Windows 10: System files taking up 170 GB on a brand new computer

Hi,


I just got a new computer today. It came with Windows pre-installed (but not set up). After setting up, I updated the OS and installed three or four programs (Steam, Spotify, Chrome, and one video game that takes up about 13 gigs).


I noticed that half of my 500 gb SSD is already taken up, about ~220 gb. Yet, when I highlighted all of the folders in my C drive (including hidden folders) and checked their combined size was only ~50 gb.


After a lot of searching, I found that the "system" files are supposedly 170 GB. This is as reported in Settings -> System -> Storage -> "Show more categories" -> System & reserved. (See screenshot.) This, of course, makes no sense. Even being extremely generous, there's no reason the system files should be more than 70 GB. Note that the system files should not include any windows update stuff, any apps I've installed, or anything involving system restore, as these are all different categories.


I've noticed, when searching other threads, that there is some canned advice that people tend to give which is clearly not applicable here. So, before you type anything:

• Do not suggest Disk Cleanup. Aside from the fact I've already done this, if you read the above it should be clear that it won't fix this problem.
• It seems very unlikely to me that there is some file buried deep in the C drive that I have access to and can delete. If there were, it wouldn't make sense for windows to report that all of the files in my C drive are only ~50 GB. In any case, I've checked a couple such files, like Windows.edb, and they weren't large.
• Do not suggest deleting the hibernation file. I've already done this.
• Do not suggest checking system restore, unless there's some reason system restore might end up taking more than the percentage of disk space you can set as its maximum.

This computer is brand new -- literally got it today. There's clearly a deeper problem here than any of the typical issues listed above.


Note that third party programs like TreeSize and WinDirStat do not show any appreciable difference in the size of the files on my C drive.


Screenshots:

:)

 

170 GB Of Videos?


If you grab a copy of this:

Disk Sorter Download

You can run it and use the default plugin to figure out what's where.

Click Movies in the results pane.





Then click on any "Category" to get a list of files and locations.

 

170 GB Of Videos?


Hey Sichuan,
I've found that Windows/Cortana Search Box doesn't always find stuff. Try using File Explorer or Everything from VoidTools - voidtools

Note: I use the portable version, no install required.

BTW ... All tho I don't think it would be 170 GB of videos. If it's a laptop, the touch pad can have a lot of videos associated with it's help files.

 

170 GB Of Videos?


My Acronis C Drive full backup, when finished, shows 170 GB of videos. I've searched my entire C Drive and I can't find these "purported" videos. I've searched, from within the Windows search box, for "videos", ".avi", ".mov", ".flv", ."wmv", "MP3", "MP4", etc, etc, etc and nothing comes up. I've searched the Acronis TIH 2018 interface for any path to these videos but the Acronis program apparently doesn't offer a way to map these videos. I've searched the Acronis folder in my Program Files and have come up empty handed. I have no idea what the content of these videos may be and I have no idea how 170 GB of videos came to be on my computer. I've searched the Document folder, Pictures folder, Video folder, Music folder and every single folder under all Users and the Public folder. I don't know what else to do.

I'm running Windows 10 Pro x64 on a Dell XPS-17 L702X laptop. Does anyone know how I can find these videos? Is there any kind of software that will scan an OS drive and locate these videos? I don't need 170 gigabytes of videos in any of my backups, especially when I don't know what these videos are or where they came from. Could they possibly be in my Windows.old folder? Thank you in advance for your time and any assistance provided.