[SOLVED] Missing portion of My SSD on C:

[JCarax]

Hi,

Lately I've realized that I'm missing around 45-50gbs of storage on my C: drive.
I have a samsung evo 850 500gb. I have my system insalled on it , as well as my most of my games.
I checked and my Program files folder is 350gb. User and program data amount to 10gb. Windows is around 18gb(rounded up to 20) and it seems that I have 74gb free space.
350+ 10 + 20 = 380
500 - 380 = 120
120 - 74 = 46

What are t hose 46 gbs are used for ?

 

[USAFRet]

There is a LOT more that you don't see there. Pagefile, hibernation, restore points, etc etc.

In addition, a "500GB" drive is actually 465GB. Difference in actual and advertising.

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

Actually, it's called "Over-Provisioning" and you WANT it there if you want your drive to live longer. I assume you have Samsung Magician which would set that on installation.

If not you can get it from Samsungs Website (I like the older 5.0) if you don't want to be online nagged constantly, but thats a personal preference...an change the percentage, but I honestly don't suggest it.

The default is 10% which equals exactly 46.58 GB I'm looking at my EVO 850 in Samsung Magician right now. That extra space makes it so you don't overwrite every block constantly (which makes them last longer) although i'm not the most informed in exactly how it all works I did enough research to know its worth leaving alone.

When I first got my drive I set it to 20% until I needed the space and after going below 10% the one time I did was a mistake, I had to clear way more space than I needed to get it back to the default.

 

[USAFRet]

Overprovisioning is a whole other thing.
It basically just blocks off part of the drive space, so that you, the user, and the OS don't go to near 100% of the ACTUAL drive space.
Just so that you do not have to manage that free space.

An SSD needs some free space for the TRIM function to do its work. Moving data around for wear leveling. Each cell has a certain number of actual write cycles. Once you use that up, that individual cell is dead and gone.
Wear leveling shuffles data around so that the wear and tear is evened out across all cells.

OP does not need to be on, if you are semi careful about the drive space. However, if a user likes to try to fill up the available space, OP keeps part of that actual space off limits.

Again, for the original question...there is a LOT of things that are not reported directly in File Explorer, or the even more brain dead "Storage" in Win 10 Settings. Many many things are left out.

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

Overprovisioning is a whole other thing.
It basically just blocks off part of the drive space, so that you, the user, and the OS don't go to near 100% of the ACTUAL drive space.
Just so that you do not have to manage that free space.

An SSD needs some free space for the TRIM function to do its work. Moving data around for wear leveling. Each cell has a certain number of actual write cycles. Once you use that up, that individual cell is dead and gone.
Wear leveling shuffles data around so that the wear and tear is evened out across all cells.

OP does not need to be on, if you are semi careful about the drive space. However, if a user likes to try to fill up the available space, OP keeps part of that actual space off limits.

Again, for the original question...there is a LOT of things that are not reported directly in File Explorer, or the even more brain dead "Storage" in Win 10 Settings. Many many things are left out.

Not even arguing the Windows 10 idiot waste of...everything. But the size is too precise, i'm betting on over provisioning, especially since it happened to me and I had to go find out where my space went myself heh.

He covered everything else in his list except the EXACT default a Samsung EVO 850 SSD Over Provisions by default.

In any other situation I would agree, which is why I use Windows 7 on my game drive, and 10 just for a VR drive (which is a Samsing EVO 860) and did exactly the same thing, both 500GB.

I could be wrong of course, but in this case I doubt it. I actually went into the registry and shrunk my huge hiberfil.sys file since I don't leave my PC on to Hibernate and set my Pagefile under System settings in the old style control panel to 4096 since I have 32 GB of ram and it never got touched. Still missing the 10% of the drive which is 46.58 GB since like you explained much better than me, I wanted the rotation space...500GB isn't much when a game like FF15 takes like 100+ (150+ during install to avoid being cracked, which ironically failed utterly due to the demo)...but i'm rambling.

