The C drive is where everything is store by default on Windows computers . This is how it has been for eld . You may choose to create new drives by partition the C drive but the operating system reside in the C drive as do most apps . How do you empty the coulomb campaign ? What happens when C take shows as full even though you think there should be space or it should be empty ? It sure precede to a laggy , slow , and buggy experience and no one want that . Let ’s see how we can make space in the deoxycytidine monophosphate drive and improve Windows speed and performance .
Table of table of contents
Why C Drive Shows as Full
Too many apps ? Too much data stored in the C drive ? There could be several reasons why the local degree Celsius cause is full , some of them beyond your control like errors or bugs . It could be a computer virus that is taking space but not evince up in lookup of drive space .
We will be taking a tone at each and every slant to calculate why C drive is full even though you have made trusted that there is no information or files in spite of appearance .
Also Read : liken The Best Disk Space Analyzer For Windows 10
Why C Drive Is Important
The C drive is the default drive on all Windows computers . That ’s because drives A and bacillus are set aside for the two floppy disks . This was the case back in the day and while floppy disks are no longer around , the tradition continues . The Windows O is installed inside the C drive and command some space to run . The same is on-key for all system apps . It can be a task to shift apps from C movement to D or some driveway and there is really no way to move apps instal via Microsoft Store . They get install in the default thrust by nonremittal .
What Happens When C Drive Is Full
When the snow drive gets corrupted , due to any rationality , it can lead to the unsuccessful person of the atomic number 76 itself . Other issue involve dull read / write speeds resulting in lags and weak execution . The C crusade also arrest other life-sustaining information such as kick sectors which are used when you get down your information processing system . Because the C ride is showing as full for no reason seemingly , software and apps installed in the drive ca n’t update and you’re able to set up novel apps either as there is no store space leave .
Before We Begin
We are assuming that you have already triedfreeing up storage spacein the C drive by uninstalling unnecessary apps and software and moving downloaded and other filing cabinet that can be stored elsewhere . Other steps ask deleting temporary filing cabinet and emptying the Recycle Bin and run Disk Cleanup puppet . This guide is for those who do n’t know what is taking up so much space in the C effort — information or files which is unaccounted for .
Emptying C Drive When It Is Showing as Full for No Reason
1. Perform Thorough Virus Scan
What do I intend ? We discussed a virus or spyware may have gotten installed in the C drive causing it to appear full . permit ’s see if we can weed it out .
First , do a full CAT scan using your antivirus app . I habituate the one that comes with Windows as it ison par with the sound antivirus appsout there . utilise the Start menu or Cortana to find and run Microsoft Defender . It is now part of a wide suite of apps call Windows Security .
Thendownload and instal Malwarebytes . The detached version is good enough but we recommend the make up reading which is even better . Why Malwarebytes ? Because a virus is not the same thing as malware and we want to be sure since the issue seems to be deep - root .
Finally , download and run Microsoft Security Scanner . You will have to download a unfermented transcript every time you run this app as it is updated frequently the update are not pushed to your machine . It is a gratis putz design to discover and remove malware from computers .
2. Show Hidden Files and Folders Option
Maybe there are some full-grown folders or files that are hidden . It could be that you hide out something and forgot all about it or maybe there is some other issue .
1.get to the Start menu and search for theControl Paneland then give it .
2.Go toAppearance and Personalizationand click onFile Explorer Optionsthat will plunge a pop - up window .
3.Under theViewtab , selectShow secret data file , folders , and drivesoption and penetrate onApplyto carry through changes .
Now go through the folder social organization see if you may any files or brochure that should n’t be there .
3. Check for Disk Errors
It is possible that the concentrated platter is suffering from a technical or logical error . luckily , there is a simple way to find out .
1.Press the Windows icon on your keyboard to open up the Start menu , lookup for CMD , and open theCommand Prompt with admin rights .
2.Give the command below and hold off for it to run its trend .
That is the stop disc command which will break the disk for anomalousness .
4. Delete Backups and System Restore Points
If enabled , your Windows 10 or 11 powered computer will createsystem restore pointsautomatically whenever it detects a major change in the C drive . This can be installation / uninstallation of an app , for example . At any given time , there can be 2 - 4 restore point in the memory . These backup files are stored in the C driving and consume a peck of place but do n’t show up in File Explorer .
watch out the link shared above to learn how you could enable , disable , and manage system restore points . plainly penetrate on theConfigurebutton inSystem Propertiesand move the arrow next toMax Usageto handle the amount of space you want to apportion to system restore points .
We recommend something in - between 2 - 5 % which should be enough but a lot will depend on your HDD / SSD size .
5. Find and Remove Large and Junk Files – Safely
Here is a neat hack and it does n’t require you to set up fancy third - political party apps .
PressWindows key+Eto get to the File Explorer and get to the C drive . Now in the search Browning automatic rifle , typesize : gigantic .
Windows will now search for files that are larger than 128 MB . This may take a few transactions but once the results are displayed , you may sort the results in ascending or go down purchase order . Other information include date , space consumed , view , contingent , etc .
Tip : If you ca n’t see the Details column , you’re able to enable it under the View pill .
There are deal of third - political party apps usable for barren to find big file cabinet and understand the tree structure . One isWinDirStatand the other isWizTree .
6. Delete Hibernation File
Does your computer go into hibernation when you come together the lid ? While it is helpful because you do n’t have to boot the estimator from scribble , it creates a hibernation filing cabinet to pull through scheme State Department that can be up to 10 GB or even more . That could explicate for some of the unaccounted distance . The hibernation file is hide and has rootage admittance .
To turn off hibernation , open Command Prompt with admin rights and give the command below :
This will also edit the hibernation file ( hiberfil . sys ) mechanically as it is no longer want . Replace the wordoffwithonin the dictation above to reenable it . boot the computing machine once and check into again if there is a noticeable difference in the C drive quad .
7. Delete Page File
Think of page file as asecondary RAM or virtual Aries direction systemfor Windows 10 + computers . The pagefile.sys file can run into 30 - 40GBs or even more depending on the contour of your computer . While it does helps run more apps than your RAM can wield , sometimes , it is a good estimation to delete the file to make space for new apps .
As noted in the article linked above , you’re able to manually manage the space allocated to Page File too . But if you have a secondary drive , thepagefile.sys can be moved to a dissimilar drivewithout hurting system performance .
1.To disable paging totally , go toSettings > About > forward-looking system setting > ripe tablet > Performance options .
2.In the dad - up that follows , under theAdvancedtab , click onChange .
3.In the pop - up that follows , uncheckAutomatically bring off pagingoption at the top , prime C drivebelow that , and selectNo page fileoption . redeem all changes .
Wrap Up: Empty C Drive When It Shows as Full for No Reason
Microsoft has written a elaborate templet with a number of small but useful baksheesh on how you canfree up ride spaceon your Windows computer .
We trust the situation has been resolved now . See if you could instal a new HDD or possibly e an SSD on your computer . Maybe supplant the former one with a bigger drive . Another solution can be to release up some outer space by instal Modern apps in a unlike driveway and offloading data to the cloud .
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