Windows 10: System & Reserve Files Too Large - 150gb!

I have a laptop with approximately 463gb of space in my windows partition.

Of that, 150gb is occupied by so-called "system & reserved" files. These files take up far more space than they used to, and as I'm beginning to run short on space it would be quite useful to be able get rid of some of these.


I've seen several posts like this and none of the solutions I've seen have worked.

I've run Storage Sense and the Disk Cleanup Utility. Disk Cleanup was able to free up a measly 6gb. This isn't enough.

It isn't C:\Windows\Installer

It's not Windows.edb


I have no idea what is taking up so much space and would greatly appreciate some help.

How do I get rid of some of these files?

:)

 

System & Reserved almost full?

Thank you for the information and posting back.

High System & Reserved memory usage could be due to the following:

• High Windows.old file(s) size
• Large cache of trace files size
• Windows 10 system file issues

We would like to know some information to better isolate the issue:

• Do you have a C:\windows.old folder on your C: drive?
• Which Windows version and build are you using? Type winver on search box and press
  Enter.
• What troubleshooting steps have you done so far?
• Can you post a screenshot of what is inside the System & reserved storage? Double-click System & reserved. See picture below for reference.

We will wait for your response.

 

System Reserved Memory issue

Hi Rowan,

The reduction in available system memory depends on the configuration of the following:

• The devices that are installed in the computer and the memory that is reserved by those devices
• The ability of the motherboard to handle memory
• The system BIOS version and settings
• The version of Windows 10 that is installed
• Other system settings

As an initial troubleshooting step, I suggest that you check your system for memory problems.

Here's how:

• Type mdsched.exe in the search bar and select the best match.
• When prompted by the User Account Control, enter an admin user name and password, and click
  Yes.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to run it.

Let us know how it goes.

 

Recovery Partition vs System Reserved Partition

Thanks for all the info guys.

Both original & target SSD's are listed as MBR as opposed to UEFI. I may have created a partition unknowingly in getting the original/new unformatted drive recognized, but I don't recall taking any steps that Windows did not step me through.

Not that an upgrade to WIN 10 Pro is contemplated, but I suspect that having no System Reserved partition will not allow that to happen, after seeing how the original WIN 10 upgrade created a problem for some WIN 7 users that had a smaller 100mb vs 500mb System Reserved partition.