Losing free space


compiler

Active member
Local time
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OS
W11
It seems my SSD's free space loses maybe 1 gb per week or two.

Any idea how I can figure out the culprit. I had this problem when I bought this Dell

about 2 years ago. I eliminated the previous versions feature and shut off bitlocker.

I do backup a few small files regularly to One Drive (always replacing previous file) and there is a very large One Drive folder (30 gb) on my SSD. I will be monitoring that.

Suggestions? Maybe a program to show me the largest files (that's how I identified previous versions as being a space guzzler).



Mel
 
Windows Build/Version
W11 home 21 H2 22000.1098

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 5510
    CPU
    i5-11320H
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    256 gb SSD
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender
It seems my SSD's free space loses maybe 1 gb per week or two.

Any idea how I can figure out the culprit. I had this problem when I bought this Dell

about 2 years ago. I eliminated the previous versions feature and shut off bitlocker.

I do backup a few small files regularly to One Drive (always replacing previous file) and there is a very large One Drive folder (30 gb) on my SSD. I will be monitoring that.

Suggestions? Maybe a program to show me the largest files (that's how I identified previous versions as being a space guzzler).



Mel



 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
These may be some additional methods to free up space:



Also consider a larger drive as needed:

Treesize is most frequently used.

These are some alternatives:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 and Insider Dev.+ Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home brewed
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7900x
    Motherboard
    ASROCK b650 PRO RS
    Memory
    2x8GB Kingston 6000MHz, Cl 32 @ 6200MHz Cl30
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Rx 6600XT Gaming OC 8G Pro
    Sound Card
    MB, Realtek Ac1220p
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3 x 27"
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000. 1TBSamsung 970 evo Plus 500GB, Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB, Lexar NVMe 2 TB, Silicon Power M.2 SATA 500GB
    PSU
    Seasonic 750W
    Case
    Custom Raidmax
    Cooling
    Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360mm
    Internet Speed
    20/19 mbps

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 & No fTPM (07/19)
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 TOMAHAWK 7C02v1E & IFX TPM (07/19)
    Memory
    4x 8GB ADATA XPG GAMMIX D10 DDR4 3200MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC @48FPS (08/19)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z (11/16)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" AOC G2460VQ6 (01/19)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@75Hz & FreeSync (DisplayPort)
    Hard Drives
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro SSD 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic M12II-520 80 Plus Bronze (11/16)
    Case
    Lian Li PC-7NB & 3x Noctua NF-S12A FLX@700rpm (11/16)
    Cooling
    CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S@700rpm (07/19)
    Keyboard
    HP Wired Desktop 320K + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    400/40 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge (No FB/Google) & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NoAV & Binisoft WFC & NextDNS
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
My largest folder is SYSTEM VOLUME INFORMATION. It is 9.8 gb. There are about 6 folders with names like:

{39635d81-6a4c-11ed-8767-bd0f00af9250}{3808876b-c176-4e48-b7ae-04046e6cc752}

This one is the largest: 6 gb

I don’t have permissions to do anything right now, and not sure what to do. Ideas?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 5510
    CPU
    i5-11320H
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    256 gb SSD
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender
CountMike:
Uncleaner sounds too automated for me. Can I set it to ask me before uncleaning anything?

Mel
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 5510
    CPU
    i5-11320H
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    256 gb SSD
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender
It's perfectly safe, using it for years. It has only manual on demand and a full auto.

1670160928910.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 and Insider Dev.+ Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home brewed
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7900x
    Motherboard
    ASROCK b650 PRO RS
    Memory
    2x8GB Kingston 6000MHz, Cl 32 @ 6200MHz Cl30
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Rx 6600XT Gaming OC 8G Pro
    Sound Card
    MB, Realtek Ac1220p
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3 x 27"
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000. 1TBSamsung 970 evo Plus 500GB, Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB, Lexar NVMe 2 TB, Silicon Power M.2 SATA 500GB
    PSU
    Seasonic 750W
    Case
    Custom Raidmax
    Cooling
    Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360mm
    Internet Speed
    20/19 mbps
I wondered if it was a Dell. I got a new Dell earlier this year and found the default Windows installation showed massive reductions in free space every few hours seemingly. The culprit was some custom Dell utility similar to Microsoft restore points.

