Users often wonder how much disk space Windows 10 takes after installation. The answer to this question cannot be given unequivocally, since the Windows operating system is constantly updated. Each next update weighs a little more than the previous one.
Before considering how much space the Windows 10 operating system takes after installation and comparing it with previous versions, we propose to consider the official minimum system requirements that Microsoft published on its official website. These requirements should be suitable for you to install the system on your computer.
- CPU: not less than 1 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
- Hard disk space:16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS
- Video adapter: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
As you can see, the developers claim that 16 GB for a 32-bit OS or 20 GB for a 64-bit OS should be sufficient for installation. For comfortable use, you need to have a reserve of free disk space.
How much does a Windows 10 image weigh
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the image of the Windows 10 version 1803 operating system weighs 3 gigabytes - 32-bit and 4.2 gigabytes 64-bit. All data was taken from the site tb.rg-adguard.net, from where you can actually see the sizes of images of previous versions of Windows.
This is what must be taken into account when necessary when, since not always a 4 GB flash drive may be enough for this.
At the time of release, Microsoft announced that Winodws 10 will take up less space through optimization and compression. If you look at it in practice, then everything is somewhat different. Insofar as 32-bit Windows 10 version Home takes after installation 13 gigabytes memory, and 64-bit version weighs about 16 gigabyte.At the same time, completely renovated 32-bit Windows 10 Professional weighs a little more 20 gigabytes, and 64-bit version weighs about 25 gigabytes.
If we compare these indicators with the minimum system requirements, then we can conclude that they were indicated on the example of installing the home version of the Windows 10 operating system.
At the same time, the second most popular operating system Windows 7 after installation using the standard distribution, which already includes the SP1 service pack, a stationary system for 32-bit versions takes aboutt 5 to 8 GB, and systems with 64-bit – from 11 to 16 GB.
The system drive is usually the local C drive, on which the system is installed. During the installation of the operating system, users are given the chance to choose the size of the system disk and expand it if necessary. Therefore, users have a question about what size the system disk needs to be set for normal computer operation.
When installing the Windows 10 operating system, it is recommended to select a system disk with a volume of at least 100 gigabytes. This volume will be optimal for the normal operation of the system. To be honest, the system will work with much less memory, but the overall system performance will be significantly inferior to the previous version.
conclusions
In this article, we answered the main question of users how much space does Windows 10 take after installation. We also recommend that you pay attention to the paragraph of our article, the recommended size of the system disk.
The question of how much Windows 10 weighs is best divided into two - since the OS takes up a different amount of space during installation, after it and during operation. We'll cover each step.
How much space does Windows 10 take
Users of the G7 should probably remember how much space their system takes. If for some reason they did not know this or simply forgot, then recall - about 12 GB.A few more gigabytes were allotted to various kinds of programs - system or user. The situation remains approximately the same with the top ten. In the "Pro" version, Windows 10 weighs about 14-16 GB.
If we talk about other versions of this operating system, then their sizes will not differ too much from such indicators. At the same time, even the differences between the 32- and 64-bit versions are not significant.
If we are talking about the installation file, then it takes about 4 GB. That is why you cannot use a smaller flash drive when using the Windows Media Creation Tool. And those who want to burn an OS image to disc will need at least a DVD. But there is also an inverse relationship, it is clearly seen that Microsoft tried to make sure that the final size of the distribution did not exceed 4.7 GB, which is the standard volume of a DVD disk.
Why Windows 10 takes up so much space
If you have already received some information about how much the "ten" weighs, then the answer to the question "why exactly so much?" can be obtained based on the following factors:- Paging file;
- Maintenance;
- Working with service processes.
If you understand the principle of the hibernation process, then you should know that when you turn it on, the system saves data from RAM to the system disk. Once again, it becomes clear that such a disk space should be equal to that of RAM. If this is not the case, then the speed of the system will be significantly reduced.
Well, it's worth recalling that Windows 10 takes up a lot of space due to the work of system processes. How much it all weighs is difficult to say for sure. But you try to imagine how much data should be stored in system folders for further sending to the company's servers. After all, everyone knows that "ten" is watching their users. Although with the release of the latest updates, this is less relevant.
But it becomes much more important to get a lot of tools for development, graphic design, programming, etc. All these applications for the best work should be on the system disk. So try to get a larger SSD and place it completely under the system. It will be more reliable and easier this way.
Is it possible to reduce the size of the OS
Let's say you have a problem - you have a small hard drive and every gigabyte counts. The question arises - how to reduce the weight of the system. If the question is about the installation file, then you can do it on your own, only if you use truncated assemblies, but they are not so small as flawed.But the size of Windows 10 installed on the hard drive can be reduced without problems. To do this, you need to remove all standard programs and also reduce the paging file. This way you can get rid of about 2 GB. Unfortunately, it will not work to achieve any more serious changes, but such a decrease in weight is already good.
- The best software for Windows 10
Does your hard drive or solid state drive boot quickly? Want to free up space on your Windows 10 PC? In this guide, we will discuss all the ways to free up hard drive space in Windows 10.
You can free up gigabytes (GB) of disk space on your computer - it's not difficult at all. In this article, we list all the possible ways to free up space on your Windows 10 PC.
Here are 16 Ways to Free Up Disk Space in Windows 10.
You know about this and probably have already done so. If not, uninstall unnecessary programs and applications right away to free up disk space. Some of the programs can reserve GB of valuable disk space.
By going to the application " Parameters» → « Applications» → « Applications and features», You can view the used disk space, applications and programs. You can also uninstall apps and programs directly from this page.
You may want to consider uninstalling not-so-useful installed apps to free up disk space in Windows 10. Check our Windows 10 guide for instructions.
2. Turn off hibernation to free up disk space
Before you start, let's make it clear that we only suggest turning off the hibernation feature if you are not using it or do not know what the sleep feature is.
The hibernation function on startup creates a file hyberfil.sys which takes up the size of RAM on your PC. For example, if your computer is equipped with 8 GB RAM, the sleep function takes about 7 GB disk space, decent size, isn't it.
Remember that this feature is enabled by default in Windows 10, but by default it is not added to the Start menu. So make sure it is disabled if you are not using it.
Here's how to disable the hibernation feature.
