System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage

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    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage

    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage

    How to Change Maximum Disk Space Used by System Protection and System Images in Windows 7
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    Designer Media Ltd


    How to Change Maximum Disk Space Used by System Protection and System Images in Windows 7

       Information
    By default, Windows 7 will allocate up to 10% of your total C: drive/partition size to be used by system protection to store system restore points in this allocated disk space. This allocated space will no longer be available as free space on the drive/partition.

    This same setting also determines the maximum disk space that can be used to store system images on a drive letter. The size of a system image can be quite large since it will include all system drives in the image by default plus any drives you have included. If you want to keep multiple system images, be sure to increase the max size accordingly.
    This tutorial will show you how to manage and change the maximum disk space you want to be used for system protection restore points and system images in Windows 7.
       Note
    Restore points are saved until the disk space System Restore reserves is filled up. As new restore points are created, old ones are deleted.

    It really depends on how many restore points you would like to have stored on your computer for what you should set the MAX storage size to be.

    The size of each restore point will vary from system to system due to what you may have installed. As a rough guidline, I would give about 1.3GB of space for each restore point that you would like to keep. You can adjust the MAX size as needed if you are not getting the amount of restore points you would like though.

       Warning
    As space fills up, older restore points and system images will be deleted to make room for new ones.





    OPTION ONE

    Through System Protection Properties Page


    1. Open the Control Panel (icons view).
    A) Click on the System icon.

    B) Go to step 3.
    OR

    2. Open the Start Menu.
    A) Right click on the Computer button and click on Properties.
    3. Click on the System Protection link. (See screenshot below)

    4. Close the System window. (See screenshot below)
    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-system.jpg
    5. Click on the available hard disk drive or partition, that you want to change the System Protection disk space usage for, to select it. (See screenshot below step 6)
    NOTE: Windows 7 should be the C: disk with (System). System Protection will need to be turned on for the selected disk to be able to adjust it's disk space usage.

    6. Click on the Configure button. (See screenshot below)
    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-system_properties.jpg
    7. Adjust the Max Usage slider to how much disk space you want System Protection to use for restore points for the selected disk (step 5). (See screenshot below step 8)
    NOTE: Slide left for less space, and slide right for more space.

    8. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)
    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-configure.jpg
    9. Click on OK. (See screenshot below step 6)
    NOTE: If you reduced the max size, then it may take a day for the "Current Usage" size to automatically shrink down to be within the set max size.



    OPTION TWO

    Manually Using an Elevated Command Prompt


    1. To See the Current Allocated System Restore Size
    A) Open an elevated command prompt.

    B) If prompted by UAC, click on Yes.

    C) In the elevated command prompt, type in the command below and press Enter. (see screenshots below)
    NOTE: This will give your the details on the Used, Allocated, and Maximum spaces of Shadow Copies for the available disks that you selected to have system restore turned on for. The left screenshot is for just one drive selected, and the right screenshot is for two drives (C & D ) selected.
    vssadmin list shadowstorage

    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-shadow.jpg

    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-cmd_multiple.jpg
    2. To Change the Maximum System Restore Size
    NOTE: If you turn System Restore off for a selected drive, the original default values will be set back and the restore points will be deleted.
    A) In the elevated command prompt window, type the command below for the drive letter and max size you want.
    WARNING: If you change the MAX size to a smaller size than the current Used size shown in step 1 above, then the older restore points will be deleted to adjust to the new size. Nothing will happen to the restore points if you make the MAX size larger than the current Used size shown in step 1 above.
    * For a listed C: drive, you would type the command below and press Enter.

    Code:
    vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /Maxsize=3GB
    OR

    Code:
    vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /Maxsize=5%
    * For a listed D: drive, you would type the command below and press Enter.

    Code:
    vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=D: /On=D: /Maxsize=3GB
    OR

    Code:
    vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=D: /On=D: /Maxsize=5%
       Note
    See the screenshots below step 1 above under the Shadow Copy Storage association line for each drive listed.


    B) You will get a Successfully resized the shadow copy storage association message.
    System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-resize.jpg
    C) If not, repeat step 2 checking for any mistakes that may have been made.

    D) If yes, then check with step 1 above to confirm the change for the selected drive.
    3. Close the elevated command prompt when done.
    NOTE: If you reduced the max size, then it may take a day for the "Current Usage" size to automatically shrink down to be within the set max size.
    That's it,
    Shawn









  1. Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
       #1

    Hello Brink....:)

    I've been meaning to do it the "Vista" way,....just curious: would it have worked or messed me up?

    Thanks!












    Later Ted
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 71,959
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hi Ted,

    You could do it that way in the command prompt, but this way is so much easier and safer to do with the slider instead.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 22,814
    W 7 64-bit Ultimate
       #3

    Howdy!

    It is a lot easier to do it this way.

    Thanks for the reply....













    Later :) Ted
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 71,959
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #4

    You're welcome Ted.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 12,177
    Windows 7 Ult x64 - SP1/ Windows 8 Pro x64
       #5

    Thanks for the great tut.

    Noticed my free space was diminishing rapidly and remembered this from Vista forums.

    Knew I would find it here.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 71,959
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #6

    You're welcome Dave. :)
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 323
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #7

    Hi Shawn,
    This is one of the best Tutorial of your's and Thank you.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 71,959
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #8

    You're most Brummy,

    This is so much easier this way than manually in the registry for Vista. :)
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 3
    Windows 7
       #9

    I hope someone can help with this. I'm unable to change the disk space usage on my Win7 system. First, on the "System Protection" tab of the "System Properties" page, there are 2 available drives listed, one indicates "Local Disk (C) (System)", but there's an extra one which indicates "(C) (Missing)" and I don't understand where that comes from. Both indicate that Protection is On.

    I select "Local Disk" and press "Configure" and move the "Max Usage" slider to a new value and press "Apply" and I encounter a message box which says "Could not apply the settings for the following reason: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. (0x8007007B)". I then press OK and encounter a second message box which says "There was an unexpected error in the property page: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. (0x8007007B) Please close the property page and try again"

    The same holds true if I selecte the other bogus available drive.

    Does anyone know what these are about (the extra available drive and the configure errors. I'm attaching 3 graphics which illustrate the issues.
    Thank you.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-screenshot001.gif   System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-screenshot002.gif   System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage-screenshot003.gif  
      My Computer


 
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