Surface 2 Shrinking Storage

[hamish]

Hi all,

Surface 2 32GB user here, I did a clean refresh about two weeks ago to get ready for the new Uni year etc and had around 18GB. So far so good.

After installing roughly 400MB of apps and not touching the Surface 2 until yesterday to get ready for Uni, I now only have 11GB of free space? I went online, followed some guides, did windows clean up etc and that cleaned up around a GB of space and now I am left with just under 12GB of space.

Where has all this space gone? I have no files on the Surface 2, just some media on my microSD card.

Thanks

 

[oion]

If you have stuff on your OneDrive, and your OD is set to allow offline access, those cloud files will be copied to your HDD to allow offline access. Maybe that was syncing?

 

[hamish]

Hi,

I do have offline access but I have like two word documents so it can't be OneDrive.

 

[GreyFox7]

When you looked before had all the Windows Updates been applied?
Also did you do use the option to Clean up System Files in Disk Cleanup and look at all the unchecked by default options?
Do you have a C:\Windows.old directory? I have one that matches up with the last date I did a Refresh... appears to be how they save your files.
Look at the properties of the Windows Folder... what is the total size?

 

[hamish]

Yes all Windows Updates installed. I also followed that guide and went on more options and deleted the other system files. Also clicked on all the checkboxes and was only about a GB.

No Windows Old directory.

Just did a restore. If the storage continues to shrink I will send it into Microsoft for repair.

 

[hamish]

Ok so just did a reset, it had like 77 updates. Installed them and now my storage is down to 13GB free?

What is going on?

 

[hamish]

UPDATE

So I've just installed pretty much all the updates, ran all the disk cleans etc and I'm left with 11.5GB with NO APPS OR DATA whatsoever.

Is this normal? Microsofts website claims I should have around 18GB left which is what I had before the updates.

 

[GreyFox7]

When you did the reset did you select the option to repartition the drive?

In Explorer on the view menu change the Options to display hidden files and folders and uncheck the Hide protected Operating System Files.

What are the sizes of the top level folders in c:\. ?

 

[hamish]

When you did the reset did you select the option to repartition the drive?

In Explorer on the view menu change the Options to display hidden files and folders and uncheck the Hide protected Operating System Files.

What are the sizes of the top level folders in c:\. ?

Nope it did not give me the repartition option. I just selected restore surface with something along the lines of "choose this option if you are going to recycle this PC". I thought that was the deepest level of reset.

Interestingly, I now have a file called pagefile.sys which is 1.12GB. (size on disk)

I also have (these are all size on disk):

Program Files - 1.122GB

Program Data - 11.8MB

Users - 194MB

Windows - 12GB

Are these high?

 

[kundas1]

also what I had to do is take the recovery portion and put it on a USB stick and after which delete the recovery portion and you will gain back 7-8GB, but I hate to tell you that the space you have left is normal, even on my friends ASUS RT unit he has only 11 or 12 GB left.. which is why I sold my 32gb and bought a 64gb for that reason...

 

[hamish]

also what I had to do is take the recovery portion and put it on a USB stick and after which delete the recovery portion and you will gain back 7-8GB, but I hate to tell you that the space you have left is normal, even on my friends ASUS RT unit he has only 11 or 12 GB left.. which is why I sold my 32gb and bought a 64gb for that reason...

I would be happy with 32GB as Microsoft claims on their website that the 32GB surface should have 18GB free WITH the recovery portion which is around 4GB. However to be left with around 12/13GB with nothing else on there isn't right. Do other Surface 2 owners, once restoring from fresh and with all updates installed, have around 12/13GB left on their Surface 2 32GB?

I would love to have the extra 4GB of space however my understanding is, without the USB, I wouldn't be able to reset the Surface as easily as I did above. I literally just pressed the reset button. If space really gets tight then I may do this, but till then, I want to find out where the extra 5/6GB has gone.

 

[kundas1]

it's nothing to get upset about, yes EVERYBODYS Surface is left with those amounts, also other devices is left with the same amount. and its no big deal to place the recovery on a USB and keep it safe, it will be just as easy as if it was on the HD of the Surface... this happens to ALL devices with 32GB HD's like I said my friends ASUS RT tablet is left with the same amount, also another friends tablet 32GB ANDROID is left with the same amount.. this isn't new or just YOUR device. and if you can't live with this or bothers you this much, then I suggest you get a Surface with 64GB which can be had cheaply nowadays! its just the facts of life in regards to tablets with small HD.