Step 1: Open a command prompt as administrator by typing CMD in the search box Start / taskbar, right-click the element "Command line" and select "Run as administrator".
Step 2: At an elevated command prompt, type:
and press the key Enterto turn off the hibernation function and free up space.
You can use instead Command line - PowerShell
3. Disable or remove system restore points
System restore points come in handy if you want to restore your Windows 10 PC to an earlier date to fix potential problems. Depending on the number of restore points and the space allocated for the system restore point creation function, this takes up GB of disk space. Again, turning off System Restore is not recommended, especially if you know how to use it!
But there is one point, you can delete all restore points except the last one, if you do not want to disable this feature. There are also ways to delete individual restore points.
Here's how to disable System Restore.
Step 1: In the search box Start / Taskbar enter and press key Enter.
Step 2: Go to the tab "System protection"... In section "Protection parameters" select the drive and click "Tune".
Step 3: In the dialog box that appears, select and click "Apply".
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for other drives to completely disable System Restore for all drives and free up disk space in Windows 10.
4. Empty Trash
You probably know that when you delete a file in Windows 10 by selecting the file and then pressing the Delete key, the file is moved to the trash. As long as the file is in the Trash, it continues to consume disk space. You can recover valuable disk space by allocating less disk space to the Recycle Bin and deleting all files from the Recycle Bin.
If you frequently use the Shift + Del keyboard shortcut to delete files without moving files to the Trash, you should probably disable the Trash. We also recommend setting Windows 10 to automatically delete old files from the recycle bin.
As with older software versions, older drivers are unnecessary and take up disk space. Luckily, Windows 10 makes it easy for you to uninstall old device drivers. Please see our instructions for uninstalling old device drivers in the Windows 10 Guide for step-by-step instructions.
Step 1: Open up This computer... Right click on the drive where Windows 10 is installed and then click "Properties".
Step 2: Click the button Disk Cleanup.
Step 3: In the next dialog box, click " Clean up system files ".
Step 4: When you see the results, check the box next to Device Driver Packages and press the button "OK"to remove the Driver Packages files.
6. Delete the Windows.old folder
If you recently upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 / 8.1, or upgraded to the latest version of Windows 10, chances are you will have a folder called Windows.old in the root directory of your system drive.
The Windows.old folder contains data from previous versions of Windows and takes up at least 10 GB disk space. If you are confident that you do not need data from previous Windows installations, you must delete the Windows.old folder to free up a significant amount of disk space.
10. Removing unused user accounts
A new user account usually takes up very little disk space. Depending on the number of files and size, the user account can take up several MB or GB of disk space.
In short, if you have an unused user account on your PC, you can delete it, although you can get very little space by doing this. You can always create a new account whenever you need it. To delete an account, open "Parameters"→ "Accounts" → "Family and other people"... Select the account you do not want and click "Delete".
Compressing disks is probably not a good idea, especially if you don't want to reduce overall performance. However, if you are experiencing an acute shortage of space, you can do this to free up space.
12. Find large files and delete them if you don't need them.
Finding large files is pretty easy. Find out how to find large files in Windows 10 for step-by-step instructions. Delete large files as well as small files that you no longer need.
Step 1: Open File Explorer. Navigate to the drive or folder where you want to search for large files.
Step 2: Click on the search box to see the tab "Search".
Step 3: Click the Search tab to view all search options.
Step 4: Click on "The size", and then select one of the filters. As you can see, there are seven filters in total: Empty (0KB), Tiny (0-10V), Small (10-100KB), Medium (100KB - 1MB), Large (1-16MB) , Huge (16 - 128 MB), Giant (\u003e 128 MB).
If you select the filter Giant (\u003e 128 MB), File Explorer will automatically search for all files larger than 128 MB.
What if you want to search for all files larger than 500 MB? Just. In the search box, enter size:\u003e 500 MBto view all files larger than 500 MB. Similarly, use size:\u003e 1 GBto find all files larger than 1 GB.
Finally, to find all files larger than 1 GBbut less 5 GB(you can set any size), just type in the search box size:\u003e 500MB<5GB ... You can of course change these values!
Delivery Optimization files are files that were previously downloaded to your computer. You can delete these files to free up disk space in Windows 10. To delete Delivery Optimization files:
Step 1: Open up This computer... Right click on the drive where Windows 10 is installed and then click "Properties".
Step 2: Click the button Disk Cleanup.
Step 3: When you see the results, check the box Delivery Optimization Files and press the button "OK"to delete Delivery Optimization files.
Temporary files that applications are not using can also be deleted. Here's how to do it.
Step 1: Open the app "Parameters"... Go to section System → Vault.
Step 3:Please select Delete temporary files not used by my applications.
Make sure no other options are selected, and then click "Clear now"
Each new version of Windows puts forward ever higher requirements for the hardware of the computer, and one of those is the availability of free space on the drive. "Ten", due to the many functional improvements and revisions, in this regard is the most voracious representative of the OS family from Microsoft, and today we will tell you exactly how much space is needed to install each of its versions and editions.
The minimum and recommended system requirements for the installation of any version of Windows can be found on the official Microsoft website, on the packaging of the digital copy of the system, as well as on the websites and stores where it is sold by official distributors. Only there are generalized information that is somewhat different from the real one. We'll start with them. 
Official information
Turning to any official source providing the ability to purchase and / or download Windows 10, you will see the following information:
- Windows 10 32 bit (x86) - 16 GB
- Windows 10 64 bit (x64) - 20 GB
In fact, these are not even requirements, but the average size that the system will take on disk immediately after its installation and first configuration. If we talk directly about the free space required for the operation of the system, the requirements are as follows:
Information from the official Microsoft website
Real numbers
In fact, the amount of space occupied by Windows 10 is determined not only by its bit depth - 32 or 64-bit - but also by the edition, of which there are four:
- Home
- Professional
- Corporate (for businesses and organizations)
- Educational (for educational institutions)
Ordinary users almost always opt for either the first or the second. The last two are, in essence, somewhat improved and sharpened for a specific user segment of the Pro version.
Windows 10 Home
- 32 bit - 13 GB
- 64 bit - 16 GB
That is, Home Windows just "rests" on the recommended values \u200b\u200bthat Microsoft indicate for all editions of the "ten".
