Hi all. I have been having some trouble installing updates as each time I try to do so it tells me that I don´t have enough space. I tried removing literally everything that didn´t come with the computer but it still insists that its full. I tried wiping everything and restarting the computer from scratch but it seems I don´t have enough space to do that either. Does anyone know what might be happening and what solution there could be?
A couple possibilities.
1) Possible Problem: Your hard drive is dying.
Explanation: When hard drives start to fail, all sorts of issues can occur, including Windows not being able to read disk size appropriately.
Solution: Buy a new hard drive and reinstall Windows. If you have Windows 10, it SHOULD activate automatically.
Possibility Percentage: 10-25%
2) Possible Problem: You have Windows 10 and you're trying to install the latest Update.
Explanation: The May 2019 update to Windows 10 is quite large and tries to reserve space on your hard drive for future updates. If you have an older computer (especially an older SSD), it's possible you do not have the room the update requires.
Solution: A) Buy a new hard drive or B) Ignore the update or C) keep uninstalling software.
Possibility Percentage: 40-60%
3) Possible Problem: Your hard drive is full
Explanation: Similar to the last one, your hard drive is just full of stuff. If you have movies on your computer, I would start there. Next, if you go to the Add/Remove Programs (or Apps and Features it is called in Windows 10), you should be able to sort your installed software by file size. Find your biggest ones and remove.
Solution: Uninstall software or buy another hard drive
Possibility Percentage: 50-70%
4) Possible Problem: Windows Update is screwed up
Explanation: Sometimes Windows Update just sucks and malfunctions (though less with Windows 10 than other versions in my experience)
Solution: A) ignore the updates or B) take it to a tech person who can help you
Possibility Percentage: 10-15%
Without more information, it is hard to know exactly what your issue is. If you can take a screenshot of your "My Computer" screen (the one where it shows how much hard drive space you have), it could really help us identify your problem and possible solution. At a bare minimum, here is one thing you can do:
Go to your "My Computer" screen where you see your hard drive and how much space is on it. It will most likely be your "C:" drive. Right click on your C: drive and select Properties. On the "General" tab in the new windows, select "Disk Cleanup". On the Disk Cleanup screen, click "Clean up system files". Once it finds all the system files, you should be able to safely delete anything listed. Often old Windows updates have a lot of file space claimed and by cleaning up Windows Update files, you can reclaim hard disk space.