Clearing space for 1709

[HCHTech]

I have an Intel NUC (Pentium 1.6GHz, 2GB RAM, 32GB SSD) at a clients that is mounted to the back of a 55" TV in their office that displays a full-screen map showing the current location of their trucks (they are a delivery company). This is the computer's only job. It was new last June, and came with Win 10 Home. Works like a charm, does the job and pretty much, I haven't had to touch it since it was installed.

This client is 90 miles away, so I try hard to do everything I can remotely.

So this little computer is trying to update to 1709 but it's out of space. I've done disk cleanup w/the system files option, ran CCleaner, removed all of the apps and windows components that aren't required, checked for anything else installed that isn't needed, ran Windirstat looking for anything else out of place, compressed the C drive, but the best I can do is 8GB free on the thing. Then, 1709 will fail saying it needs 9GB. Then I check back in a couple of hours and it's down to 6GB free because it's trying to redo the download.

It has to stay connected to the internet for the mapping software to work, and I don't want to try and cripple updating if I can avoid it - but I'm running out of ideas. I'd like not to go onsite (where I could try the update from a USB drive) for such a stupid thing. Hell, it only cost $300, I could replace it for less than the value of time I've spent I think. Poor planning by Intel (and me for buying it) thinking that WIndows 10 would be happy on a 32GB SSD for long, I guess.

 

[Markverhyden]

Yeah, I don't do Windoze on anything less than 64 gb, Sure it might install and run for a while but you'll eventually run out of space. Made that mistake on some VM's a while ago.

Have you checked windows/temp? That's where a lot of fat get stored. I just go in, select all, and delete. It'll usually fail on a few files/folders as they are open by something.

 

[glricht]

Can you clone the 32GB SSD onto a larger SSD, say 120GB? Then, either continue to run the PC on the 120GB, or else do all the updates and then clone the 120GB SSD back to the 32GB SSD.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Yeah, I'm sad to say that disk is just too darned small.

Min sys reqs for Win10: Hard disk space:16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS

And because it's Microsoft, everyone should have learned ages ago to double that. A 32gb SSD will only work for Win10 if literally nothing else is installed.

 

[Diggs]

I put 32-bit 1709 on a 32GB SSD recently without an issue and was thinking how much smaller the footprint was.

 

[Markverhyden]

I put 32-bit 1709 on a 32GB SSD recently without an issue and was thinking how much smaller the footprint was.

It's not the install that's the issue, it's when it's been running for a quite while collecting all the garbage.

 

[HCHTech]

I shouldn't have chosen this unit, but I just didn't think that far ahead unfortunately. Frankly - they shouldn't have sold this configuration - I didnt' design the damned thing.

Anyway, more constructively, There are several things I could do if it were sitting on my bench, but I'm trying to limit myself to remote. If I empty out the SoftwareDistribution folder, there is temporarily 9,5GB free, so I did that and I'm trying the install again. That might be enough to let it go through.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Any way someone local can plug in a USB flash drive and have it off-load some stuff with a redirection, just for the update?

 

[fincoder]

How to install a Windows 10 update when you don't have enough free space
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-install-any-major-update-windows-10-low-storage-devices

 

[phaZed]

Like @fincoder has linked to, use a few thumb drives - it gives you the option to use a USB drive for temp.

 

[Umbra]

My system is on a 120gb SSD and takes around 30gb with drivers and all Office 2016 components fully installed (around 5gb) , however most of the programs i used are portables and located on another disk.

I do that since years , and Windows never went over 30gb, but for that you must disable System Restore and delete all restore points, clean the system from junk files using Wisedisk Cleaner (far more efficient than Ccleaner), etc...

 

[HCHTech]

The attempt starting with 9.5 gigs free failed like the previous ones. I found out about the Compact.exe program built into Windows 10 and thought I had found the answer, but since I had already compressed the drive, it didn't help.

Well, I took another crack at it, found a few more branches to trim, and with the Software Distribution folder empty, had 10.5 gigs free. Tried the update again, and it failed for lack of space.

So, I'm going to have to convince someone there to get a flash drive and plug it in. It's kind of obnoxiously placed - the TV is mounted up high on the wall, and the NUC is clamped to the mount. I remember cursing the installer when I had to crawl up there to stick in a wireless keyboard dongle.

Hopefully, we can just leave the flash drive there and it will solve this problem for the next big update that comes along.

 

[Krynn72]

Turn off hibernation and that will get rid of the hiberfile.sys file which should shave a few gigs.

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/15140/what-is-hiberfil.sys-and-how-do-i-delete-it/

Frankly though I'm not sure how much space you actually need. Because not only does it need to download and save the update files, then needs space to work in while applying updates, but then it also makes the windows.old folder in root C which is almost the whole OS duplicated and that alone is probably 10 gigs even on a completely clean install.

 

[HCHTech]

Turn off hibernation and that will get rid of the hiberfile.sys file which should shave a few gigs.

Yup, did that plus a whole lot more - every trick in the book to cut down on space (I didn't look for the Win10 equivalent of NLite, though - that's too far). I've got someone there picking up a 64GB flash drive to hopefully solve this problem now and in the future. Lesson learned, boy.

 

[SAFCasper]

Yup, did that plus a whole lot more - every trick in the book to cut down on space (I didn't look for the Win10 equivalent of NLite, though - that's too far). I've got someone there picking up a 64GB flash drive to hopefully solve this problem now and in the future. Lesson learned, boy.

Yep these updates are every 6 months now. Next one is expected in April (1803). Get the USB and leave it connected so you don't end up in the same situation again.


Bonus rant.
I'm getting tired of clients dropping off these crappy netbooks that are celeron / 2GB ram / 32GB eMMC and expecting them to function like a normal laptop. I see at least 1 per week now always booked in for "running slow"

 

[Porthos]

Bonus rant.
I'm getting tired of clients dropping off these crappy netbooks that are celeron / 2GB ram / 32GB eMMC and expecting them to function like a normal laptop. I see at least 1 per week now always booked in for "running slow"

I stopped accepting them.
I tell them it will cost them a reinstall of Windows 2 times a year and the associated cost. Works every time.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I'm getting tired of clients dropping off these crappy netbooks that are celeron / 2GB ram / 32GB eMMC and expecting them to function like a normal laptop. I see at least 1 per week now always booked in for "running slow"

My grandson had one because it was recommended by the school. My son wondered if the SSD can be upgraded so he could install games. LOL He took it back to WorstBuy and bought a laptop.

 

[NJW]

I'm getting tired of clients dropping off these crappy netbooks ...

To be fair to the general buying public, these are not marketed as 'crappy netbooks' and there's not much to alert the non-technical buyer to the problems that will be in their future. I blame the cynical manufacturers, who are knowingly selling machines that are going to choke on the next Windows 10 upgrade.

They do work very well with Linux, of course.

Edit to add: on top of that, they have the WIMBoot partition, which is required for booting. A traditional nuke & pave is not practical as it takes even more space than the OEM install.

 

[CaliZ]

Run Wushowhide and disable that update from being installed? (Download Link: http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/2/f22d5fdb-59cd-4275-8c95-1be17bf70b21/wushowhide.diagcab/) I know it has affected numerous of our customers with their document scanners, and other devices. (Anyone see the task manager and all the new features?)

 

[Shabador]

In case the system files are not compressed by default in your install: Open cmd as admin and run "compact.exe /compactos:always" to save 4-6 GB. But most likely you're going to need to upgrade from a usb-stick, as well as some external storage for temporary files during the installation. 32GB storage is a horrendous configuration nowadays.