Windows 10 Pro
- 32 bit - 20 GB
- 64 bit - 25 GB
But Professional, depending on the bit depth, either is on the verge of maximum system requirements, or goes beyond them by as much as 25% or 5 GB in real terms. This should be taken into account immediately before installing it.
Windows 10 Enterprise
- 32 bit - 16 GB
- 64 bit - 20 GB
Corporate Windows, although based on Professional, does not always meet the requirements specified by the developer in terms of the occupied disk space. The fact is that this version of the "dozens" has a few more tools and functionality integrated than in Pro, and therefore after the first setup it may well occupy the same 20 - 25 GB.
Windows 10 Education
- 32 bit - 16 GB
- 64 bit - 20 GB
This edition of Windows is based on the Enterprise, so in reality the size of the space it occupies (immediately after installation) can also be close to 20 and 25 GB for the 32-bit and 64-bit versions, respectively.
Despite such modest minimum and recommended system requirements by modern standards, for comfortable use and maximum stable operation of Windows 10, regardless of its bitness and version, about 100 GB of free space is required on the disk or partition where it is installed. The ideal solution is SSD from 124 GB and up. This is connected not least with frequent updates of the operating system, which must also be downloaded and saved somewhere. Agree that 16 (for x86) and 32 GB (for x64) declared by Microsoft and voiced by us at the very beginning of the article will not "fit" not only an update, but even the most modest user folder with documents and files.
How much space does the used Windows 10 take
In order to find out the exact size of the disk space occupied by Windows 10 installed and used on your specific computer or laptop, it is not enough to open "This computer" and look at the disk C:... In addition to the system itself, at least temporary and your personal files are stored on it, therefore, to obtain accurate information, you must proceed as follows.
- Open up "Parameters" Windows by clicking "WIN + I" on keyboard.
- Go to section "System".
- In the side menu, select the tab "Device memory".
- In the list of disks and / or partitions (block "Local storage") click on the one on which you have the operating system installed.
- Wait for the scan to complete, then pay attention to the value indicated opposite the inscription "System and Reserved"... This is the volume that is currently occupied specifically by Windows 10, as well as additional files and components, without which its work is impossible.
For more detailed information, just click on this block. 
Conclusion
Concluding this short article, we want to emphasize that it considered the declared and real values \u200b\u200bonly for licensed Windows 10 offered by Microsoft and official distributors. All sorts of pirated assemblies and broken distributions, which we do not recommend for use, can take up much less space or much more - it all depends on what the "author" removes from there or, conversely, adds.
One of the national peculiarities of Runet users is the tendency to allocate a small section for the system. Today we will talk about where this tradition came from and analyze the main mistakes of such a strategy. You will also find out my approach to work on each item.
For many years now, I have read all the forum threads that discuss the modern Microsoft operating system. And I see people very often with a small system partition. Whether it's Windows XP, Vista or 7, the same picture is observed over and over again - the system is unnecessarily squeezed into a cramped frame.
Why is the system placed on a separate section
Once upon a time, back in the days of Windows 98, a friend of mine (the one who got me hooked on Total Commander) struck me with his layout of disk partitions. He proudly showed me how everything was clearly optimized for him - one partition for the bootloader, the second for the system, the third for the swap file, the fourth for programs, the fifth for films, the sixth ... He had probably 10 of them, and all on one physical disk!
Let not everyone reach such insanity, but in fact it has become a rule to allocate its own section for the system. And I did this, guided by a simple logic: if you have to reinstall Windows, your head won't hurt about where to put your files and documents. At the same time, the system wanted to allocate as little space as possible so that it would not be wasted.
Note the convention - if a have to reinstall! But this is not the case for those who know how to tune the system to do without reinstalling. Are you afraid your Windows 7 will crash? 
photo credit: Capture Queen ™
Meanwhile, Microsoft, which takes into account the interests of business in the first place, has operating systems tailored for the use of one partition. This is due to the well-established strategy for managing user data and settings, which is to place a profile on the system partition.
This approach makes it easier to move and back up user profiles across your organization. As a consequence, many of the system's functions are built on this foundation. So, backing up files in Windows 8 (and in Windows 7 too) can be configured as quickly as possible when using libraries that contain documents, music and videos stored in the profile.
System requirements…
When it comes to system requirements, you need to clearly understand what they indicate minimum parameters that are sufficient to install and start the system. For long-term and comfortable they are not good for work.
Windows XP did not impose serious requirements on disk space - a modest figure of 1.5 GB was announced for "Gold". This, of course, was not enough for normal operation, but a 15 - 20 GB partition allowed free space for the system and programs.
Over time, hard drives have become larger and larger, and the price per gigabyte of space has continued to decline (flooding in Thailand is a temporary exception). Windows XP has been replaced by Windows Vista, which already needed 40 GB. Let's skip it, as many users have done, and go straight to Windows 7.
Then Microsoft made a knight's move and said that the system needs at least 16 GB of disk space, although Windows 7 required no less space than the previous OS.
But while solid-state drives (SSDs) were just starting to gain traction, they were still small and terribly expensive. Redmond could not allow the latest operating system to be incompatible with the current storage technology, so it had to mislead users. You can, of course, install Windows 7 on a 16GB partition, but that's akin to installing XP on a 1.5GB partition.
... and user habits
And then it turned out that many users who missed Windows Vista are trying to squeeze Windows 7 onto the same partition as XP, or similar in size. But after installing the system, it suddenly turns out that there is very little space left on the partition!
Of course, because the size of the distribution has grown 3-4 times, from 600 MB Windows XP to 2.1 - 2.4 GB Windows 7, depending on the bit depth. But this is not so bad! The amount of RAM has grown from 512 MB, which is "luxurious" for XP, to 2-4, or even 8 GB, which immediately affected the size of the swap files (1.5 RAM) and hibernation (0.75 RAM).
Swapping and hibernation are usually handled quickly, but very soon they find that there is still not enough space.
The operating system is constantly being updated, increasing in size to the point of obscenity. Popular anger turns to the winsxs folder, which is punished by especially indignant users through castration (while part of the executions falls on the system already cut off by someone's hands).
