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How to reduce windows 10 size and some tips

VIDEO TIPS \ TUTORIAL written below

 

 

WRITTEN TUTORIAL \ TIPS

5 ( really its 6 but click bait ) Ways to Save Space in Windows ! ( Some at your own risk )

Alrighty bois lets get crackin’. sans the crack. …do crack people even say that ? anyways
watch the first 30 seconds of the video for a possible laugh. ( depends on your humour )
 
I bought an 250gb NVME SSD and it brought me back to the days when I had a 64gb SSD and was starving for space. I found a few p osts back then that helped me reduce that windows 7 install to the smallest amount possible and here is my rundown on how to do it in Win 10 with explanations as to what these things do.
 
Disable system protection.
 
Now this first one is going to be for the people like me who clone their drives into a different drive every so often or those who want to live life like true kings on the edge of losing everything. Also those who are confident in their ability to keep a system clean. its very simple
 
STEP 1 - go to file explorer
STEP 2 - right click on “This PC” on the list to the left of that window.
STEP 3 - click on properties
STEP 4 - Click on System Protection
STEP 5 - Click on the drive for which protection is ON
STEP 6 - Click on configure
STEP 7 - Check the “Disable system protection” Radio button ( thats the little circle checkbox )
STEP 8 - Click on delete on the bottom right of that window
STEP 9 - Click apply and close this window.
 
This will Delete any restore points for windows which means if your PC ever crashes you will need to repair with a USB or the recovery partition and start fresh with a new windows install
 
2. No Paging Files
 
This one is controversial. Paging files is like an extension of your RAM. When your ram is overflowing it moves it to a part of your Hard Drive ( or SSD ). the good thing about paging files is that it is a good “ blanket solution to prevent your system locking up or even crashing when your ram is full since it utilizes the boot drive ( normally larger than ram … i mean if your ram is bigger than your boot … you life a crazy life ) as overflow.
 
Personally , I have 16-32gb in my system and I manage the windows I keep open. for example , if I want to edit a video , I make sure I don't have 36 chrome tabs with 16 youtube videos loaded and 10 po.. pinterest tabs open as I'm editing the video thus managing the ram.
 
if you’re like me and like to clean up whats open once in a while , here is how to disable it.
 
STEP 1 - Go to file explorer
STEP 2 - right click on “This PC” on the list to the left of that window.
STEP 3 - click on properties
STEP 4 - Click on advanced system settings
STEP 5 - Under performance , Click on settings
STEP 6 - Click on the Advanced tab
STEP 7 - Under virtual memory Click on change
STEP 8 - Uncheck “Automatically manage Paging File Size for all drives”
STEP 9 - Click on “No paging file” radio button ( Little circle checkbox )
STEP 10 - Click “Set” then “ OK “
 
Keep in mind that if you have a lot of ram ~24+ this could be very useful ( I have 32 ). Just as an FYI I’ve never had paging file size on on my systems since my 64gb SSD days ( running on 7 years ) and I’ve been fine. while the computer crashed once or twice it never damaged my windows install .. I guess its at your own risk.
 
3. Disable Hibernate
 
This is helpful for desktops. Laptops too with a little downside. This simply removes the hibernate section your computer reserves. out of all the options I'm mentioning this will free up the most space at ~ 10gb. the only caveat I see is that you will no longer be able to hibernate. Useful for desktops, but for laptops , this could be a downside since your computer will keep using battery power when the lid is closed instead of going into hibernate and stop sippin’ that precious e-juice.
 
to do it
 
STEP 1 - Search for “Command Prompt” after clicking the windows button on the bottom right.
STEP 2 - right click it and choose “Run as admin” missing this step will not allow the next one
STEP 3 - type in “PowerCFG -h off” Without the quotes
STEP 4 - exit command prompt ( little x dude )
STEP 5 - SAVING$
 
lets go to step 4.
 
4. Use CompactOS
 
CompactOS is a way that windows compresses some part of the system to save space.
Personally I let windows decide if it wants it for my system or not ( it does it automatically for you ). to check if CompactOS is on , go to the aforementioned command prompt, but type in “Compact.exe /CompactOS:Query” without quotes. this will let you know if you have it.
 
to enable compactOS
 
STEP 1 - Search for “Command Prompt” after clicking the windows button on the bottom right.
STEP 2 - right click it and choose “Run as admin” missing this step will not allow the next one
STEP 3 - Type in Compact.exe /CompactOS:Always
 
to disable follow step 1-2 but at step 3 , type in Compact.exe /CompactOS:Never
 
This really isn't worth it for systems with 250gb of memory and up but on those cheap laptops with 64GB of eMMC storage , this can save a little over 3gb.
 
