Clean install is over 120gb


C

crabhunter

New member
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4:39 AM
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4
OS
Windows 11
Hi everyone, I've recently bought a new laptop. It's an Acer Swift X 14 and it came with Windows 11 Home.
I much prefer a clean install of Windows, so I went about making some space on the hard drive, created a partition, and did a clean install of Windows 11 Pro.
For some reason it's taking up about 125gb of hard drive space.
I've downloaded the iso again, created the installer again, which is about 10gb with the added drivers I need, and done about three clean installs now. How, and why, is the finished installation so big?
Mike.
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Pro 23H2

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer
It depends on how you perform the clean installation, did you delete all partitions and clean installed Windows 11 on unallocated space?
 

My Computer My Computer

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Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
FreeBooter said:
It depends on how you perform the clean installation, did you delete all partitions and clean installed Windows 11 on unallocated space?
Click to expand...
I started by shrinking my Windows partition and creating a new partition which I formatted. I then booted off the installer and installed onto that new partition. Each time I've re-installed, I've formatted the partition before I've installed it.
Mike.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer
Just try to install Windows 11 on unallocated space, Windows 11 will format and partition the unallocated space for its partitions.

Also delete temporary files on your currently installed Windows 11 use Storage Sense to see deleting temporary files will reduce size of Windows 11 you have installed on hard drive.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
FreeBooter said:
Just try to install Windows 11 on unallocated space, Windows 11 will format and partition the unallocated space for its partitions.

Also delete temporary files on your currently installed Windows 11 use Storage Sense to see deleting temporary files will reduce size of Windows 11 you have installed on hard drive.
Click to expand...
OK, I'll try leaving unallocated space. Why would deleting temp files on my Windows Home install help?
Mike.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer
crabhunter said:
OK, I'll try leaving unallocated space. Why would deleting temp files on my Windows Home install help?
Mike.
Click to expand...
The Windows 11 installation files will take huge space, so deleting the temporary files will help gain disk space.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
www.elevenforum.com

Check Free and Used Storage Space on Drives in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you different ways to check the amount of available free and used storage space on drives in Windows 11. Free space tells you how much available storage space you have left of the drive's capacity size. Used space tells you how much storage space you have currently used...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
As a reference: for me, a clean install (blanked 500gb NVME drive, fresh and unmodified ISO from Microsoft) even with all my commonly used apps and MS Office 365 installed (no games or anything that doesn't need to be installed) takes up 55.5gb.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.9168)AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D32gb Team Group (T-Force) DDR5-6000Zotac nVidia GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER - 12gb
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.9168)
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Pre-built
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard
MSI Pro B650-VC WiFi
Memory
32gb Team Group (T-Force) DDR5-6000
Graphics Card(s)
Zotac nVidia GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER - 12gb
Sound Card
Sound BlasterX G6
Monitor(s) Displays
Koorui G2421V and ViewSonic VX2453
Screen Resolution
P:2560x1440 S:1920x1080
Hard Drives
WD Blue SN5000 - 500gb NVME
WD Blue SN580 - 2TB NVME
Seagate 4TB HDD - ST4000VN008-2DR166
Keyboard
Mountain Everest
Mouse
Logitech G502 Hero
Internet Speed
T-Mobile Home Internet
Browser
Firefox
Other Info
QNAP TS-469 Pro NAS
TP-Link W7200 (2 unit mesh network)
Elgato Streamdeck

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    All Branches but StableAMD Ryzen 7 7735HS 3200-4500 Mhz 8 cores x 232 GB DDR5Radeon Graphic / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB...
    OS
    All Branches but Stable
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Nitro ANV15-51
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS 3200-4500 Mhz 8 cores x 2
    Motherboard
    Sportage_RBH
    Memory
    32 GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphic / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB GDDR6
    Sound Card
    AMD/Realtek(R) Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated Monitor (15.3"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    FHD 1920X1080 16:9 144Hz
    Hard Drives
    KINGSTON OM8SEP4512Q-AA 1TB
    Western Digital 256GB
    PSU
    19V DC 6.32 A 120 W
    Cooling
    Dual Fans
    Mouse
    MS Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Fiber 1GB Cox -us & 1GB Orange-fr
    Browser
    Edge Canary- Firefox Nightly-Chrome Dev-Chrome Dev
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 BetaAMD A9-94208 GB of DDR4AMD Radeon R5
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Beta
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus X751BP
    CPU
    AMD A9-9420
    Memory
    8 GB of DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R5
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1 TB
Well, I've made some progress. I made another usb installer but this time with only two additional drivers, one for IO to get the track pad working and a driver for the hard drive. This install is only taking up 39gb at present, but I have to do it again this time adding the wi-fi drivers as I cannot complete setup. I'm hoping the finished size will not increase after completing setup. I will then have to try and find out which driver was causing the issue.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer
crabhunter said:
I started by shrinking my Windows partition and creating a new partition which I formatted. I then booted off the installer and installed onto that new partition. Each time I've re-installed, I've formatted the partition before I've installed it.
Click to expand...
There's probably nothing wrong with your drivers or your bootable media, but how you did the clean install
You should have imaged your OEM installation and done clean install following the tutorial. Don't deviate from it. Windows needs to create it's own partitions during install.
It sounds to me like you now have 2 installation of windows on the drive and your bootloader is probably now on the wrong partition. Can't say for sure without a screenshot of disk management. If that be so, when you delete the OEM partitions your new install will not boot.
Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9457i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9457
Glad to see you are making progress. In the background, I installed Windows 11 Pro 23H2 on a VM and I allocated a 60GB hard drive to it and clean installed.

My install used just around 20GB of space, 21,266,649,088 bytes to be exact.
1707928655197.png

I then went out and downloaded Treesizefree, got the zip version of the application and unzipped it. This is a report showing my space usage.

1707928894974.png

Edit: Went back to my VM, ran Windows updates and got everything available, rebooted a few times and this is where I am sitting now.

1707930027019.png

1707930090977.png
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel Core i5-8279u32GB DDR4 2666MhzIntel Iris Plus 655
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.

  • At a glance

    Windows 10 ProRyzen 9 5900x64GB DDR4-3600EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
You didn't mention how you're adding the driver files, but don't import from the extracted NVIDIA folder. Load a specific driver instance (*.inf) which matches your graphics model.

Of course, if you never installed the system before -- you can't see what the driver .inf filename is from Device Manager. So you need to have a live system to know, before re-imaging it.

By default, when DISM (or a DISM-based tool) imports drivers from a folder, it scans all *.inf files underneath and adds them to the image's DriverStore. The problem is NVIDIA's core drivers aren't that huge, but the included graphics libraries are massive. And when DISM detects the multiple INF files, it assumes they're all each separate devices and duplicates the shared graphics libraries. Now your DriverStore is bloated to 40 GB of duplicated driver files.

The solution is to have DISM add just the single INF file, instead of scanning the parent folder. DriverStore grows by an expected 1-1.5 GB.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
also, depending upon the amount of RAM you have and your configuration, you may have the following 3 files eating up space on the root of your C drive.

in my case, on my VM that I allocated 8,192MB of RAM, i see the following.

hiberfil.sys (I don't have one)
pagefile.sys (mine is 1.93GB)
swapfile.sys (mine is 256MB)
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel Core i5-8279u32GB DDR4 2666MhzIntel Iris Plus 655
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.

  • At a glance

    Windows 10 ProRyzen 9 5900x64GB DDR4-3600EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
Don't forget Reserved Storage "borrows" 6-8 GB.
 

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Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
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