Loss of disk space despite clean install

Augi1 said:

Would the UEFI structure work given that I have a Legacy BIOS?

Hmmm......not sure, but don't think so.
Do you have a flash drive to make the Win10 install media? You could use RUFUS to create the drive from the ISO, and it would be made for both Legacy and UEFI. Is there a specific reason why you have to use a disk? Although, it seems you are indeed booting to the disk, because you are getting the "Press any key to boot from..." message. Have you turned off Fast Startup? Are all those 200MB files showing in your recycle bin - have you emptied that? I can't tell if it's your current bin, or one from a previous installation.

From an article about your machine model....

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Any standard SATA 3.5" desktop drive up to 2 TB will work fine. If you are willing to use the new drive for data only you can go larger than 2 TB, but you must partition and format the drive in the GPT partitioning scheme using Windows Disk Management. Since the Studio XPS 435T/9000 does not have a UEFI BIOS you cannot boot from a GPT partitioned hard drive.

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http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/disk-drives/f/3534/t/19449990

Ignore the part about the hard drive. My point is his box does NOT support UEFI.

Have to find a way to get it to boot Legacy. He created that DVD using the native Windows ISO Burner. I had him DL and install IMGBurn. Would that create a bootable DVD for Legacy? Is there some other setting in the BIOS? It sees the DVD cause it says "Press any key to boot from CD......", but then ignores DVD and boots 10.

TrueCompanion said:

I have encountered something similar.

Speak up! Any solution?

f14tomcat said:

From an article about your machine model....

---

Any standard SATA 3.5" desktop drive up to 2 TB will work fine. If you are willing to use the new drive for data only you can go larger than 2 TB, but you must partition and format the drive in the GPT partitioning scheme using Windows Disk Management. Since the Studio XPS 435T/9000 does not have a UEFI BIOS you cannot boot from a GPT partitioned hard drive.

---

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/disk-drives/f/3534/t/19449990

Ignore the part about the hard drive. My point is his box does NOT support UEFI.

Have to find a way to get it to boot Legacy. He created that DVD using the native Windows ISO Burner. I had him DL and install IMGBurn. Would that create a bootable DVD for Legacy? Is there some other setting in the BIOS? It sees the DVD cause it says "Press any key to boot from CD......", but then ignores DVD and boots 10.

If the OP were to physically disconnect the OS drive, he could boot from disk, and then reconnect it to do the install. (Just have to be very careful doing that live...)

simrick said:

If the OP were to physically disconnect the OS drive, he could boot from disk, and then reconnect it to do the install. (Just have to be very careful doing that live...)

The DVD, according to his post, is full of EFI support files and folders. I think the native Windows ISO Burner is assuming, somehow, that that's ok. Hate to suggest it, but IMGBurn, which he DL'd, may create a bootable DVD.

NavyLCDR said:

You know....the newest Windows 10 ISO files require Double Layer (DL) DVDs because single layer do not have enough space on them. Are you inadvertently "overburning" a single layer DVD and that might be why it isn't booting? If you must boot from DVD, I highly suggest a DVD+R DL (double layer and NOT a rewritable), burned at the slowest speed setting.

May be the case, but he stated he burned it with the native Windows ISO Burner and verified it. Wouldn't that have been caught if it would not fit?