But that doesn't help either! Over the years, distributions of your favorite programs have grown fat from Big Macs, and after installation they gobble up precious space. Office 2003 cost a modest 400 MB of disk space, while Office 2010 already requires 3 GB, brazenly storing the installation files in the gigabyte MSOCACHE folder.
It would seem that in such a situation, the thought suggests itself to allocate as much space for Windows on its disk as it needs, since terabyte drives allow it!
Even in netbooks one and a half to two years ago, they already installed 320 GB disks. What can we say about the desktop storage market, where the 1 TB and higher segment is dominant for 7200 rpm drives (the offer of the leading American online retailer newegg.com is shown)
Common mistakes and how not to make them
But for some reason, a number of users feel sorry for space for the system, and begin to limit Windows in every possible way so that life does not seem like raspberries to it. Next, I will describe the typical mistakes that such greed or simply illiterate approach to work in Windows. You will also learn how I prefer to use the system in each of these cases.
1. Disable system protection
Error: Windows Degraded Resilience.
You know this is my favorite topic! I have a system installed on an SSD with a capacity of 120 real gigabytes, and I absolutely do not mind giving 5% of the space to guarantee its stability and the ability to pull accidentally deleted files from shadow copies.
Reading the forum, I see a lot of people who have deprived themselves of an alternate airfield. Don't be one of them!
2. Disable Windows Update
Bug: Reduced security and reliability of Windows.
By preventing the system from updating, you can save several gigabytes of disk space. But exactly until the next reinstallation, caused by the exploitation of an unpatched vulnerability.
Trust me, this is the most convenient approach I've tried. I know that you can:
- do not update the system and it will work, but I find it unprofessional and extremely insecure
- download updates manually from the Microsoft website or immediately with sets from folk craftsmen, but I don't want to waste time on this or trust this intimate process to someone else's hands
- set up notifications and install updates selectively, but I don't want to mess with it because I will select all required updates anyway
I spare no disk space to keep my system safe and reliable.
The fully automatic update saves me time, and it works flawlessly since the first installation of Windows 7!
Yes, I have seen problems with applying updates from other people, but it is extremely rare that the cause is precisely way installation.
3. Disable hibernation
Mistake: Using your time inefficiently and decreasing battery life.
Failure to use hibernation does not lead to tragic consequences, but it is fraught with ineffective use of Windows.
When working on the network, my home laptop goes to sleep after half an hour, and after another half an hour - into hibernation. On battery power, these modes are activated even faster.
Slow down Windows experience
By enabling hibernation, you will be able to get up and running faster than normal startup. Note that with a very large amount of RAM, a reboot may take less time than exiting from hibernation.
However, the acceleration occurs due to the fact that hibernation allows you to immediately get the system in exactly the same form in which it was at the time of termination of work.
And this means that not only all your programs are already running, but you can also immediately resume, for example:
- document editing
- watching a movie or listening to music
- web surfing
Reduced battery life
By using hibernation on your mobile devices, you can manage power more efficiently and thus extend battery life.
Unlike sleep, power consumption during hibernation is minimal and the system can be in this state for weeks.
But it's not only that. The launch of the system and programs is always accompanied by a load on the processor and hard disk, which results in a waste of precious battery power.
4. Disable paging file
Error: Difficulty diagnosing when crashes
With a lot of RAM, it seems logical to completely ditch the paging file in favor of faster RAM. However, if your tasks require a lot of memory, it's better to let Windows breathe deeper. If necessary, the system can write rarely used data to disk, freeing up memory for more important tasks.
One way or another, completely disabling the paging file leads to the inability to create a dump of the memory occupied by the kernel processes if a failure occurs (example |). In other words, you will not be able to identify the driver that caused the BSOD.
Instead of disabling the paging file, it is sufficient to reduce it, at least to the size required for writing dumps.
I have 8 GB of RAM, of which I rarely used more than five before. I didn't need the 12 GB swap file recommended by the system the old fashioned way, so I set it to 200 MB for writing mini-dumps.
Now I'm hitting the ceiling, so I created two swap files on different drives for maximum performance. Let me remind you that it makes sense to transfer FP. As far as SSDs go, if you don't have too much memory, like I have in my netbook, the swap file will be on the SSD itself.
5. Moving the Program Files folder to another section
Error: meaninglessness of action and reduced security of the system.
Let's start with the fact that moving the Program Files folder to another section cannot be completely correct. This folder contains hard links that do not support links between different sections. But I will not dwell on this, since you are unlikely to run ancient Windows programs.
The meaninglessness of action
More importantly, the transfer just doesn't make sense. It is much more correct to keep programs on the system partition, as this makes it easier to back up the system and restore the familiar environment.
When the system is fully synchronized with the installed programs, you start working right after restoring from the backup image.
I create incremental Windows images once a week. Since I have a well-established set of programs, the differences between them, as a rule, lie in the installed updates.
If there is no image, the presence of programs on a different partition means that after reinstalling the system, you will have to reinstall many applications that require:
- registering libraries and components (example - Microsoft Office)
- installation of drivers (example - Alcohol)
- association with file types and protocols (example - Opera browser, and no, manually will not be faster)
And do not forget that you detach programs not only from the system, but also from their data, which is stored in the% UserProfile% \\ AppData folder.
Reduced security
It would seem, what does this have to do with it? It's all about the rights to the folder! Only administrators can write to the Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders. The rights to a folder created on another partition are inherited from its root. At first glance, the Users group does not have write permission, but it is granted to the Authenticated Users group.
In practice, this means that normal rights are sufficient to make changes to program files.
In other words, malware that infiltrates your system can do whatever it wants with your applications, even without administrator rights.
For example, it can modify the code of executable files or replace dynamic link libraries (DLLs), and UAC will not warn you about this.
By the way, this is precisely the flaw in the security model used by the Google Chrome browser, whose folder is located in the user's profile. In this case, Google chooses, in its opinion, the lesser of two evils, since such a location of the browser allows you to discreetly update it without your participation and quickly close vulnerabilities.
Are you still moving the Program Files folder to a different partition?
Of course, you can set up ACLs for a program folder on a different partition. But in reality, few people are puzzled by this. Do not bother yourself with unnecessary actions and place the programs in a standard way - along with the system.