5. Limit your recycling bin
 
Now this isn't a way to bring back memory but more a way to manage it. by doing these steps:
STEP 1 - Right click recycling bin
STEP 2 - Click properties
STEP 3 - Change the custom size to 2048 or under.
 
this will help manage the amount of stuff you delete. Personally I just permanently delete what i don't want by pressing SHIFT DELETE on my keyboard while the file is selected. that way , I don't need to empty the recycling bin… like ever.
 
6. Storage Sense
 
Storage sense seems to be something new in Win10 where windows can dynamically free up space by getting rid of files you don't need, like temporary files and content in your recycle bin.
 
STEP 1 - Type Storage in curtana or after clicking the windows icon on the bottom left.
STEP 2 - Click on storage
STEP 3 - Scroll down and turn “Storage Sense” On with the toggle switch.
 
to free up space now :
 
STEP 4 - Click on Change how we free up space under the aforementioned toggle switch
STEP 5 - Click on “CLEAN NOW”
 
This will delete files that have been in the bin for over 30 days and get rid of temporary files.
 
neat.
 
Honestly , I’ve been running with step 1 to 3 for a few years and never really had an issue since I'm always backed up , and with a 250gb NVME SSD , I'm sure to have capacity issues with todays file size and with all the YT videos I make.
 
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed reading , PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I SHOULD ADD ANY WARNINGS OR ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT HAVE TO SAVE SPACE ! SPACE !
Edited by wkdpaul
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On 7/27/2017 at 9:46 PM, xtasemusic said:

*snip*

Totally agree with all that, however I would recommend leaving a pagefile that starts at 16mb with max size of 1gb. This means it often doesn't expand above 500mb and can free up 10gb of system memory, as most of windows memory usage is actually taken up in memory that has been allocated to programs, but they are not currently using. Eg a program might ask windows for 5mb of memory, but only use 3mb of it. Without a pagefile, windows must allocate 5mb of physical DRAM to the program. However with a pagefile, only the 3mb of memory the program is using is actually stored in DRAM, the other 2mb is just recorded in the pagefile, and if/when the program needs it, it is transferred into physical memory.

 

But yes, I do agree the default setup my MS is stupid.

Edited by wkdpaul

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Just now, unknownmiscreant said:

Totally agree with all that, however I would recommend leaving a pagefile that starts at 16mb with max size of 1gb. This means it often doesn't expand above 500mb and can free up 10gb of system memory, as most of windows memory usage is actually taken up in memory that has been allocated to programs, but they are not currently using. Eg a program might ask windows for 5mb of memory, but only use 3mb of it. Without a pagefile, windows must allocate 5mb of physical DRAM to the program. However with a pagefile, only the 3mb of memory the program is using is actually stored in DRAM, the other 2mb is just recorded in the pagefile, and if/when the program needs it, it is transferred into physical memory.

 

But yes, I do agree the default setup my MS is stupid.

Holy crap , you explained that so well , I had no clue a program would "over ask" for memory ! im guessing thats the "Standby" portion when you go into resource monitor ?

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Or you could just delete System32.70GB free right there

My life

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Just now, Himommies said:

Or you could just delete System32.70GB free right there

I honestly thought about starting the video with that. cruel cruel man..

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7 minutes ago, xtasemusic said:

Holy crap , you explained that so well , I had no clue a program would "over ask" for memory ! im guessing thats the "Standby" portion when you go into resource monitor ?

Yeah basically. Chrome is the worst offender. I started doing some research into it, when I got a 'low system memory" warning, when task manager showed 6gb free. As it turned out, that 6gb was allocated to programs, but they weren't actually using it. I now run a page file starting at 16mb with top out of 1024mb on both my laptop and desktop (both 16gb ram)

Yes, it looks like it is the standby portion. Although based off what my laptop is currently doing in terms of memory allocation, the pagefile is only used when system memory is running low.

