HP PCs - Resolving Low Disk Space Issues and Errors (Windows 10, 8)

Resolve low disk space issues using HP Performance Tune-up Check.

1. Download and install the latest version of HP Support Assistant.

   note:

   HP Support Assistant is required to run HP Performance Tune-up Check.

2. Go to HP Performance Tune-up Check to open the tool.
   • If the tool does not automatically open, search for and open HP Support Assistant. Select your product, click Troubleshooting and fixes, and then click Performance Tune-up check.
   • If you are unable to run the tool, continue to the next section to Remove unwanted files with Storage sense.
3. Under Additional Options, select Empty Recycle Bin and Clean Web-browsers history, cookies and cache, and then click Optimize.
   
   The tool removes unwanted files from your hard drive.

If the issue persists, continue with the next step.

Using Storage sense frees up space on your computer. When configured properly, Storage sense can automatically delete unwanted files, such as temporary files, old items in the recycle bin, and files in the Downloads folder that have not been recently accessed or used, including old versions of Windows.

1. Search for and open Storage.
2. Under Storage sense, click Free up space now.
   
3. Select the temporary files you want to delete, and then click Remove files.

     caution:

   HP recommends that you do not select the Downloads option. Doing so might delete personal files.

   

You can remove unused or unwanted programs from your computer to increase the space on your hard drive.

If the issue persists, continue to the next step.

System Restore is a feature of Windows that can revert system software and settings back to a particular date. System Restore does this by saving the changes made to system files in a restore point. Restore points use a lot of hard drive space. Adjusting the System Restore settings can free up hard drive space.

1. If you are using Windows 10, search for and open Create a restore point.
   If you are using Windows 8, search for and open System, and then click System Protection in the tasks menu.
2. On the System Protection tab of the System Properties window, click Configure.
   
3. To reduce the amount of hard drive space the system reserves for system restores, slide the Max Usage slider bar to a lower percentage. You can choose more or less depending on how many restore points you want and the capacity of your hard drive.
   
4. Click OK to save the settings, and then click OK again to exit the System Properties window.

If the issue persists, continue to the next step.

Check the amount of free space on the hard drive. If the free space is under 5% of the total disk space, free up more space on the disk.

1. Search for and open This PC.
2. Under Devices and drives on the This PC window, right-click the main hard drive (usually C:), and then click Properties.
   
3. Click the General tab to view the amount of free space available on the hard drive.
   
4. If less than 5% of the total hard drive space is available, repeat the steps in this document to free up more hard drive space.

If your PC has two or more drives, storing personal files on the main drive can cause the PC to run slower. To improve performance, move personal files to a secondary hard drive.

1. Search for and open Storage or Storage settings.
2. Select a drive under Local Storage to check the remaining storage space.
   
3. Check the different types of files and the space they use. This information can help you decide which content to save on another drive.
   
4. Go to the Storage window previously opened. Under More storage settings, click Change where new content is saved.
   
5. In the list, click the drop-down menu under the type of content you want saved to a different hard drive. Then select the drive where you want new content saved.

     caution:

   Do not save content to the Recovery drive. Storing content on this drive can make the operating system unrecoverable in the event of a problem.

   
6. After changing the drive designation, click Apply to save the changes.

Using Storage sense frees up space on your computer. When configured properly, Storage sense can automatically delete unwanted files, such as temporary files, old items in the recycle bin, and files in the Downloads folder that have not been recently accessed or used.

Storage sense does not remove all the unneeded files. In addition to the files that are automatically deleted, you might need to delete other files, such as update logs.

1. Search for and open Windows Settings, click System, and then click Storage.
2. Turn the Storage sense toggle switch to On, and then click Change how we free up space automatically.
   
   The Change how we free up space automatically window displays.
   
3. On the Change how we free up space automatically window, choose when you want Windows to run Storage sense and clean up content on your computer.

   note:

   Depending on your version of Windows, the options in the Change how we free up space automatically window might vary slightly.

   • Storage sense: Use the drop-down menu to select when you want to run Storage sense.
   • Temporary files: Select the check box to delete temporary files that your apps aren't using. Then use the drop-down menus to decide when to delete files from the Recycle bin and Downloads folder.
   • Free up space now: You can select the check box to delete previous versions of Windows if you have installed a newer version of Windows.

To save files to a new location on a secondary or external hard drive, change the location of the folders to the new destination to avoid confusion when saving files.

If you are using a removable storage device, such as a thumb drive, make sure to insert the device into the computer each time you save to it.

1. Open File explorer, navigate to This PC, right-click the Documents folder, and then select Properties.
   Document Properties opens.
   
2. Open the Location tab, and then click Find Target.
   
3. Browse to the location of the new document folder, click the address bar, and then copy the new address.
4. Clear the field on the Document Properties window, paste the new address in the field, and then click Apply.
   
5. In the Move Folder box, click Yes to move your files and content from the old location to the new location.
   
   You can repeat this procedure to change the location folders to avoid confusion when saving files.

If you have data or files you want to save, but you do not need them very often, you can save them on a removable drive. Then, you can connect the drive when you need the files, but they do not take up space on the main hard drive.

note:

Make sure the external storage device has sufficient unused space to accommodate the files you are moving to it.

1. Connect the external drive, open the storage location on your computer, and then create a new folder on the drive.
2. On the computer hard drive, open C: \Users\yourname.
3. Right-click My Documents or Documents folder, and then select Properties.
4. Click the Location tab.
5. Click Move.
6. In the dialog box, navigate to the new folder you created on the external hard drive, and then create a new folder inside it called Documents. Select that new folder.
7. Click Select Folder, and then click OK to move the files.
8. Click Yes to confirm.
9. Wait while the files are moved.