SSD's used space doesn't match the actual space taken up

[Quasty]

Hi there,
I recently bought a samsung 840 evo ssd (120gb) and currently it says that i have 65gb of used space even though all the files on it only add up to 20gb. Is this normal and why is it so?

 

[USAFRet]

Possibly you have "Hide system files" still turned on.

 

[Ijack]

How are you enumerating the file sizes? Is the operating system installed on this disk (and what version of what is it)? 20GB sounds very small if it is.

 

[13thmonkey]

hyberfil.sys and pagefile.sys could account for a big chunk of that if you have a lot of RAM. Trying finding windirstat as it will give you a very clear indication as to what is using the space.

 

[Quasty]

Possibly you have "Hide system files" still turned on.

I turned it off, but it still doesnt add up.

 

[Quasty]

How are you enumerating the file sizes? Is the operating system installed on this disk (and what version of what is it)? 20GB sounds very small if it is.

I assume that when the hidden folders are showing, i select all and click properties (which shows the combine file size). Im quite a noob at pc's so is what im doing accounting for all files on the drive? (As sayd, its only 20gb added up but when looking at the drive itself it says it's only got like 47gb free of 110gb

 

[13thmonkey]

https://windirstat.info/

 

[USAFRet]

Possibly you have "Hide system files" still turned on.

I turned it off, but it still doesnt add up.

Just a bare Windows (7 or 8) install is right around 20GB.

 

[Quasty]

Possibly you have "Hide system files" still turned on.

I turned it off, but it still doesnt add up.

Just a bare Windows (7 or 8) install is right around 20GB.

Yeah ik, the folder for that is 17gb and as i said i only have small other programs

 

[USAFRet]

Possibly you have "Hide system files" still turned on.

I turned it off, but it still doesnt add up.

Just a bare Windows (7 or 8) install is right around 20GB.

Yeah ik, the folder for that is 17gb and as i said i only have small other programs

What specifically is telling you there is 65GB used space?
As mentioned above, Windirstat can help visualize where that space is.

 

[Ijack]

I assume that when the hidden folders are showing, i select all and click properties (which shows the combine file size). Im quite a noob at pc's so is what im doing accounting for all files on the drive?

No, that isn't accounting for all the files on the disk. You still haven't accounted for files that you don't have authority to access and/or protected operating system files. The classic cause of this sort of discrepancy is the System Volume where, amongst other things, Restore Points are stored.

Basically, all you need to do is run a disk check. If that shows no problems then the free space indicated for a disk is the true free space.

 

[Quasty]

ok, ill run this windirstat program and see... thx for the answers btw 😀

 

[Quasty]

Ok I ran it and "13thmonkey" was right, the pagefile.sys and hyberfile.sys TAKE UP 67% OF THE USED SPACE!! What are these files and is it possible to safely remove them or shrink them??????????? (as far as i understand, you dont need these when you have lots of ram...... i have 24gb)

 

[USAFRet]

Turn off Hibernation:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/819-hibernate-enable-disable.html
It takes up drive space equal to your RAM

Pagefile
You can reduce it, or move it elsewhere.

I have mine set to 1024MB min and max. Have seen zero issues. Some people have it off altogether.

 

[13thmonkey]

you can turn off hibernation altogether, or force it to be smaller than your ram size (this can cause issues if you try to 'sleep' it whilst having a full memory). I'd turn it off.
Ditto I've moved my pagefile to another disk.

 

[Quasty]

Ok, so I turned off hybernation and set my pagefile to 4gb and now my ssd has a LOT more free space 😀
Thank you very much for your help: Ijack, 13thmonkey and usafret

 

[Ijack]

You should always put your pagefile on a mechanical disk, if you have one, rather than an SSD. (And I wouldn't run without a pagefile.) SSDs don't like lots of writes to the same location, and this is how a pagefile behaves.