cut down windows 10?

Heedtheadvice

Some of that free space that there was has been used up by setting the store point (there was none set) and with Reflect which I could now remove after doing the image and boot disk.

Windows now down to 19.5GB so a bit more to go to get to dipso's value and enable win update to take place. (But similar to yours Debbie, now)

Other significant values:
User data 1.1GB (reduced by half getting rid of downloads not needed)
Prog data 1.1GB
prog files x86 2.58GB
Prog files 1.87GB

Rest smallish numbers.

Drive partitions other than main just in MB so nothing to gain there then!
It's great when shops sell a pc (notebook) capable of 'running' win 10 but with little left for any other modern needs and not even enough space (as sold) to update to the latest update!!

Can someone confirm that the OEM partition will be the one named "windows re tools" ?

Anyone with any more ideas to gain a bit of space? ....or will that be it now!

Heedtheadvice

Well, try as I might the effort has proven quite poor.
The following has taken place:
Deletion of not needed temp files,
Added Reflect to make rescue disk, backup of all drive partitions to external,
Removal of windows update files
Set restore point with a minimum drive allocation (there had not been any set!)
Ensured hibernation is not active,
Another clean up of temp files,
(Somewhere around here as previously posted I had gained and was at 5GB space and got to nearly 6GB at one time)
Still not sufficient to do a Windows update (informed 8GB required by update process),
Deleted office 16,
Downloaded and ran mini partition to add in win the partition to main windows partition (just 1GB on this machine),
Deleted partition tool,
Deleted 500MB user data (mainly downloads)
Cleaned temp files again, rebooted, cleaned files again!
Checked that compactOS was active

Low and behold now just 4GB free space,

Going backwards in ever decreasing circles!

Even tried compress drive but being an SSD it unsurprisingly had no effect.

Any further ideas of things to check (or again) would be most welcome. Really scratching my head as things that (on the face of them) should have freed up space seem to have done the opposite! Grrrrrrrr..........


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Bit of lateral thinking is it possible to use a usb memory stick or external drive to effectively increase the c drive by making two partitions be treated as one contiguous partition, even temporarily! ? Is that VHD? Oh on win 10 home 64bit.

Debbie_Savard

>Going backwards in ever decreasing circles!<

Probably the background updater is pulling down Windows files as space is freed up. What version of Windows are you on now?

>is it possible to use a usb memory stick or external drive to effectively increase the c drive <

No, but you can download the latest Windows 10 to an 8GB USB stick and perform the upgrade from that, keeping all your files and apps.

System

If it has a SD Card slot I think I'd be getting a 128GB SD Card/MicroSD card and sticking that in to use as a drive to store my files on.

Heedtheadvice

Thanks Debbie,
It is windows 10 home 64 bit version 1703 os build 15063.850
Looking at update history by here are many a failed attempt.

Can you tell me where the update files would be located to check?
" you can download the latest Windows 10 to an 8GB USB stick and perform the upgrade from that, keeping all your files and apps. " Can you point me in the direction of instruction for that, please?

Yes T, thanks for that suggestion it does have a card slot so will look what can be done there. I presume that can be used like the memory stick as above....

emptybox

Once you've made the Macrium Reflect rescue disc you want to uninstall the Windows PE stuff, as that takes up quite a lot of space, and you won't need it again.

Heedtheadvice

Debbie, I think you are right. Some sort of update had taken place (not yet to latest win 10 according to history) and after a clean up space has jumped to over 5GB. Still not enough to do full update though so will investigate update files to the other offboard location!

Thanks for the prompt, Box, I think I ticked that option during Reflect removal but will double check.

poppellerant

For the time being, disable system restore. That will happily eat up your free space. You've already got Macrium images, so there isn't really a need for system restore.

dipsomaniac

i am no expert but wouldn't it be easier to backup and reset notebook (deleting everything)? you then should have enough space to update as win10 is approx 20gb

Heedtheadvice

Thanks prop, good idea. In my case however it is set to minimal size so would only release a bit and I need to get another 3GB.

Ask a good idea Dipso and a current possibility. However the same issue will surely arise for a future update too?