I need computer advice.
UPDATE: I got the advice I needed. Thank you!
You typically can always easily expand storage. Is this a desktop or a laptop? There is external storage options as well. There are options to clear cache and recycle bin.
There is an app called WinDirStat Gives incredible visual of all your disc usage and can see what and where is taking up all the space
Just system updates should not fill up storage.
@entwine Thanks for your help!
I have a Dell all-in-one desktop. Storage Sense is on, and this is what it shows:
I have all my personal data on an external drive, recycle bin is emptied. I just got a message from someone who suggested my SSD where the OS resides is full, and I could take in the computer and have it replaced with a larger one. Does this sound right to you?
Looks like you need to do some housecleaning. Couldn't tell you exactly what without digging through it, but your system should not be using that much regardless of updates and you probably could cut out some apps too.
@wilderdude Thanks for your help. Housecleaning is done. I have zero personal data (no pics, no movies, no docs) on it, all that is on an external drive. Very few apps. No games except the Microsoft ones that come with the computer. Dumped the recycle bin. There's nothing more I can do.
I've been advised that my SSD is full and I should get a larger one installed. Does that sound right to you?
Yes, now what kind of ssd is it. Unless its super old it should be m2 slots, need to know exact model and you can find out if you have an extra slot or if you need to replace current ssd and copy your data over.
that said, 123 gb is a crazy high amount of storage for OS, do you have restore enabled? maybe 86 some of those restore points.
@wilderdude All restore points except the last one were deleted long ago. No idea what kind of ssd it is. All I can tell you is the computer is 3 years old. Your other questions/advice require more computer knowledge than I have. 😄 At this point, if someone can confirm, based on the info with jpgs supplied above, that all I need is a larger SSD, that's all I need to know. I have a good computer repair shop to take it to.
Thanks for your help!
I can confirm you can have your SSD replaced with a much larger one and if a shop does it they can even clone your existing files to the new one. Ssd prices are kinda high right now but i think its as good as any time to buy before they get even higher due to chip shortages
A 219GB hard drive was small even 3 years ago.... I would start with deleting apps that are unused even if you already went through them it is good to double check. You can likely get away with only having 15GB of free space for some time if you are storing everything else externally. It does seem strange that your OS is taking up that much room.
@sausalito I just sent a note to my computer repair shop to find out how much to install a new ssd. Hoping it'll be less than buying a new computer.
It looks like maybe your discs are partitioned, as your C drive says 219 GB but total storage is 1.14 TB, so maybe you have other drives available. Unless that's just adding your additional other discs as well.
Should be able to disc cleanup, if that wasn't the housekeeping already did. And add/remove installed programs can show large ones And can't recommend WinDirStat enough, it's like MBs, might even be a portable version of it, so space shouldn't be an issue
Yeah, looking at your total storage space youve got a 1tb + storage?
save your personal files to a usb drive, reinstall windows but reformat the hard drive to remove any other partitions.
this is the cheapest route if that’s possible
There might already be a D : drive, can you install files there??
Right click start menu and select disk management. Didn't even notice total drive size, there's definitely something weird going on. Look at all your space and see how it's divided up.
@entwine I've done all the cleanup I can. Windows Storage Sense gives me all the info I need about my system, and space is very much an issue right now, so I'm not adding any more apps. But thanks for the thought.
@sunnysideup I have no personal data on my computer. It's all on an external hard drive. Your suggestion is beyond my skill set. I wouldn't know how to reformat and repartition, and if I screw it up, then I'm just totally screwed. There is a D drive, computer says it's inaccessible.
@wilderdude Thanks for your help, but it's already been confirmed that my SSD is too full and I should get a larger one put in. I have a reliable repair shop to do the work, so that's what I'm going to do.
Thank you all for your help and advice!
Fair enough! Hope the repair shop gets it going again.
First thing you need to find out is if there is room for a secondary drive. Not all of the all in one systems have room for a second drive. While such system are nice for space saving, they are very limited on upgrade option, which is why I build my own
Throw it out the window and let a woodland marsupial pee on it. Works every time.
Your screenshots show that you have over 900 GB of unused storage. What do you see when you open up "This PC"?