Wait a minute... is this the same issue you posted earlier about:


This was what I was looking for:
I found that Dell 'OS Support' app as supplied has something similar to restore points in Windows and although System Restore was OFF it still showed as being active with space used. Found a way to turn that off in the Dell app. Also the OS Support gives permission for Dell to turn off Bitlocker remotely ??? to install updates automatically. I can see where they are coming from but its not something I want or would like.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Pro x64 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Hard Drives
    2 x 256Gb SSD
    PSU
    Dell 240 watt
    Mouse
    Dell Premier Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Default Microsoft Security
Mooly:

Yes, and I referred to it (previous issues) in my thread.

But thanks also for posting the link. I rediscovered some old issues (system restore configuration/space alloted and previous versions). Those had been resolved and are still resolved, so not the current issue. BUT the Dell Support crap (Including DDV--Dell Delta Vault) was reinstalled about 10 days ago, unbenowst to moi.

So I again renamed the DDV exe files and voided them in services. Still, even if Dell did stuff to eat at my SSD, still need to find it.

Mel
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 5510
    CPU
    i5-11320H
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    256 gb SSD
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender
I did a totally clean install on my Dell and the reduction in space used was dramatic. I can understand where Dell is coming from in making the system as secure and fool proof as possible, but I felt I had no control over what was going on.

Maybe something to consider.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Pro x64 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Hard Drives
    2 x 256Gb SSD
    PSU
    Dell 240 watt
    Mouse
    Dell Premier Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Default Microsoft Security
I also use Tree Size Free to see where the space goes on my machine.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • 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.
  • 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
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
My largest folder is SYSTEM VOLUME INFORMATION. It is 9.8 gb. There are about 6 folders with names like:

{39635d81-6a4c-11ed-8767-bd0f00af9250}{3808876b-c176-4e48-b7ae-04046e6cc752}

This one is the largest: 6 gb

I don’t have permissions to do anything right now, and not sure what to do. Ideas?
Those files are your system restore points. To delete them all turn off System Protection. You can turn it back on again if you wish, but you will start getting more restore points.


To delete all but the latest system restore point in Windows 10 or Windows 11, see Option Two here:

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
Those files are your system restore points. To delete them all turn off System Protection.

Now that was the issue I had, turning off restore points didn't work because I found the Dell utility overrode that setting and still did its own thing. All historical for me because I blitzed it with a fresh install. I just wonder if something like this is causing the OP's issue.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Pro x64 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Hard Drives
    2 x 256Gb SSD
    PSU
    Dell 240 watt
    Mouse
    Dell Premier Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Default Microsoft Security
I've SOLVED the problem

I did find disk cleanup by right-clicking C drive in Explorer. I could not right click it but the ctrl/shift/enter combo worked which I THINK runs it as an administrator. It gave me the option to remove all but the last RESTORE point. It took about a milli-seconds so I thought it did nothing. But checking thereafter, I gained 9 gb of free space.I’ll have to see what was creating those restore points (it might be DELL crap, which I’ve now disabled).

Each time System Volume Information did expand by about the loss of free space.
That is the culprit and it does contain the restore points. But there is more. Get this:

Well, this morning started out as “The Plot Thickens.”

Once again, my free space declined by a gig. Once again SysVolInfo inc. in size by that amount.

I then went into System Restore and found “The Smoking Gun.” A Restore Point was added. The title was DELL SUPPORT ASSIST REMEDIATION.

How F-OBTRUSIVE. BUT...

There’s more: On a hunch I checked Task Scheduler. Guess what’s there. Guess what won’t be there very shortly. I’m going to delete all that stuff today (delete the task then uninstall the Dell stuff today — hope it lets me)

Final Update: DONE. The whole thing is outrageous
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 5510
    CPU
    i5-11320H
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    256 gb SSD
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender
Dell should give the users a choice of using the program or not to use the program when first setting up the computer.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
In the 'small print' in one of the preinstalled Dell options (it may even have been the one gobbling free space) it said something like you agree to Dell being able to implement BIOS updates and to disable Bitlocker to implement this. All these things were on and running by default.

I get the point that it makes for a seamless user experience for a non technical user but we are all here because we do things differently and don't do that.

Perhaps the OP could image his whole PC and then at least try a clean install and see how much slimmer (lean and mean and responsive) the whole install is. Obviously only do that if you are confident to be able to restore it back if you don't like it or have issues.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Pro x64 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Hard Drives
    2 x 256Gb SSD
    PSU
    Dell 240 watt
    Mouse
    Dell Premier Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Default Microsoft Security

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