After a Hard Drive Wipe 755 GB still being used
- Thread starter sulli12
- Start date
Solution
Tigerhawk30
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- Dec 16, 2015
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Just a guess, but is there a Windows.old directory in there? There might be the backup/old files from Windows 8 in case there was a crash or any other type of reversion was needed. If you have this directory and don't need any other files from it or if you move files you might have needed, you can delete that folder. It shouldn't, however, be taking up anywhere near that much space. Any other folders besides the Windows systems visible?
I don't suggest to simply DELETE the windows.old in windows 10, the proper way is the following
Ref: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-properly-remove-windowsold-folder-windows-10
How to delete the Windows.old folder on Windows 10
The Windows.old folder resides in the hard drive where the operating system is currently installed (typically the C: drive). However, you can't just hit the delete key and to make it disappear, you need to use the Disk Cleanup tool.
Use the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer. From the left pane, click This PC.
Under Devices and drives, right-click the drive with the Windows 10 installation, and click Properties.
Click the Disk Cleanup button.
Click the Clean up system button.
Select the Previous Windows Installation(s) option to delete the Windows.old folder. Here you can also choose to delete other installation related files, including Windows upgrade log files and Temporary Windows installation files, which can take up several gigabytes of storage as well.
Click OK. Click Delete Files on the pop-up dialog to confirm the deletion. On the Disk Cleanup warning click Yes to complete the process.
Ref: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-properly-remove-windowsold-folder-windows-10
How to delete the Windows.old folder on Windows 10
The Windows.old folder resides in the hard drive where the operating system is currently installed (typically the C: drive). However, you can't just hit the delete key and to make it disappear, you need to use the Disk Cleanup tool.
Use the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer. From the left pane, click This PC.
Under Devices and drives, right-click the drive with the Windows 10 installation, and click Properties.
Click the Disk Cleanup button.
Click the Clean up system button.
Select the Previous Windows Installation(s) option to delete the Windows.old folder. Here you can also choose to delete other installation related files, including Windows upgrade log files and Temporary Windows installation files, which can take up several gigabytes of storage as well.
Click OK. Click Delete Files on the pop-up dialog to confirm the deletion. On the Disk Cleanup warning click Yes to complete the process.
There are only a few folders left mostly related to drivers for my GPU (GTX 1070 TI) and some other windows folders. The reason that it is using so much space is because I think my old Steam games are still saved on my computer somewhere. EX Call of Duty Black Ops 3 is 115 GB.
- Nov 19, 2010
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What was the exact order of steps you took to wipe the hard drive in the first place? In the 30 years I've worked on PCs, I've never seen a wiped hard drive "not take" except in the very rare exception that the hard drive was failing at the time anyway.
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