6. Inefficient use of disk capabilities
Mistake: Lack of space negatively impacts productivity.
When the system is installed on hard disk (which was true for 92% of my blog readers at the time of this writing), it takes at least 15% free space to properly defragment. The less space you allocate for the system partition, the more likely you are to pass this threshold leading to ineffective defragmentation.
I worked for almost three years on a laptop with a 120 GB HDD, and it was not easy for me to keep 1/7 of the disk free. An external USB drive helped to solve the problem.
As a proud owner of an SSD, you don't have to worry about fragmentation. But for solid state drives, the issue of free space is also relevant! And if you transfer personal files and documents to another disk partition, then you simply slow down your work with them. After all, this way you lose the ability to quickly navigate through folders, as well as instantly find files and open documents.
All my personal files, with the exception of movies and music library, are stored in the profile on the system SSD. After all, I bought it in order not only to speed up the work of the system and programs, but also to increase my productivity.
Poll and discussion
You have seen the typical mistakes that lead to allocating too small a partition for the system, or simply a misunderstanding of how Windows works. To counter these mistakes, I have outlined my approach. Now you!
Since the survey (results lost) does not give a complete picture (for example, the total disk size is left behind the scenes), I really hope to see it in the comments! Write how you are doing:
- specify the size of the Windows 7 partition and the total disk space on which the system is installed
- add a link to the full screen screenshot of the disk management snap-in (diskmgmt.msc)
- explain why you have such a breakdown by sections
- admit which of the following mistakes you make (and if you do not consider them mistakes, prove it!)
Tell us about other bugsassociated with inefficient use of disk space, if you are aware of such. This will serve as a good background for the next post and its discussion.
And I want to emphasize that the discussion will benefit greatly if we limit ourselves to the technical aspects, without diluting them with the flame of increasing the price of discs. After all, your approach and the current alignment took shape earlier!
You can mark you interesting snippets of text that will be available through a unique link in your browser.
about the author
I still store the My Documents folder on another physical disk. This is really more reliable, and also allows for more flexibility in organizing backups. I back up my documents every day, and the system partition once a week. Considering the large volume of both, there is a significant gain in the volume of the partition backup. Yes, and My documents can be painlessly transferred to another DSK by means of Windows itself.
Ivasilievich
on a two-year-old beech HDD 320 GB, split under the C: \\ 50 GB system, everything else under other data, while the user profile folders, my documents, images, music, video, downloads, favorites, contacts, desktop are on the other section (with data - D: \\)
a9lex3
In the days of XP and 80Gb HDD, I allocated 30 for the system.When Windows Vista came to my PC, the partition size was about 40.
Now on a PC with 2 * 250Gb HDD for WDP 150Gb is allocated, and on a laptop with 320Gb HDD - 100Gb (also WDP).
Previously, on a PC under Windows 7, I allocated about 50Gb, but at some point the size of free space reached ~ 200Mb and had to be increased due to the neighboring partition.
freetushkan
I have WDP now, Windows along with all files are always located on the same partition. Auto-update is disabled, I regularly run it manually, I always avoid installing anti-malware tools, because why don't I start up malware? I back up the files only when reinstalling (if there is a stable system, then this process does not occur more often than once every two years; reinstallation is often carried out by me in order to get rid of a cloud of rubbish - too radical and unprofessional, I know, but I am a pathological lazy person). I do not touch hibernation with pumping. Sometimes I turn off UAC, at times it interferes terribly .. Windows lacks such a feature as in linux, with the placement of directories on different partitions (there is, of course, the ability to connect a volume as ntfs-directories, but this is crutches and a little wicked ..).
maxx
System partition 100GB, disk 1TB, when reinstalling windows 7, I stupidly delete the partition and create it again, all the data is on disk D. Example - Steam, after reinstalling the system and installing steam to the old place on disk D: it automatically picks up all the old settings and relieves from the mass of trouble.
Of the mistakes I made only disabling the swap, I lost a little, to be honest, since in those bsods that occurred, I still could not overcome the reason. By the way, some very smart programs require a swap, and no less gig, which is very infuriating (if memory serves, the game Warhammer dawn of war 2 is an example).
Sergei
Vadim, hello.
From your article, I did not quite understand whether you need to place the system on a separate disk partition?
And if not necessary, if you store the system image on the main disk partition, then how can I restore the system in case of a failure?
Andrei
I knew people who once created a small system partition because they installed a pirate system that crashed at an enviable frequency or just started to glitch and slow down to such an extent that it was impossible to work. For them, reinstalling the system was a mandatory ritual several times a year, without even delving into what was buggy and whether it was possible to somehow fix it without reinstalling. I think there were many such people at one time, so this universal tradition has gone to make a small system partition, and keep everything else on a separate partition.
DreDa
The system is on a separate 120 GB SSD, everything else is on 2x HDD.
Vladimir
i have 7x86 - a working one, on which programs are installed, etc., 70GB is allocated for this. also 7x64 - game, installed only what is needed for games, located in the root of the 300GB section for games. only 1tb screw.
Alexander
There are not so many pro users, more and more systems with store installation on the entire disk. I allocate an average of 50-60 GB to the system. This is enough for me + I do not have a licensed Windows 7 x64 Professional, I do not need most of the updates, and I download the drivers from the manufacturers' websites, since the seven partially retained the whist disease,
the system has determined that a driver update is not required
because the drivers from Microsoft are installed, which is not good. I AM never I do not put toys in the system partition. Well, I don't think it's reasonable to store music, photos and videos in documents, after a complete installation of the system, drivers and programs, I have about 50% of the hard disk space free for temporary files, and the music I listen to in FLAC format takes about 40 GB. Yes, and for drawing in Photoshop, I allocated a place in another section, since processing a picture with a resolution of 30000x40000 pix also takes a good chunk of the section.
Thanks everyone for the answers. I will comment on some of them. So far, no one really admits mistakes - apparently, everything is done according to science :)
Nikitin Lev, and what is the more flexible organization of the backup when storing documents outside the system disk?
maxxso you still have to rearrange Steam. Isn't it easier to keep it together with the system and make a backup image?
Sergei, and the article was not intended to answer the question whether it is necessary to place the system on a separate section. It was about its too small size.