Currently on my laptop, I have 4.8gb in use, 3.7gb in standby and a 96mb pagefile.

 

The pagefile is in no way a substitute for having enough DRAM to handle all the in use memory, and once that starts getting offloaded to the pagefile, performance takes a huge hit, but while the pagefile is only being used for standby memory, it is actually likely to provide a net performance increase, as when memory is running low, windows doesn't have to ask programs to relinquish standby memory.

Sync RGB fans with motherboard RGB header.

 

Main rig:

Ryzen 7 1700x (4.05GHz)

EVGA GTX 1070 FTW ACX 3.0

16GB G. Skill Flare X 3466MHz CL14

Crosshair VI Hero

EK Supremacy Evo

EVGA SuperNova 850 G2

Intel 540s 240GB, Intel 520 240GB + WD Black 500GB

Corsair Crystal Series 460x

Asus Strix Soar

 

Laptop:

Dell E6430s

i7-3520M + On board GPU

16GB 1600MHz DDR3.

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Just now, xtasemusic said:

I honestly thought about starting the video with that. cruel cruel man..

Oh and take out the video before the admins shut this down

My life

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2 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

Yeah basically. Chrome is the worst offender. I started doing some research into it, when I got a 'low system memory" warning, when task manager showed 6gb free. As it turned out, that 6gb was allocated to programs, but they weren't actually using it. I now run a page file starting at 16mb with top out of 1024mb on both my laptop and desktop (both 16gb ram)

Yes, it looks like it is the standby portion. Although based off what my laptop is currently doing in terms of memory allocation, the pagefile is only used when system memory is running low.

Currently on my laptop, I have 4.8gb in use, 3.7gb in standby and a 96mb pagefile.

 

The pagefile is in no way a substitute for having enough DRAM to handle all the in use memory, and once that starts getting offloaded to the pagefile, performance takes a huge hit, but while the pagefile is only being used for standby memory, it is actually likely to provide a net performance increase, as when memory is running low, windows doesn't have to ask programs to relinquish standby memory.

I think i will go ahead and do the same. its better than the 5gb it was allocating prior to me removing it !

2 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Oh and take out the video before the admins shut this down

Should be fine. I am respecting women, and the guidelines :)

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1 minute ago, xtasemusic said:

I think i will go ahead and do the same. its better than the 5gb it was allocating prior to me removing it !

Should be fine. I am respecting women, and the guidelines :)

No advertising of any non LTT/LMG material

  • eBay/trading sites, personal websites or businesses except where appropriate.

My life

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Just now, xtasemusic said:

I think i will go ahead and do the same. its better than the 5gb it was allocating prior to me removing it !

Should be fine. I am respecting women, and the guidelines :)

Yeah, the default setup of allocating so much to the pagefile is completely stupid. I used to just remove it, but then I did some research.

Also, as for the hibernate thing, it does use alot of disk space, but it also creates noticeable differences to boot times. You could probably just shrink it to 3gb or so, still have all the benefits and less space used.

 

Also another tip I have found is to go through the root directory of your OS drive, and delete temporary driver install files. I know Nvidia leave their temp files there eating disk space. Dell and HP drivers also do the same. I think asus, amd and intel clean up after themselves.

Sync RGB fans with motherboard RGB header.

 

Main rig:

Ryzen 7 1700x (4.05GHz)

EVGA GTX 1070 FTW ACX 3.0

16GB G. Skill Flare X 3466MHz CL14

Crosshair VI Hero

EK Supremacy Evo

EVGA SuperNova 850 G2

Intel 540s 240GB, Intel 520 240GB + WD Black 500GB

Corsair Crystal Series 460x

Asus Strix Soar

 

Laptop:

Dell E6430s

i7-3520M + On board GPU

16GB 1600MHz DDR3.

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i would make the joke about the adblock again, but i kinda like this channel

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1 minute ago, Himommies said:

No advertising of any non LTT/LMG material

  • eBay/trading sites, personal websites or businesses except where appropriate.

