Question unable to install windows update due to lack of room on hdd

fcz

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Hi all,

i badly need some help with my hp laptop. the laptop i have has two drives..... a steady state drive (119GB) and a standard hdd (915GB).

i am unable to install the latest windows 10 update due to lack of room on the ssd. i have tried many times to use the copy to disc option but for some reason, even after asking microsoft for help multiple times, it will nit let me downlod the iso file.

another recent problem i'm having is that in my picture folders they no longer show as thumnails. again after asking google i have tried various things to correct it but none have worked. as far as i can see that apparently is due to lack of space........ even though all my pictures are on my D drive which has only used 134GB out of 915GB??????? the steady state drive has 118GB used out of 119GB.

i have tried deleting anything i don't use off the ssd but it has not helped. i'm thinking of deleting microsoft office but it will not install on the hdd. unless i'm doing it wrong, this will only free up 2.2GB.

i'm really struggling to get this problem sorted and would appreciate any help anyone out there can give me........

i'm not massively pc literate but am trying my best but failing

please help.

many thanks guys
 
i have tried many times to use the copy to disc option but for some reason, even after asking microsoft for help multiple times, it will nit let me downlod the iso file.

I'm not sure what you're talking about here and a search for 'windows update copy to disc option' doesn't turn up anything. Can you explain further

In times of freeing up space, the first thing to do is find out what it's all used for. When I saw the title I thought would be about a laptop with 32GB of storage which is a headache, but 128GB is a reasonable amount for windows and a few programs.

Try a utility like WinDirStat to find out which folders are the largest, if you post the results here we should be able to spot what it is that's abnormally large.
WinDirStat

For thumbnails the first thing to check is that you've actually got them enabled. They won't show in small icons, list or details view modes and there's an option in Folder Options to show icons instead of thumbnails that needs to be unticked.

If they are enabled then the thumbnail handlers can sometimes be messed up by image editing program installs so it could be that. Is it happening for all image files or just some formats?
 
I'm not sure what you're talking about here and a search for 'windows update copy to disc option' doesn't turn up anything. Can you explain further

In times of freeing up space, the first thing to do is find out what it's all used for. When I saw the title I thought would be about a laptop with 32GB of storage which is a headache, but 128GB is a reasonable amount for windows and a few programs.

Try a utility like WinDirStat to find out which folders are the largest, if you post the results here we should be able to spot what it is that's abnormally large.
WinDirStat

For thumbnails the first thing to check is that you've actually got them enabled. They won't show in small icons, list or details view modes and there's an option in Folder Options to show icons instead of thumbnails that needs to be unticked.

If they are enabled then the thumbnail handlers can sometimes be messed up by image editing program installs so it could be that. Is it happening for all image files or just some formats?


thanks for the reply mate. sorry i didn't explain that very well. basically when trying to update windows 10 it gave an option to download an iso file onto disc or memory stick and then use that to update rather than the traditional download and install option. if you dont have enough room on your drives. if that makes better sense??

will use the windirstat when i get the kids to bed this evening and get a bit of peace. thanks for that.

also, strangely the thumbnails have come back up again and are working fine. strange. not sure whats caused that.

thanks again waves,

will report back with my findings as soon as i can.
 
For windows update there is an option somewhere to let it use an external device (usb stick or more likely a external hard drive), I've done that before to get a mates laptop to upgrade and I currently have a machine from a family member with the same problem - if I can I will post exact steps to do it.
 
thanks for the reply mate. sorry i didn't explain that very well. basically when trying to update windows 10 it gave an option to download an iso file onto disc or memory stick and then use that to update rather than the traditional download and install option. if you dont have enough room on your drives. if that makes better sense??

Trying some other search terms I've found mention of the option you mean, although not what it's normally called yet.

What do you mean by it 'will not let you'. Some sort of permission error?
 
Trying some other search terms I've found mention of the option you mean, although not what it's normally called yet.

What do you mean by it 'will not let you'. Some sort of permission error?


when i tried to download and install the update it was saying insufficient storage. so when i changed the option to download iso image file, it for some strange reason defaulted to the same message of insufficient storage. it was strange.

i have used that windirstat program you mentioned above and it has solved all my problems!!! a few programs i had deleted many many months ago had left cache files etc. once i deleted those i freed up plenty of room allowing me to run the install.

many many thanks for your help and suggestion waves!!! very much appreciated!!
 
Move your user account folders to your second drive. That should free up enough space on your C drive. Search Google as there is a correct way to do it.
 
Make sure you've deleted any windows.old folders over a couple of weeks old.

Cleanmypc is a good tool for freeing up disc space also.
 

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