We will talk about this in the next posts, but in general, and so it is obvious that the system backup will be smaller if you do not include video and music in it. And the backup must be done.
Andreithat's right, it's handy for those who regularly reinstall the system. But such a minority among my readers :)
Sphinx114, my notes provide a topic for discussion, and polls help me understand how my readers are doing.
Sphinx114 (deleted comment): Voted 8 (or more) times for the option “I don’t have Windows 7 ″, and then the IP addresses ran out: (Apparently, now through a proxy you need ...
Your manipulation of the survey distorts its results, thereby depriving me of a valuable opportunity to see the alignment in my audience and prepare materials of interest to her.
Thus, your actions, unfortunately, indicate insufficient intellectual development. I think you don’t need to read my blog, let alone comment on it.
Nikitin Lev
Vadim Sterkin
The fact that you do not need to back up My documents twice (I have a lot of them). Perhaps I was not quite clear about it.
I use Acronis for backup. I make a backup of the system partition exactly like a partition - once a week. Incremental backup of My documents - at the end of each working day. If you do not move My Documents to another partition, they will be backed up along with a backup copy of the system partition.
Another reason in favor of storing My documents on another partition is that I have it on another physical disk with increased reliability (WD HDD RE series).
And finally, my system partition is located on a 120 GB SSD. It is not possible to place My documents there, and the reliability of the SSD is not yet up to the mark.
In general, I agree with your recommendations, except that for the reasons listed above, I believe that storing documents on a separate partition on another physical disk is not a mistake at all. This solution has a number of advantages (the ability to place the system on a fast SSD, do not increase the volume and time of backup, do not put all eggs in one basket, placing the system and documents on different physical devices).
Moreover, the OS allows you to transfer My Documents to another section by its own means while preserving all system links.
Nikitin Lev
Vadim Sterkin
In general, you write everything correctly, I fully support.
I don’t understand those “gurus” who advised me at one time to “be sure to split” the physical disk into several logical ones: “for the system, for games and for distributions”.
With the advent of NTFS, I completely abandoned the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating more than 1 logical disk on 1 physical disk. If a physical disk dies, it doesn't matter how many logical ones there were. And in order for the section itself to die, it is necessary to do a number of strange experiments, which, for example, I do not carry out on combat vehicles ...
And I don't see any point in leaving less than 100-120 GB for the system either.
Alexander
On the laptop, a 320 GB hard drive, a partition with a 50 GB system, and purely for the system and programs, all personal data (music, photos, videos) are stored on an external hard drive. Now, in general, I plan to use the entire hard drive on the laptop for the system, and store everything else on an external hard drive.
Anton
I was fundamentally mistaken with the space, when I took the B7, then the characteristics said that 16 GB was enough. I allocated 25 GB for the system and made 40 GB for backup.
Now, out of 25 GB, 6 GB of free space is left. For six months, I did not notice a single jamb, (well, except that the task scheduler service does not start), backups are made every week.
I am now more careful about updates, Vin XP was enough for me when I installed all the updates automatically, and one day I got an update of a folk craftsman, after a reboot the OS did not rise, only backup saved.
I've been thinking about interrupting the disc for a long time, but I really don't want to mess around with copying again.
DreDa, I have the same, only one HDD - only two disks can be placed in a laptop :)
Alexander, you shouldn't think Microsoft drivers are bad :)
In fact, the device drivers supplied through WU are created by the hardware manufacturer, not Microsoft. They undergo additional compatibility checks and are therefore the most reliable.
And those versions that, say, AMD rolls out on the site, are often experimental and not so stable.
Nikitin Lev, your approach is clear, thanks for the detailed description of your strategy.
Nikitin Lev: I think that keeping documents on a separate partition on another physical disk is not a mistake at all. This solution has a number of advantages (the ability to place the system on a fast SSD, do not increase the volume and time of backup, do not put all eggs in one basket, placing the system and documents on different physical devices).
Technically, this is not a mistake, of course. But as I said in the article, access to your working files should be as fast as possible. I do not call for storing gigabyte archives of music and films together with the system. But I will keep all mine documents and frequently used files on the SSD, along with the system.
My philosophy is that the speed of work consists not only of fast hardware, but also of the productive actions of the user.
You have the same layout as mine (SSD 120 Gb + HDD). This allows me to easily keep the system and basic personal data together, which I can access at the highest possible speed.
arinoki
I have 320gb-hdd. Section one. Even if the system crashes - only the system and software on the disk - it is more efficient to reinstall it.
Transferring program files (and program files (x86) in the case of a 64-bit axis) really does not make sense even with several hdd - I did not notice the increase in speed.
And, well, I also transferred the folder of my account to the third screw - also zero sense.
system - seven.
Why I tried to transfer - I thought that such a unix-way separation would have a significant advantage.
At the same time, there were no problems with the software - I made all the links through WinPE.
Nikitin Lev
Vadim Sterkin:
My philosophy is that the speed of work consists not only of fast hardware, but also of the productive actions of the user.
And where is the loss in speed? Perhaps you have a different scenario of work. I mainly work in Office, Project and Visio. Files of these formats are almost instantly opened from the HDD (5400). I never even had the idea of \u200b\u200bbuying a hard drive faster. The opening time is subjectively close to zero.
But, probably, you just have other working files, and from the HDD they open much slower.
Hector
System partition - 50 Gb, total size 320 Gb
about the alignment:
FROM - system (I still keep the system on another partition)
D - documents and personal files
E - toys
F - video
G - before I learned about the existence of virtual machines, from time to time I installed different Linux distributions on this section
i seem to have avoided the errors listed here (or read it inattentively)
Vladimir, 70 GB is enough for the OS and programs, but you must take into account the number and size of the installed software.
But it's not just the size of the distributions. I remember that I freed up space on a section of a friend of mine, and there some software from Nokia took 200 MB in the program folder and\u003e 1 GB in AppData.
Alexander, right off the bat, I would say that a 320 GB disk can be left unshared. Here, arinoki and did so. But this is a topic for the next conversation :)
Anton, 25 GB is not enough for Windows 7, there are no options here.
Nikitin Lev, logical drives are not needed at all, I think (but I will justify more fundamentally in the blog post :)
Loss of speed - in navigating through folders and finding the files / documents you need (I actively use saved searches).
