insufficient disk space on brand new win10 laptop to do initial update


  1. Posts : 1
    windows 10
       #1

    insufficient disk space on brand new win10 laptop to do initial update


    i have only had this new laptop less than a month but kept getting notices right away that windows was unable to do updates due to lack of disk space. this mystified me because i had not added a thing to the c drive and for awhile i couldnt even find the c drive to take a look at it (because it is now in "this pc")... anyhow, was amazed to see that program files alone took up something like 29 of the 32 gigs on the system.

    i mean, is it possible that this brand new win10 system was engineered with not enough margin of space to do a stinkin update? the answer is YES. unbelievable.

    the messages said to clear out unneeded files or use an external drive of minimum 10 gigs. i did disk cleanup (recommended) but of course there was nothing to clean up so that did not help. so i was stumped until a very nice tech person from audible dot com went a bit off the beaten path to counsel me and poke around my system in the course of fixing an audible issue...

    i ended up using a 32 gb thumb drive to attempt the update, which did work, but left unanswered my question, being, is the 10 gigs needed just to facilitate the update, or is it then going to be essential for actually running the win10 system after the update?? i decided to just take a chance because i was sick of knowing i needed updates, but couldnt do them. what's with ms these days? or is acer to blame?

    so anyhoo, after about 5+ hours of the update running, the system booted and seems to run normally, but i noticed that initially, at least, the thumb drive flashes from time to time, but is totally off more than half the time. can't tell for sure if the thumb drive is being used?? there is but one file on the thumb drive, it is "somethingupdatesomething.squiggletmp. (i am on my chromebook now, that is why i am not more specific.)

    i believe (hope) i can just dump that file and put the thumb drive away for another day with no ill effects? the c drive now seems to have approximately or exactly the same ratio of used to free as was there before the update - a measly 3 gigs or a bit under, left free.

    there is a slot on the laptop for a sd card... but mainly one is supposed to use the cloud for everything, which i do anyway.

    what do any of you more knowledgeable folks think about the stupidness (or just cheapness) of a system set up with not enough disk space to run an update? it just amazes me. i mean i do love me all the cheap-but-ok stuff i can get my hands on, but isn't that cutting it just too close so as to be almost unusable? nowhere did it say, in the user guide or stuff, that it would be necessary to keep thumb drives on hand in order to do normal maintenance. and with all the hootin/hollerin about the wonderfulness of windows10, even tho i am a jaded old lady(computer-wise), (25 yr retired ibm vet; i worked on the very first personal computers that came on the market), i am still amazed that this deep corner cutting, if that is what it is, is going on. i myself would gladly pay a buck extra for a few more gigs, not to have to go thru this aggravation i just wasted most of my day on.

    and by the way, i'm thinking that due to it taking so long to run the update, it was much more than the usual security patches, etc, they always send down. but here again, why would brand spanking new, wonderful, magical, shiny windows 10 system need a total takedown/replace on day #1 of a new computer? did they throw a sloppy job together and fling it on the market... or what.

    i used to believe ms really had their show together. they wouldnt put out shoddy work, they had too much reputation at risk for that. there used to be a sort of competition going on between ms and ibm where one did not want to risk the embarrassment of BUGS unexpectedly showing up after release of new stuff. one would point and laugh at the other, etc. and it was hard to live down. scores were kept...

    i apologize for being so long winded. i will curtail future posts to a more human length...

    so, can i delete the file on the thumb drive and not have to use it to run the system? kinda funky if i have to keep that thing in a LAPTOP!
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #2

    The update you are talking about was the major upgrade to 10586 while hasically reinstalls the OS but keeps all the data. This memory issue fortunately only affects that update!

    You can remove the flash drive now and it should work fine.

    Try this first, and if it is fine, you can format drive to reuse it.

    More importantly, buy an SD card (64GB I would recommend) and move your data to it.

    You can set it up in storage so all data is stored on sd card.

    You can also set it up so programs and apps are stored there as well but I would only do that later if memory becomes a problem.

    Now upgrade has been done, you should install Macrium Reflect Free and make a backup of the installation to a usb stick. You will need to create a Macrium Rescue drive, and a backup image (recommend a 32GB flash drive). We can guide you through this.

    Once you have done the backup, run disk cleanup to delete the old installation files (selecting to clean up the system installation files).
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #3

    Hi there

    What's the size of the HDD on the laptop -- I can't believe any laptop today is sold with a smaller than 256GB HDD -- usually much bigger. Usually a 256 GB disk is an SSD - and even that should be plenty for an update - even including all the bloatware that a new computer usually comes with. I assume it's a laptop and not not a tablet.

    I think people trying to answer your question need to know what the current size of the HDD is before proposing rememdies --then maybe we can suggest methods of offloading some unnecessary stuff etc -- but we need the initial HDD size first.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 15,441
    Windows10
       #4

    jimbo45 said:
    Hi there

    What's the size of the HDD on the laptop -- I can't believe any laptop today is sold with a smaller than 256GB HDD -- usually much bigger. Usually a 256 GB disk is an SSD - and even that should be plenty for an update - even including all the bloatware that a new computer usually comes with. I assume it's a laptop and not not a tablet.

    I think people trying to answer your question need to know what the current size of the HDD is before proposing rememdies --then maybe we can suggest methods of offloading some unnecessary stuff etc -- but we need the initial HDD size first.

    Cheers
    jimbo
    OP says 32gigs. This is clearly a hybrid laptop tablet device.

    SD card or external drive will be only option.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 5,442
    Windows 11 Home
       #5

    On a disc of that size, a regular cleanup is mandatory, for starters use Windows tools.

    Run CMD as admin and enter:

    Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase

    Once it finishes, enter this command, select to clean everything:

    cleanmgr /sageset:65535 & cleanmgr /sagerun:65535

    This command might also give you some space, if it has not been applied already automatically:

    compact /compactos:always

    You can use this tool to see, what is taking too much space and delete it, like leftovers of apps.

    TreeSize Free - Quickly Scan Directory Sizes and Find Space Hogs

    Some other cleanup software would be recommended like CCleaner Free and Wise Care Free.

    Note: also consider, if you need hibernation, disabling it would give a few more GBs.

    Hibernate - Enable or Disable in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
      My Computer


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:07.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums