Question Windows error "Not enough space on C:" ?

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zpuskas

Jul 10, 2024
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I have an HP Omen GT13XX desktop computer. My C: drive is only 250GB, but I have 2 other dives, D: & E: that are 1TB each (I added the E: when I purchased the computer). Both D & E have almost 500GB of free space on each drive.

I'm getting messages saying my C: drive is full. When I check properties it usually indicates it's full, or close to full. Sometime it shows up to 10GB of free space, Very erratic.

I'd like, if possible,to move/clone my C: to either D: or E: and then use that as my C: drive.
Is this possible and what's the best way to do this.

Thanks for your advice and help.

Zoltan
 
Cloning to either of the other drives requires moving ALL data off that drive first.

You want to clone into an empty drive.


To start:
Install and run either WinDirStat, or WizTree.

Run as Administrator, selecting only the drive in question.
Post a screencap here.

Also, a screencap of your Disk Management window.
 
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Thanks USAFRet,
I see I have program files on all drives. Could I partition one drive instead of emptying the drive?
Zoltan
USAF (1966-70)
 
A clone overwrites whatever is on the destination drive.

Partitioning on the destination drive is done automatically as part of the clone process. You don't partition it in advance. There's no point in partitioning the destination drive manually in advance.

If you have programs on the destination drive, they will go bye-bye during the clone. It's up to you to plan for that reality before you start.
 
zpuskas said:
I have an HP Omen GT13XX computer. MY C: drive is only 250GB, but I have 2 other dives, D: & E: that are 1TB each (I added the E: when I purchased the computer). Both D&E have almost 500GB of free space in each drive.
I'm getting messages saying my C: drive is full. When I check properties it usualyy indicates it's full, or close to full. Sometime it shows up to 10GB of free space, Very erratic.
I'd like, if possible,to move/clone my C: to either D: or E: and then use that as my C: drive.
Is this possible and what's the best way to do this.

Thanks for your advice and help.

Zoltan
Click to expand...
Simplest way is to (re)install some programs on another drive and so make some space on C: partition. you can also set Windows and most programs to save personal files to another disk or it's partition. Some things that can cause variable and overuse of C: partition. Memory cache and Hibernation which can run in 100s of Megabytes, also One Drive backups. If needed, all can be set to reside in other disks.
PS. SSDs are not affected by fragmentation which can slow down HDD considerably. SSDs. even SATA present much less load on the rest of system.
Yes, it can happen for SATA SSD to be slower than a fast HDD (10 000 rpm and up) but it's not SSD's or interface fault but problem with OS if for instance excessive malware check set for it but not for HDD,
 
Last edited:
So you've got a 250 GB C: drive with Windows and 2 x 1TB drives with files and possibly programs on.

Which are SSD? Any? All? Some?

That kind of config sounds very likely to be a 250 GB SSD and 2 x 1TB HDD. If that is the case, you are much, much better off getting a new larger SSD to be honest, if you can afford it. Even a 480 GB would be fine. Then you can clone the existing SSD onto it and (if done correctly) carry on as before.

Without a new drive, it's going to be very fiddly trying to preserve your data and maintain your program links. You might end up having to reinstall everything to get it working properly. And if you've moved your Windows from an SSD to an HDD it'll be noticeably slower than before.

Also, if both your D: and E: drives are >500 GB full, where's that going to go if you move your OS to e.g. the D: drive? It's too big to fit on either the current C: drive or the free space of the E: drive.

I think your plan was to move the ~250 GB of C: into the free space of either D: or E:, treating that free space as a new C: partition. The trouble is there's more to C: than just the data: the larger drive will have to become a boot drive, with a boot partition...I'm really not sure that you can reconfigure e.g. the D: drive like that and not lose the data already on it.

Can you really not afford a new 480 - 512 GB SSD drive?
 
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zpuskas said:
I have an HP Omen GT13XX desktop computer. My C: drive is only 250GB, but I have 2 other dives, D: & E: that are 1TB each (I added the E: when I purchased the computer). Both D & E have almost 500GB of free space on each drive.

I'm getting messages saying my C: drive is full. When I check properties it usually indicates it's full, or close to full. Sometime it shows up to 10GB of free space, Very erratic.

I'd like, if possible,to move/clone my C: to either D: or E: and then use that as my C: drive.
Is this possible and what's the best way to do this.

Thanks for your advice and help.

Zoltan
Click to expand...
When's the last time you did some house cleaning?
Perhaps a pass of disk cleanup might help and don't forget to tick that system files button.

I also use Ccleaner for a little extra scrubbing but some folks have had problems with it so your call.
 
Moonstick2 said:
So you've got a 250 GB C: drive with Windows and 2 x 1TB drives with files and possibly programs on.

Which are SSD? Any? All? Some?

That kind of config sounds very likely to be a 250 GB SSD and 2 x 1TB HDD. If that is the case, you are much, much better off getting a new larger SSD to be honest, if you can afford it. Even a 480 GB would be fine. Then you can clone the existing SSD onto it and (if done correctly) carry on as before.

Without a new drive, it's going to be very fiddly trying to preserve your data and maintain your program links. You might end up having to reinstall everything to get it working properly. And if you've moved your Windows from an SSD to an HDD it'll be noticeably slower than before.

Also, if both your D: and E: drives are >500 GB full, where's that going to go if you move your OS to e.g. the D: drive? It's too big to fit on either the current C: drive or the free space of the E: drive.

I think your plan was to move the ~250 GB of C: into the free space of either D: or E:, treating that free space as a new C: partition. The trouble is there's more to C: than just the data: the larger drive will have to become a boot drive, with a boot partition...I'm really not sure that you can reconfigure e.g. the D: drive like that and not lose the data already on it.

Can you really not afford a new 480 - 512 GB SSD drive?
Click to expand...
 
Yes, no problem with cost of new drive. Would get a 1TB at minimum. My C; is SSD and the other 2 are HDD. I'll have to check if I can install another drive in my computer. That seems to be the best/easiest way to go I'm starting to think. Thanks.
 
USAFRet said:
By 'program files', you mean actual applications, or files created by programs?

This operation will not be easy.
Click to expand...
Yes, actual programs. I'm starting to think this may not be so easy or a good idea. Maybe a new C: drive, something like a 1TB. Could this be external if I don't have room in my computer for another drive? Then clone the old C to a new C?
 
zpuskas said:
Yes, actual programs. I'm starting to think this may not be so easy or a good idea. Maybe a new C: drive, something like a 1TB. Could this be external if I don't have room in my computer for another drive? Then clone the old C to a new C?
Click to expand...
There are ways to do this, but lets not get ahead of things.

Do you have an external drive (of any type) with enough free space to hold the entirety of your current C drive?
 
zpuskas said:
My C; is SSD and the other 2 are HDD.
Click to expand...
Then definitely go down the new SSD route. Running the OS on an HDD will be noticeably a lot slower. Hardly anybody does it these days.

zpuskas said:
Maybe a new C: drive, something like a 1TB. Could this be external if I don't have room in my computer for another drive? Then clone the old C to a new C?
Click to expand...
You can't run Windows from an external drive. Setting up an internal drive for temporary external use is awkward.

You don't necessarily need bay space for a fourth drive: for the cloning process, it could be enough to have the cover off and the drive beside the open PC, connected to the motherboard. Few motherboards have only 2-3 SATA ports. A spare power connection might be a different matter though, depending on what the PSU has to offer. The problem with OEM PCs like HP is they tend to be 'quirky' when it comes to hardware.

What is the exact model of your PC, and year too in case that matters? Really we need to understand what SSD you've got in there and what internal ports it has. It might have an M.2 slot for example, or your current SSD might already be M.2.
 
In the mean time while your figuring out what path your going to take to get space in order.

Can you off load from the "C" drive what is now sitting in your " Downloads" folder to one of your bigger drives. I don't know if it applies to your habit's of filling up with items over time or do you just have that many programs installed.

If you do have gigabytes worth of just sitting there stuff in Downloads, move it off the "C" drive and lighten up the load.
 
zpuskas said:
I have an HP Omen GT13XX desktop computer. My C: drive is only 250GB, but I have 2 other dives, D: & E: that are 1TB each (I added the E: when I purchased the computer). Both D & E have almost 500GB of free space on each drive.

I'm getting messages saying my C: drive is full. When I check properties it usually indicates it's full, or close to full. Sometime it shows up to 10GB of free space, Very erratic.

I'd like, if possible,to move/clone my C: to either D: or E: and then use that as my C: drive.
Is this possible and what's the best way to do this.

Thanks for your advice and help.

Zoltan
Click to expand...
With a smaller C: drive like this one thing to keep an eye on is restore points. They can eat your disk space quickly. https://www.simplified.guide/microsoft-windows/system-restore-disk-limit
 
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USAFRet said:
There are ways to do this, but lets not get ahead of things.

Do you have an external drive (of any type) with enough free space to hold the entirety of your current C drive?
Click to expand...
I will get one today. I have another but it's filled with old file.
 
USAFRet said:
So, you're still hampered with this clone thing, because your 2 1TB drives are spinning HDD.

You will notice a significant performance decrease, moving from an SSD to an HDD for your OS drive.
Click to expand...
The new external is an SSD. My 2 HDD (D&E) seem to work well enough for me. Is it time to clone my C to my external C? Then do I use my external C as the OS drive?
 
zpuskas said:
The new external is an SSD. My 2 HDD (D&E) seem to work well enough for me. Is it time to clone my C to my external C? Then do I use my external C as the OS drive?
Click to expand...
No.
You cannot use that external as the OS drive.

The HDDs 'work well enough' for how you use them. But putting the OS on them...you will not be pleased.

Please show us a screencap of your Disk Management window.
(upload your pic to imgur.com, post the link here)
 
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