Since along with the SSD I have an HDD 5400 rpm installed, I can see the difference in speed with the naked eye.
boris
I currently have two hard drives in my system: one for 500GB and one for 1TB. I put the system on a 500GB disk, programs, of course, there. On a 1tb disk I store all documents, music, films, distributions and more. Then in Win7 I change the location of the standard folders music, video, downloads, etc. to my folders on the second hard drive.
Horuss
For example, I have Windows 7 on a 16GB partition, while there are no programs installed that take up a lot of space, for example, such as Office or Photoshop. Hibernation is disabled, because I think it is useless on a regular computer (if there was a laptop or not, then I would think about using it). Backup is disabled because there is no particularly important data or settings. I download updates about once a month. With all this, 4.5-4GB of free space remains constantly free on the disk.
arinoki
Vadim Sterkin,
yes, even in comparison with the hdd of the Velociraptor series (it seems to be correct) there will be a difference in comparison with ssd.
i am just breaking off with the fact that 256GB options are still very expensive.
Salen
I have Mac OS X Lion and FS ext journaled. I am very glad that I left Microsoft :)
But this is my main workstation. And the portable one - I'm completely satisfied with my HP laptop on Windows, so far I don't need a MacBook (although I'm waiting for 2012 and mega line updates), and on it - win7. I allocated 50 GB on the disk - quite enough, even 13-15 free ones.
I store all files on D, with features like My Documents - I do not use it. ;)
By the way, the poppy comes with a preinstalled system, and for this reason / home did not allocate to a separate logical disk (analogue - D: \\), this is strange for me because sat on Windows all my life and min. 2 log. disk is usually. But no matter how much I load the poppy, I cannot kill him. Even the light blinked once - he calmly rebooted himself and, as if nothing had happened, restored all the processes that were, in the same places where he stopped. And Windows would be buggy for 5 minutes while it would come to itself :(
So that's it. The article is efficient. When I read about the update, I remembered the joke:
I bought a poppy. I bought a PS laptop.
Mac - setting, updating, minor adornments - adyn hour.
Windows - setting - adyn hour; update-reboot-update-reboot-update-reboot-update-reboot ... (185 more) ... - scored.
: D and this dude had no place to throw money away (he took himself a professional x64 distribution)
I hope I didn't hurt anyone, for the grammar and the meaning of sorry, Monday is a harsh day :(
Novel
I have a Win7 partition of 50GB on a 500GB HDD. There is a second HDD 320GB, but in Winows it is disabled for me - I gave it to Linux. I connect it only if I need to backup data from someone else's PC.
Link to full-screen screenshot of the Disk Management snap-in.
Why the tradition can't really explain exactly this alignment, probably :) Yes, I have never experienced problems with free space and defragmentation on the system disk, and so far I am not going to change its size. On another section, I have everything that can be connected through the Win7 libraries, I put games there and save all the garbage from the Internet. Programs, the paging file are with the OS.
Of the listed errors, I did not find a single one (I was glad for myself already :)). A long time ago, I rigidly set the size of the paging file (but not less than 1.5 RAM) and turned off hibernation, or as it is correctly called in WinXP, I already forgot. Now I do not suffer from this and do not advise anyone.
But people especially often come across to me disabling system protection and updates. If I can still understand disabling updates (pirated operating systems are used), disabling protection / restoring sometimes just kills ...
Hector, thanks for the picture and the layout. I think I'll use this point in the next articles. 5 partitions for 320GB? Nu-nu :))
boris, storage of the system and data on different physical disks are a good idea, but that doesn't replace the need to make backups. I would keep the OS and data together and the second disk is a backup.
arinokiThe 256GB SSD is tempting but see no need. Depending on your needs, 90-160 GB can be enough for the OS and basic personal files. I have enough 120 hooks.
Salen, after installing Windows 7 SP1, all updates rolled with one reboot. The joke is outdated :)
Horuss, i.e. I have not convinced you of anything? :)
Novel, thanks for the screenshot, I'm glad that you have everything without errors :)
microamper
System partition 80 GB, HDD 320 GB. When choosing the size of the system partition, I followed the recommendations from different forums. At the moment, out of 80 GB, free 36, (games and other useless applications, did not clog the system). I update the system manually, selectively. I practically don't use folders (My Documents).
baw17
Wester Digital Caviar Black 2 × 640GB
C: ~ 50GB - Raid 0
D: ~ 1150 - Raid 0
Caviar Green
E: ~ 2TB
Default paging file. memory 8gb
Anton Pleskanovsky
Good afternoon to all blog readers!
I'll start with a description of the characteristics of the system:
a) The size of the system partition: 42.6 GB. Formatted storage capacity 111 GB (Configuration: 5-year-old laptop)
b) http://s011.radikal.ru/i317/1112/c3/3255d3036a20.jpg
c) I believe that the OS, figuratively speaking, “should live its own life” and at least Photo and Video files should be saved on its partition and backed up in a separate image. Probably, it happened historically: when a 40 GB hard drive was a luxury item, and the user littered the system partition with games, and as a result, the system had to be reinstalled due to the fact that the space on the partition was trite. Since then, this stereotype has taken root in the mind :)
And even purely subjective, sometimes it just infuriates if the "service-men" beat the partition like this: 40 GB for the system, 460 GB for a big dump, which a newbie can do within 3 months. Partitioning into several logical disks is very often a kind of crutch, necessary at first to teach the user to order on the hard drive :)
Although it will be very interesting to read how the data should be organized so as not to create logical partitions at all.
Let's go through the errors:
1.Disable system protection
Earlier (that year 2004), on XP, I turned it off immediately. In the cherished folder “RegTweaks” there was a mega-tweak to “improve”, probably everyone had such a collection at one time ... I did not make backups regularly, sometimes with Akronis - right after setting up the system, and “at will” once every six months. Yes, such a strategy is fraught with a sudden and very offensive collapse, but, fortunately, nothing bad happened - I did not cut the living system with a scalpel, I tried to test everything on the virtual machine first.
I only started playing it on W7, after hearing enough about how successful and clever it is (yes, outsidethebox also made a significant contribution). Liked. I advise.