The posting of video guides or tutorials are allowed given the following additional items:
1 - The focus of the video is on the guide or tutorial itself. This requires original input. This is your video. -check
2 - The video is only to complement your complete, written post on the site. You cannot simply post a video. -check
3 - Subscribes or likes are mentioned a maximum of once throughout the video. The video is not a chance for you to advertise your own channel. -check
4 - Video does not contain advertisement (similar to the style of LTT ads). -check

 

I believe different parts of the forum have slightly different guidelines. anyhow if I am breaking the guidelines which I believe I am respecting. They will take the post down.

 

2 minutes ago, unknownmiscreant said:

 

Also another tip I have found is to go through the root directory of your OS drive, and delete temporary driver install files. I know Nvidia leave their temp files there eating disk space. Dell and HP drivers also do the same. I think asus, amd and intel clean up after themselves.

yeah they all do ! although with Nvidia it seems pretty small. Amd doesnt clean up after itself. Maybe storage sense takes care of that. I was surprised to find storage sense mid looking up new ways to save space for this video ! 

 

2 minutes ago, jaffer said:

i would make the joke about the adblock again, but i kinda like this channel

Thankyu sir. But you should never leave a joke unsaid... or dissaid ? unspoken ? I dont know which word it is im french canadian.

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4 minutes ago, xtasemusic said:

The posting of video guides or tutorials are allowed given the following additional items:
1 - The focus of the video is on the guide or tutorial itself. This requires original input. This is your video. -check
2 - The video is only to complement your complete, written post on the site. You cannot simply post a video. -check
3 - Subscribes or likes are mentioned a maximum of once throughout the video. The video is not a chance for you to advertise your own channel. -check
4 - Video does not contain advertisement (similar to the style of LTT ads). -check

 

I believe different parts of the forum have slightly different guidelines. anyhow if I am breaking the guidelines which I believe I am respecting. They will take the post down.

 

yeah they all do ! although with Nvidia it seems pretty small. Amd doesnt clean up after itself. Maybe storage sense takes care of that. I was surprised to find storage sense mid looking up new ways to save space for this video ! 

 

Thankyu sir. But you should never leave a joke unsaid... or dissaid ? unspoken ? I dont know which word it is im french canadian.

Its a dick move. I once had 1.1gb of dell drivers just sitting there.I think nvidia has tidied their act up with the 382.33 drivers, but the older 375 drivers I had to run for compatibility left the temp files behind.

Sync RGB fans with motherboard RGB header.

 

Main rig:

Ryzen 7 1700x (4.05GHz)

EVGA GTX 1070 FTW ACX 3.0

16GB G. Skill Flare X 3466MHz CL14

Crosshair VI Hero

EK Supremacy Evo

EVGA SuperNova 850 G2

Intel 540s 240GB, Intel 520 240GB + WD Black 500GB

Corsair Crystal Series 460x

Asus Strix Soar

 

Laptop:

Dell E6430s

i7-3520M + On board GPU

16GB 1600MHz DDR3.

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Am I late to the party?

 

So let me comment on one of those tips. Disabling the page file is a bad idea.

 

The reason is that when apps request memory, they'll request more than they really need (because they need room to grow) and the OS will reserve them that space. This space may not be used, but it cannot be taken over by another app that actually could use it.

 

The total amount of memory all apps can reserve is the sum of your physical RAM and the page file size. If you take away the page file, the amount you can reserve reduces to just the amount of RAM you have. So it is possible to get into a situation where you have lots of free space... But your apps throw "out of memory" errors because the OS can't reserve anymore memory for them.

 

Also some apps throw a fit if you don't have a page file. 

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18 hours ago, M.Yurizaki said:

Am I late to the party?

 

So let me comment on one of those tips. Disabling the page file is a bad idea.

 

The reason is that when apps request memory, they'll request more than they really need (because they need room to grow) and the OS will reserve them that space. This space may not be used, but it cannot be taken over by another app that actually could use it.

 

The total amount of memory all apps can reserve is the sum of your physical RAM and the page file size. If you take away the page file, the amount you can reserve reduces to just the amount of RAM you have. So it is possible to get into a situation where you have lots of free space... But your apps throw "out of memory" errors because the OS can't reserve anymore memory for them.

 

Also some apps throw a fit if you don't have a page file. 

Thanks a lot for chiming in , I changed the description to let ppeople  know to not disable it completely but change the amount to something more sensible. around 16mb to 2048mb.  I've personally never needed the pagefile and never really had an issue , but I see how a system with 8-16gb might see an issue here and there. :)

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