Regardless, now they have one more place to check, hopefully they'll respond and let us know.

It could be either on Win 10 no doubt (I literally stayed with an I-7700K just for Windows 7), I despise every OS above it...I already own one cell phone lol. On a side note, first things I disable is file history and SuperFfech...File history for space, Superfetch for resources overkill (the cost is more than the benefits IMO) at least on Win 7.

EDIT:

The fact he was checking his drive and it's "Missing" was the big clue for me, if you check your actual drive properties, it will count everything, File History ends up in your AppData Folder.

 

[USAFRet]

Right.
It could be that 10% default OP. It could also be lots of other things.

I just checked my Samsungs...OP off on all of them. I don't remember if I manually turned it off, or it was not on by default.
But 10% is the 'recommended setting.

And a drive that says "500GB" on the box or label is read by Windows as 465GB. Everywhere and with OP off.
That is the case with any storage type, not just an SSD.

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

Yeah, I remember that from when i had a 30MB HDD 512KB Mem first QBasic computer from my Uncle waaay back, but mine reports at that level with the OP at 10% I believe, I just shut down for a nap, i'll have to double check later.

Again, 46GB where my same drive is OP'd taking literally 46.58 (10% default) just seems too perfect to be coincidence...but only time will tell, like I said...hopefully they respond instead of just find an answer and never reply.

Either way I'll check my OP'd drive on Win 7 and see what it reports for space, I think I get 435 (+46) = 485. Are you sure Samsung even lets you entirely turn off OP?

I was only able to do that after a clean install...I don't remember if it was set during install or I did it either lol...so I guess we wait for a response or I'll remove the OP on one of my drives later, has no Storage stuff running and no Pagefile and see where it puts me for space. 🤷‍♂️ no real point in a long debate...as long as we get them an answer, but i'll do it just because now I want to know. I'll catch up with ya later today. 🇺🇲 🙋‍♂️

 

[USAFRet]

OP = OFF
One of my Samsungs, the 1TB 860 EVO

It recommends 10%, (93GB)

 

[JCarax]

Thanks alot for the answers guys.

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

@JCarax - I'm guessing since I got the solution your space was OP?

@USAFRet - It still LOOKS like it OP some of your space, have you looked just at the main status screen or the Partitioning Disk Management in Windows?

I'm half asleep and haven't loaded my PC still (and I don't need another picture, I trust your word) but it looks like Samsung didn't give you a choice...you should try setting your OP to 5% and see if you gain half that space back...ironically about 47 GB since you have a TB SSD heh. Worth a shot...when I have no OP on mine I believe it doesn't show a bar at all. Maybe its a mix of Magician and Windows 10, or maybe its showing what it WOULD take, IDK.

EDIT:

@USAFRet - Actually, your OP isn't even off at all...there is no way except a full re-partitioning and/or format to shut it off, so if you want some of your space back set it to a lower percent. I completely forgot all about that, I can't set mine lower than 6% even if I tried.

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

Well, maybe DiskPart or just making it another partition. Oh ya, the Clear OP button...duh. Which means you don't have an OP partition, weird.

 

[USAFRet]

There is 931GB available.
That is the same number in Disk Management, Linux, and in every single "1TB storage device"

If I were to click the 'Set OP" button, that available space would reduce by 93GB (10% of the actual 931GB)

931GB displayed by Windows is the standard number for a 1TB drive.
Base 2 vs Base 10
Computer vs Human

It has been this way always, sine drive space was a thing. No matter what type of drive.
Magician and SSD's has nothing to do with it.

 

[USAFRet]

So, working with one of my other drives, 250GB 840 EVO:

In the Magician, OP is OFF, it reads as 232GB Total Capacity.
The partition is also 232GB.

Click the 'Set OP" button, leaving the default 10%.

The partition now reads 209GB. The total capacity is still 232GB.
The 'Set OP' button now says 'Clear OP' (turn it OFF)

Windows File Explorer shows 232GB with OP on or OFF. Windows does not care.