2.Disable Windows Update
On XP, the pirate was cut off immediately, with the same famous megatwick. For the license. It was updated, however, regularly, downloading updates from the network and packing in SFX. Then in the year 2006, he began to bypass the activation check to update directly from the site. It is inconvenient, and inoperative, since it was necessary to do a couple of manipulations with your hands, and only then climb to the site.
Always on now.
3.Disable hibernation
I just didn't use it before. Just shut down the computer. In addition, the power supply was strange, having experimented with hibernation a couple of times on XP, got either BSOD, or lost the session. Threw it before the seven appeared on my car (2010). I think it is an extremely convenient thing - I even taught my parents how to use hibernation, now they do not turn off their computer, but simply “hibernate” it.
4 disabling the swap file
I've never done that. For he remembered the rule about 1.5 * RAM - and always adhered to it. True, now, when the machine has 8 GB, I think that you can make 2-3 GB, no more, 12 GB for the paging file is too much ...
Addendum: I also do not see the point with one hard drive to beat the disk into two or three ... ten partitions, and put the paging file on any other, except for the system one. Always tried to share the hard disk with the system and with the paging file.
5.Moving the Program Files folder to another section
Never did that either. Let the system and programs work "in conjunction".
6 inefficient use of disk power
I can't say anything about SSD, I haven't used it.
And I always remembered about the lack of space, on XP you needed at least 12.5% \u200b\u200bof free disk space, and I always tried to keep the degree of "trash" no higher than 80 percent. Situations when there is 100 KB of free space on the hard drive have never been related to my machines.
I did not understand from kammentov: "and one fine day an update of a folk craftsman came across, after the reboot the OS did not rise, only the backup saved." - was it on Windows Update? ..
Nikitin Lev
Anton Pleskanovsky, thanks for the layout and pictures. With such a small disk, you create three partitions and justify this by separating the system from personal data?
Why did you decide that the documents should live their own lives? We made one backup of our 120 GB to an external drive and that's it. You don't need to backup anything separately, but if you want - please, Windows 7 backup allows you to archive files.
Nikitin Lev, well, this is because you have two physical disks :) And if there was one, you would split it into two. After all, you keep documents separate from the OS.
Nikitin Lev
Vadim Sterkin: well, this is because you have two physical disks :) And if there was one, you would split it into two. After all, you keep documents separate from the OS.
No, I wouldn't do that today. I have one 128 GB SSD in my laptop. I don't break it, because I don't see the point. All the same, there is only one physical disk, and there are not many documents. Here I just back up documents once a day to the cloud, and once every couple of weeks I back up the entire section to an external drive.
I keep documents on my home computer separate from the OS because: 1) this way they end up on different physical disks (this is less risky, a little faster) and 2) all the documents accumulated on the system disk do not fit. That is, it's all about the volume of these documents and the presence of a separate physical disk. If there are few documents and a separate physical disk is all the same - why not keep them together with the system? Here I completely agree with you.
But if there are many documents and it is possible to place them on a separate physical disk, then place them there correctly.
Nikitin Lev
It seems to me that the discussion somehow from the initial question "should the system be kept separate from everything on the smallest possible section" (my answer is no) was divided into several side ones:
1. Do I need to keep documents and the system on different partitions (my answer is if these partitions are on the same physical disk, then no).
2. Do I need to split one physical disk into several partitions (my answer is no).
3. Do I need to split one physical disk into several partitions separately for the system and documents (my answer is no).
Disabling system protection
I turn it off, because I think it's not perfect. Situations when the protection did not help happened, although it was still on xp, since then, I'm sure it was improved, but I never saw the functionality I needed (.
Protection cannot be fine-tuned - you can specify folders, files, registry keys that need to be monitored and which should not. That is, the system can perform a bunch of unnecessary actions and not do what was needed. If we are to allocate space for backup, then you need to be sure that every part of the system will be fully functional after recovery, otherwise there is no point in such "protection". In addition, the protection will not get rid of the garbage introduced by different programs, so from time to time I make backups manually.
Paging file
... let Windows breathe deeper. If necessary, the system will be able to write rarely used data to disk, freeing up memory for more important tasks ...
You need exactly as much memory as you need, and if there is more of it than you need, I doubt that the system will have a good mood and it will work faster), but in general the situation is similar to the Protection. There is no way to set what can and should be kept in a swap and what not, to define these most important tasks. As a result, after exiting the game, for example, the system turns into a brake, until everything that seemed necessary to it is unloaded from the swap, nothing can be done before that, and for the screw with the swap file, difficult times come with long random access). Another example is an opera minimized to the tray with a certain lesson + 3dsmax photoshop or another program that requires a lot of resources, which, moreover, itself uses the screw often + torrent and player \u003d a huge number of calls to the slowest device in the system, the result is corresponding, everything becomes slower that uses the screw at the same time. Therefore, the paging file would be advised to include only if there is not enough RAM and there is no way to increase its volume.
bsod is not a normal and rare occurrence, and if it appears systematically then turn on the swap file for analysis, otherwise it's like running around the room with a basin, waiting for the neighbors to flood, IMHO).
Partitioning and transferring system folders
I keep in another place only the desktop folder, since it contains half of the documents I work with, and nothing is stored there on which the work of programs and the system would depend. The screw is split into 2 disks, system and everything else. The size of the system partition on a laptop is 30 on a stationary 40, this is enough for the necessary programs + a small margin for defragmentation, etc. I put the games in the second section, since they weigh a lot, and you don't need to backup them.
ki1dio
Anton Pleskanovsky
Vadim Sterkin
Why did you decide that the documents should live their own lives?
The documents are on the same section with the system, because there are not many of them, as I have already said here Nikitin Lev
We made one backup of our 120 GB to an external drive and that's it. You don't need to backup anything separately
I agree, it's logical and rational, it's just that my hands do not reach the point of buying a usb hdd, and since no critical data is saved on my laptop, I prefer a file-by-file backup. Just understand that I have never used any file catalogers on my hard disk, but used partitioning for this purpose, i.e. it is nothing more than a user experience habit act.
Vitaly I often "work" with temporary saving of a large number of large files on the desktop (more convenient / faster).
The second terabyte and external are partly duplicated (the main part of the information is programs (distributions), backups, (except for video, music ... well, why not store it in droves)
