aren't in use within the project.

What I think we're after is an additional "delete from disk" option for the Zap command (lightning bolt "Remove all unused media" in the Media Pool)... turn it into a button/pop-down combo with "Remove from Project" (default) and "Remove and delete from system" (secondary).

Yes Jason exactly.

Randini

In the "bad old days" I'd back everything up on a streaming tape drive. This took lot's of time and cost about $80 for 40 gig tapes.

Today, hard drive storage is so cheap ($0.50 a gig if you wait for sales), that I don't erase Anything. I back all media, projects, sound files, scripts, effects, titles - everything - onto inexpensive hard drives that I link onto the computer with a little Firewire connector that I've bought from Wiebetech.com. In fact - I don't backup stuff except the MOST important (paid for) files. Normally I do each project on it's own firewire drive. At the end of the job or project, I store the hard drive on a shelf (in a little Rubbermaid sandwich box). That way, everything is exactly where I remember it.

It's fast and easy, and I never kick myself for discarding some little file which I later decide I really need.

yes Vicmitt,

I do that exact same process and love it now!! The only way I would be very hurt is if someone actually stole my hardrives. If that wouldhappen I would seriesly cry like a boy that just lost his first bike.

Randini

... don't forget to put the drive into its static-free bag prior to storing it in these Rubbermaid-sometimes-static-electricity-generators boxes...! ; )

For concerns about stealing, I'd check out for a security safe at the bank; not very expensive to rent per year and very... secure! (that is , is you're storing very important things on these, ie making a living out of it, which is obviously not my case)

And good news is, Blue Ray is coming so we should be able to store on 50Go blanks soon! : D