Windows 10: 'Windows' folder taking up all storage in Local Disk C:

I posted this question yesterday, however I have a few new problems now.


My local Disk C: has about 27GB of space, It only has 1.5GB free after deleting almost everything from my laptop.

I noticed that the thing taking up so much space over 20GB is a folder labeled 'Windows', it has thousands of files. I can't delete any files from this folder to have some storage space.

I wanted to make a fresh start on my laptop because it seemed pretty messed up so I tried to do a factory reset, but there isn't even enough disk space to do this, as I need at least 5GB more space to be able to reset this laptop with its default settings and a new Windows 10 that isn't taking up all my storage. There are no other files on this laptop apart from the ones that I can't delete.


The reason I needed to clear my disk space in the first place was to be able to run an app that can fix problems I have on my phone, so nothing is really working out at the moment.


I also need this laptop to be able to do my online classes, and because there is such low storage i usually get cut off a few times in each class and have to join back in the call.


Recently I've found a new problem when trying to open Windows Edge, it stays open for a few seconds and then crashes/closes. Also, when my teacher sent me a PDF file yesterday it didn't let me open it, there was a very brief blank screen and then it disappears. I have a feeling I probably deleted an important file that allowed me to use microsoft edge or internet explorer.


Also, a problem I've had for a while is that when the laptop tells me it wants to do an update, it goes through with the update fine, taking a while to load to 100%, and just before it finishes it says something along the lines of 'We couldn't complete the updates, undoing changes.'


I've tried all of the solutions on YouTube for the storage problem, I tried the disk clean up, clearing up the softwareDistrubution file, the %temp% file, prefetch, clearing the rubbish bin, all of my documents aka my school work and some photos have been moved to an external hard drive, so there really isn't anything on here except for that huge Windows file that can't be removed.


These are a few different problems, maybe I should ask them in separate posts, however I think they might all be related.


Hopefully somebody knows why the file is taking up so much space and how I can get rid of it! I've had these storage problems for over a year and I've spend the last two days consistently trying to fix this so it would be nice to have a working laptop again :/

:)

 

C windows installer folder - Delete?

He can do symbolic link redirection and move the files in it to a different location. *Wink
Better try it out in a virtual of first. Just a suggestion.

Like:
First move everything in c:\windows\installer to d:\installercache
Then delete c:\windows\installer folder
Then type this in command mode as admin
mklink /d c:\windows\installer d:\installercache

Removing those installer files is a bad idea. it might prevent you from updating or uninstalling apps.

 

Local Disk C: Space Issue

The space is most likely the pagefile, the hibernation file, and System restore

The Pagefile can be shrunk if needed in the control panel (wouldn't recommend doing that on windows 7/Vista though)

The hibernation file can be removed but it will stop you using hibernate

System restore can be removed with disk cleanup

 

Ran out of space on local disk C in Win10

What is the make and model of your PC?

Are the other 'Disks' separate hard drives?

How Large is your C-drive?

A. Please see :

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12425/windows-10-free-up-drive-space

• Open the Start menu and select Settings > System > Storage.
• Under Save locations, select a drive from the dropdown menu. If the drive you want to use isn't listed there, make sure it's connected to your PC. (Do not change 'New Apps will save to:' ; change the other '... save to'(s) to D-drive
  - (a new folder tree will be created on the D-drive)

B. Next:

• Open up 'File Explorer' .
• Look for the folder you want to move (i.e. 'Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos)
• Right-click the folder and click on Properties.
• Click on the Location tab.
• Click on Move.
• Navigate to the folder where you want to move your folder to (where they were created by Settings>System>Storage in the previous step).
• Click on Apply.
• Click Yes, to move all files from the old location.

C. Finally, to move your iTunes see:

Back up and restore your iTunes library on your PC

See also:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17421/windows-free-up-drive-space

On the C-drive (right click the C-drive->left click properties->click the 'Disk Cleanup' button proceed to step 3 below):

or

Cleaning out your PC on a regular basis frees up drive space and helps it run better. One of the easiest ways to clean up files you no longer need is by using Disk Cleanup.

• Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, select Disk Cleanup.
• If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.
• In the Disk Cleanup dialog box in the Description section, select Clean up system files.
• If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.
• In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, select the check boxes for the file types that you want to delete, and then select OK. To remove data from a previous installation of Windows, select
  the Previous Windows installation(s) check box. (check all the boxes, after clicking 'Cleanup System Files' in the previous step)
• In the message that appears, select Delete files. (answer yes during the cleanup, if Previous Windows installation(s) are on the device)
• Go back to Computer in File Explorer, select the drive you cleaned up, and then select Refresh. If you need to free more space (the drive is still marked red), go to the next tip.

To Move OneDrive to the D-Drive see:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...e/change-the-location-of-your-onedrive-folder