Low disk space

[caboodle_]

The free space on C drive on my AIO went from being 50% to only having 40GB. I therefore reinstalled Windows 11 but that did not help.    I have cleaned up and deleted thousands of files and folders, done all the disk cleanups possible. There is nothing in my recycle bin or temporary files.  I am at a loss to know how this happened and how to recover the space.  I realise the SSD is only 512 GB but this has been no problem before with either this pc or my previous one. At present | have very few apps as if I try to load any more I then run out of space. I want to re-install both Photoshop which I had before (together with Elements) but of course cannot.  Any help would be much appreciated.

[Garp_senchau]

@caboodle_, Welcome to HP Support Community,

Thank you for posting your query; I’m here to help by guiding you through steps to resolve this issue

Check Storage Usage

Go to Settings → System → Storage.

See which categories (Apps, System Files, etc.) are using the most space.

Run Disk Cleanup (Again)

Right-click C: Drive → Properties → Disk Cleanup.

Click Clean up system files and check all options (including Windows Update Cleanup).

Clean Up WinSxS Folder

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Type: Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

Delete Old System Restore Points

Go to System → Advanced System Settings → System Protection.

Under C: Drive, click Configure and reduce or delete old restore points.

Check for Malware

Run a full scan with Windows Defender to ensure there’s no hidden malware using space.

Consider Removing Unnecessary Apps

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed Apps and uninstall any apps you no longer need.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

[caboodle_]

I rather think you may not be getting my replies.  Let me try again.  I apologise profusely for not having to come back after your original post (although I did but I don't think you received it)  Unfortunately we had a family emergency as our son had a cardiac arrest so doing anything on my pc was not at the forefront of my mind.  Anyway I have done all that you suggested and along with re-installing Windows again, deleting thousands of files and uninstalling apps I have now got just over half my C drive back. I have still to load my Photoshop and a couple of other similar programs  which I know use a fair amount of GB.  I am still not at the position I was before my problem arose (I had only used about 235 GB) - which was being unable to drag and drop!  Seems such a simple fault but it has caused no end of problems. Unfortunately I have only a 500GB SSD

[Garp_senchau]

Hi @caboodle_,

Thank you for your response

I'm so sorry to hear about the family emergency! That must have been an incredibly stressful time for you. 😞 I hope your son is doing better now.

It’s good to hear that you’ve managed to recover some of your C drive space. That’s progress! But I can understand your frustration — it sounds like you're still not quite back to where you were before the issue started. Let's see if we can get you back to that 235GB usage or even better!

Here are a few additional steps that might help:

Check Virtual Memory Settings

Sometimes, Windows can use up a lot of space for virtual memory (paging file).

Go to Settings → System → About → Advanced system settings.

Under Performance, click Settings.

In the Performance Options window, go to the Advanced tab and click on Virtual Memory.

You can either reduce the size of the paging file or set it to "No paging file" (though this can impact performance for some tasks, so proceed with caution).

Turn Off Hibernation

Hibernation can take up several gigabytes of space because it saves the system state to a file on your SSD.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Type: powercfg -h off

This will disable hibernation and free up space used by the hiberfil.sys file.

Clear Windows Update Files

Even after running disk cleanup, sometimes Windows Update files don't get fully cleared out. Here’s how to manually remove them:

Open File Explorer, type C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download in the address bar, and delete everything inside that folder.

You can also navigate to C:\Windows\WinSxS and use the Command Prompt to clean it up further:
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
This should remove old update files that are no longer needed.

Check the User Folder 

Sometimes, user files (like large cached files or app data) can silently take up a lot of space.

Go to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local and look for large folders. You can delete app data that’s no longer needed, but be cautious here. Don’t delete anything that’s critical for app functionality.

Reinstall Apps Carefully 

When you reinstall Photoshop and other large apps, try to install them on a different drive if possible (like an external or secondary drive). Adobe apps tend to take up a lot of space, and this could help prevent further strain on your SSD.

I hope this helps.

Please feel free to reply here if you have any questions or if you need further clarification on any of the steps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

[caboodle_]

I have fallen at the first hurdle - I was trying to deal with the Virtual Memory.  I attach a screenshot of what I got and I cannot click on anything to make alterations.  Any ideas welcome

[Garp_senchau]

Hi @caboodle_,

Thank you for your response

It seems like the Virtual Memory settings might be locked, which is why you’re unable to make changes. Have you tried going through the other steps I mentioned earlier, like clearing the Windows Update files? These might help free up some space as well.

Let me know if you need any further help with those!

Regards,

[caboodle_]

Thank you for your last comment.  I have now gone through all the other processes and because I had done a complete re-install for windows there did not seem to be much to delete.  There were quite a lot of files and folders which were empty but nothing with info.  It looks as though I have reached the final free space and once I start reinstalling all my missing apps I might have to consider replacing my SSD which I am loathe to do never having handled an SSD before only normal hard drives.  I am 90 after all!

[Garp_senchau · Accepted solution]

Hi @caboodle_,

Thank you for the update! 

I’m glad to hear you’ve made progress with the reinstallation and have checked the space. It sounds like you’ve been very thorough. I completely understand how it might feel a bit daunting to replace the SSD, especially if you're used to traditional hard drives.

Has everything been resolved with the storage situation, or are you still experiencing any issues?

Let me know

Take care and have a good day. 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

[caboodle_]

Thank you for your reply.  I have now accepted that I have gone as far as I can.  The problem with a new SSD is that I have an a-i-o now, and all previous have been desktop either self built of well known manufacturers.  The a-i-o aspect is what is causing me to doubt my capabilities.  Anyway that is my concern not yours.  We shall see over time.

You have been kind and patient for which I thank you.