My computer doesn't have enough space for me to update it

Hi Leilani. I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 8 year Windows MVP, here to help you.

There are tips here for managing smaller drives including 32gb drives:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3040404/windows...

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/maximize-stora...

Then for version Upgrades what works best is to install the Media Creation Tool on another PC to create bootable media or download the ISO to stick or disk, transfer it back to the target PC to open the media or click to mount the ISO, right click Setup file to Run as Administrator. This avoids needing the space to download the Upgrade and it's staging files.

If you wait a few days Spring Creators Version 1803 will be loaded into the Media Creation Tool so you can have the latest: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m...

Track release of v.1803 here: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/#ut...

If that's not enough then clean out the Upgrade Assistant and it's staging files first to recover that space:

First turn off Windows Update service to regain control:

Type services.msc in Start Search, Open Services applet.

Scroll Down to Windows Update Service and click on it, Stop service and set to Disabled. Now it should clear the queue of Version and other Updates until you turn it back on and Check again.

Uninstall Upgrade Assistant In Settings > Apps & Features.

Clear out any Upgrade folders in C: drive root. Restart PC, try Upgrade again.

Another option is to do the the best possible Clean Install in this link which will stay that way as long as you stick with the tools and methods given, has zero reported problems, and is better than any amount of money could buy: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki....

This will give you back all but 15gb of the drive so you can slowly reinstall programs to see how they affect performance, move your files to another drive if possible or offline into OneDrive in the cloud with On-demand access to them only: https://www.pcworld.com/article/3233488/windows....

There is also an automated Fresh Start that reinstalls WIndows while shedding corrupting factory bloatware, saves your files, but doesn't clear the drive to get it cleanest: https://www.howtogeek.com/265054/how-to-easily-...

You can also turn off or block Updates if they are bothering you.

There are ways to block Updates here: https://www.howtogeek.com/223864/how-to-uninsta...

If you want you can set a Metered Connection per the above tutorial, then when ready turn it off to install Updates. You can even wait until the twice-yearly Version Updates to run manually from Media Creation Tool which is a more stable method than Windows Update and includes all previous updates rolled into it. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m...

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved

You can execute following to gain space on your computer

1. Use Storage Sense to delete unnecessary files

Type Storage in Windows Start Search Box > Click Storage > Click Change how we free up space > Down below there is button Clean now under Free up space now which you should press

2. Use Disk Cleanup

Type Disk Cleanup in Windows Start Search box > Click Disk Cleanup > Check relevant options (you can also clean system files)

3. Analyze disk space

You should analyze your existing space with help of third party softwares and remove un-necessary files. TreeSize is most popular one but my personal favorite is WinDirStat.

TreeSize Freeware version - https://www.jam-software.com/treesize_free/

WinDirStat (Released under GPL license) - https://windirstat.net/download.html

3. Check for log files in CBS directory

Go to C:\Windows\Logs\CBS > Check the size of CBS.Log and if size is huge >

Type services in Windows Start Search box > Click Services > Scroll down to find the Windows Modules Installer service and double-click on it > Set its startup type to Manual > Reboot your computer

Go to C:\Windows\Logs\CBS > Delete all of the files in the CBS folder (or rename and move to a backup drive) > Reboot your computer > Then go back into the Services App and set Windows Modules Installer Service back to Automatic Startup (Note CBS log files contain information about windows update.

4. Microsoft has also some suggestions to improve disk space.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/12425/...

5. You can also review following

https://www.windowscentral.com/best-7-ways-free...

Disclaimer 1 - Using Third Party Software is completely at your own risk. This advice is in my personal capacity as a volunteer.

Disclaimer 2 - This post contains reference to non-Microsoft websites and there may be ads on the page for products & services including products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Product). Please thoroughly research any product / service advertised on the page before you decide to use them. Your discretion is very much advised.

Please be advised some users are reporting issues with the Windows 10 1709 update. Make sure you backup before attempting to upgrade:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-win_upgrade/how-to-create-a-system-image-in-windows-10/84fa6683-e3ac-4e93-9139-368af9267869

How to block it if you don't want to upgrade:
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/block-windows-10-feature-update-why/

What is the make and model of your computer?

