system volume information folder

If that doesn't free up most of the space, you'll need to boot from a live CD/flash drive of some sort, UBCD or Knoppix or what have you, to delete the folders while the OS if offline. Leave the one with the most recent date.

Actually, I find System Restore near useless anyway, you may want to leave it off.

edit: Oh, try this:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309531

Here are steps for Vista, not sure if they will get rid of extra folders, though.
https://www.techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=101&threadID=227398&messageID=2264217&tag=content;leftCol

Using Advanced in the Properties tab for the folders, you may be able to take ownership away from the System for the old folders.

its just a oem recovery disc i dont see that option, it'll overwrite the windows.old folder but not the system volume information folder but in another post on another thing, it stated that you may get one for each user, at one point i had 4 users now only three just deleted the user.

so with 4 users and now3 users in place (administrater, me, my girl friend), would that be why there is three 4 of them?