Here is the Magician before and after turning it ON:
Before

After turning it ON

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

Like I said, I was crawling out of bed and could barely see (was up for over a day on minimal sleep even now)...I have no doubts about the drive space scenario, its for system usage, the MFT etc. You can shrink your hiberfill (which is massive) in your registry settings and your pagefile (granted you have enough memory to do it safely aside from a small one for some programs that need it).

Ahh, your right about the drive properties...i'm so used to using my own programs and only the actual disk properties would show that (still incorrectly, as my 1TB HDD says 953869 MB or 953 GB), sorry for that little oversight. And your right about all drives being smaller except the fact that the space is actually there, if you run any drive functions on that same EVO on the actual partition or Physical Disk itself (must be done in recovery mode) you will see 500 GB, it's still software taking your space--as I can copy the entire 500 GB and restore it without error. I.E. my disk cloner shows this using pretty much every Microsoft as it were function, and even a lower ISO C function for results.

This is my 500GB EVO - Note that the 100MB Boot Part. is not included since i'm doing a single partition and not the physical drive itself.

Opening Volume: "\\.\C:"

getdiskfree function

Volume Size: 500000903168 Bytes

IOCTL_DISK_GET_PARTITION_INFO_EX

Volume Size: 500000907264 Bytes

IOCTL_DISK_GET_LENGTH_INFO

Volume Size: 500000907264

Final Result

Clone Length: 500000907264 (Using DASD_IO)

But you may already know this, do you do any software engineering USAFRet? Your base 2 Binary 🆚 base 10 Decimal (or human as you put it lol) comment made me feel the urge to ask.

All in all, I don't claim to have all the answers, these are just how I see it from my programming aspect. The Physical Disc actually extends even a little further if your in Win RE.

At least he found his missing space, and I did enjoy the conversation...gets the gears moving.

 

[USAFRet]

But you may already know this, do you do any software engineering USAFRet? Your base 2 Binary 🆚 base 10 Decimal (or human as you put it lol) comment made me feel the urge to ask.

Yes I do.

 

[JCarax]

@JCarax - I'm guessing since I got the solution your space was OP?

@USAFRet - It still LOOKS like it OP some of your space, have you looked just at the main status screen or the Partitioning Disk Management in Windows?

I'm half asleep and haven't loaded my PC still (and I don't need another picture, I trust your word) but it looks like Samsung didn't give you a choice...you should try setting your OP to 5% and see if you gain half that space back...ironically about 47 GB since you have a TB SSD heh. Worth a shot...when I have no OP on mine I believe it doesn't show a bar at all. Maybe its a mix of Magician and Windows 10, or maybe its showing what it WOULD take, IDK.

EDIT:

@USAFRet - Actually, your OP isn't even off at all...there is no way except a full re-partitioning and/or format to shut it off, so if you want some of your space back set it to a lower percent. I completely forgot all about that, I can't set mine lower than 6% even if I tried.

I haven't checked yet, but I'm assuming it is a combination of 500GB not being actually 500gb and over provisioned space.

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

Easy way to check, since I got thrown off by USAFret's pictures, is see if you have a "Clear OP" button...I forgot it was there because he didn't have his Over Provisioned and the button didn't exist. if you do, it's OP and it will tell you how much space like in his pictures...either that or using Disk Management like he said which is under Administrator Tools then Computer Management in the old school control panel (Control.exe) when you can see all icons.

Honestly, it could be either and that's all we're doing really, bouncing ideas back and forth.

No matter how much you think you know in this field, the reality is you can never know enough. It's forever changing and every situation is different

.Learn something new every day.

Do let us know once you figure it out, good luck.

 

[Hardly_Qualified723]

Yes I do.

I have always taken you as a hardware person...you helped me (with ungodly patience) way back when I built my first rig under a different really terribly chosen user name. Thank you for that, in case I never did by the way. i wanted to be rid of that username asap...bad choice of mixed words lol.

No wonder I see you all over the boards, aside from being a moderator obviously. I really should check profiles heh.