Solved hdd to small for update from win 7 to 10

[kjo]

windows 7 home premium 64bit
hdd 40gb

Installed windows 7 and updated up to windows 10 appears as option. Windows 10 update software says, hdd is to small. After cleaning hdd and compressing, available is 12gb, required is 20gb. Can I delete 8gb of files?
Thank you.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Personally because drives are really quite cheap now I would be cloning the original drive to a new one and use at least a 120GB SSD (preferably a 250GB SSD) or cheaper still a 500GB spinner. If you continue using the same drive it is going to fill up very quickly.

I use Macrium reflect for that and then you just need to swap in the new drive. But it depends I guess on your budget. Macrium Reflect Free a lengthy download but handy tool.

 

[torchwood]

Hi KJO,
Your HD is to small.
I suggest you copy ALL of your personal data and then perform a clean install.
follow this link from our W10 sister forum.

Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums

Roy

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep either of mine or Roy's suggestions and probably the best way would be Roy's. I have just clean installed my main home laptop preferring not to use the upgrade path and yes sign up to the other forum too then it comes from the horses mouth .

see this Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums oh and yes mate a new drive would be far and away the best bet.
John

 

[Layback Bear]

To be honest in my opinion their is only one cure to a drive that is to small. Everything else is a patch or work around.

Get a bigger drive, preferably a SSD, that meets or exceeds your needs.

 

[kjo]

Thanks. I wanted to test windows 10 on a computer. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10737/windows-7-system-requirements says 20gb. Maybe I can try install windows 7 on an 17gb partition. If it updates to the windows 10 updater, I can expand the partition. Do you know how few updates I can select in order to get to the windows 10 updater software?

 

[ICIT2LOL]

KJO mate I am assuming that your budget is pretty limited if you cannot get a new drive but really mate it is the only real option.

Have you tried looking at even a spinner as they are really quite cheap though not as good (speed wise) as the SSDs.

Now I don't know where you live except that it is on the North American continent so could be anywhere form Canada to Panama. But if you look at something like this Seagate ST500LM021 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Laptop Thin Hard Drive - Newegg.com it is only $44 US and is a decent spin rate. I would strongly advise you if you can get one and clean install the 10 onto it Windows 10 - Clean Install - Windows 10 Forums you can use the generic code to activate it to see what it is like. Well I am assuming that is what you can do because I did it on my machines.

 

[kjo]

You are right about the hdd being to small.
I installed windows 7 on a 17gb partition. Updating did not get to the sp1 before the 17gb partition got to small and updating stopped.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hmm you sure it got to 17GB as the OS itself is only around 4-5GB max plus updates should only add another 1-1GB at most??

 

[kjo]

Message said, hdd partition is full.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok mate now can you go to Start > Computer (right click it) > Manage > Disk management and it will open into what I have made a pic of. Please send that back as a pic http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[kjo]

To avoid misconceptions, I can get a bigger hdd if I want to. Because I read nothing about a hdd requirement about 60gb, I used a hdd 40gb I frequently use for testing systems.
If there is a workaround about 40gb hdds, I shall use it.

Windows hdd data are
C type=basic file system=ntfs capacity=16.5gb free space=900mb overhead=0%
system reserved capacity=100mb free space=72mb
unallocated=20.6gb

The hdd is filled up if you install all non optional updates. If I knew what minimum updates are required to get to the windows 10 update software, I could update only them.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Windows hdd data are
C type=basic file system=ntfs capacity=16.5gb free space=900mb overhead=0%
system reserved capacity=100mb free space=72mb
unallocated=20.6gb

Ok now from my angle so you are aware of my view of the problem what I don't understand is the reluctance to get a larger drive?? It would not matter if you had one just big enough or one that was more than enough and that for my part would rather get a drive that was at least twice the space that I need.
The thing is that from my own experience after losing a whole system by overfilling the drive it is just not worth the grief.
Now if for instance you only have a 60GB SSD drive even if you have an OS installed on it and plus the updates and probably all your programs you should have still enough space to download the 10 ISO and upgrade the 7 system. I do know what you are saying re minimum requirements - see this http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html .
However I would be very surprised if (unless you have an absolute ton of other data to put on) if you would use half the drive space. I just don't understand how you are managing to fill a 40GB drive with what you say your are. The other thing that crosses my mind is that a drive of 40GB is a most unusual size these days (just how old is this drive and/or do you have a problem with installing a SATA drive in) and one that used to be used many years ago until the data revolution started. I for example had an old Dell desktop with XP installed on a 60GB drive and a ton of pics and docs but came nowhere near filling the drive??
Having said that I would still like to see a pic of the Disk Management to work out what you said in the quote above because it really doesn't make it very clear - if we could see that it would make things so much easier.

 

[kjo]

I wonder how the partition can be filled up and not having installed sp1 yet?

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hmm well why not use Partition Wizard https://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html and free up that unallocated partition?? That is going to give you 36GB to play with and I have to say that must be one quite old install media you have because SP1 has been included on the DVD's for a long time now.

There is a bootable PW too if you cannot install it on the machine

When you open the PW you just need to pick C: partition and DON'T do as in my pic it is only for example of what you will see and have to do to expand that C: partition.

 

[kjo]

Installed windows 7 on a bigger hdd. Updated to windows 10. System size about 35gb. In disk cleanup I deleted windows 7 back up files. System size became about 20gb. Installed macrium reflect free. I put windows 10 on an usb connected 40gb hdd.