 Have you checked the manufacturers website to determine compatibility?
Check this List to Determine if Your Computer is Compatible with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update 1709 
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/check-this-list-to-determine-if-your-computer-is/5152bb37-f95d-48a6-b7b2-ad0d5c738923

perform the following tasks:
12 Things You Should Do Before Installing Windows 10 Creators Update (Version 1709)
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/prepare-computer-windows-10-creators-update-version-1703/

How to download official Windows 10 ISO files
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-download-official-windows-10-iso-files/35cde7ec-5b6f-481c-a02d-dadf465df326

How to Upgrade to Windows 10 Creators Update version 1709 using ISO File from Versions 1507, 1511, 1607 and 1703 
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows_10-windows_install/how-to-upgrade-to-windows-10-creators-update/617a37da-8fc0-4f33-a3eb-59fe9082f925

Options for freeing up space:

Windows over time will accumulate data outside of the normal types of data we store. This can include things like copies of Windows Updates, memory dump files used to diagnose and troubleshoot error messages, temporary internet files for web pages we often visit and Windows Upgrade files, commonly used to assist with installing updates for Windows. Sometimes we don't need this type of information and removing it can free up precious disk space inaddition to improving overall system performace.

Having enough disk space is especially important if you are performing task such as upgrading to the new Windows 10. It is one of the the first things Windows setup checks before it starts copying files. Large programs too will often require that you have enough disk space available.

Lets start.

Launch Disk Cleanup, the quickest way is this:

Press Windows key + R then type: cleanmgr.exe

Then hit Enter

Windows 10 > Start > All Apps > Windows Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup

Once Disk cleanup opens, select the drive where Windows is installed if its not already.

Windows will scan your hard disk for files it can clean up.

Note some of these files too can include older installations of Windows. For example, if you upgraded from a previous version of Windows 10, a copy will be kept at the root of the hard disk in a folder called Windows.old. Please becareful though, this folder can actually be useful if you need to go back to your previous version of Windows for whatever reason. So be mindful before deleting it. Removing it though can significantly free up disk space.

After Disk Cleanup is finished scanning, you will see the Disk Cleanup window. This window provides a list of areas of the system you can clean up safely. Before we start cleaning up the system, you will notice appears on the window called Clean up system files. Clean it and the Disk Cleanup will run a thorough check of the system again to include every file that can be removed.

Location/Type 	Description 	Safe to Delete

Downloaded Program Files 	Downloaded Program Files are ActiveX controls and Java applets downloaded automatically from the Internet when you view certain pages. They are temporarily stored in the Downloaded Program Files folder on your hard disk. 	YES

Temporary Internet Files 	The Temporary Internet Files folder contains webpages stored on your hard disk for quick viewing. Your personalized settings for webpages will be left intact. Personally, I suggest you keep this if you are on a slow connection and need the basic elements of web pages you often visit to load faster. 	Keep It

Offline Webpages 	Offline pages are webpages that are stored on your computer so you can view them without being connected to the Internet. If you delete these pages now, you can still view your favorites offline later by synchronizing them. Your personalized settings for webpages will be left intact. I also recommend you leave this alone since you might be on a slow connection and need quick access to a webpage with some specific content. 	Keep It

Recycle Bin 	The Recycle Bin contains files you have deleted from your computer. These files are not permanently removed until you empty the Recycle Bin. Sometimes you might inadvertently delete a file that you didn’t intend to delete permanently, so before you empty the contents of the Recycle Bin, do a thorough check before. 	YES

Temporary files 	Programs sometimes store temporary information in the TEMP folder. Before a program closes., it usually deletes this information. You can safely delete files that have not been modified in over a week. You can view the contents of the temp directory and see if there is anything in there you might need. Open the Run Command (Windows key + R), type in %temp% > hit OK. Sometimes program installers for common applets are stored there that you can use to reinstall such as Adobe Flash for instance if you don’t want to redownload it every time. 	YES

Thumbnails 	Windows keeps a copy of all your picture, video, and document thumbnails so they can be displayed quickly when you open a folder. If you delete these thumbnails, they will be automatically recreated as needed. I don’t see any problems deleting it if its gonna be recreated, but deleting it sometimes can correct problems with previews of photos and videos. 	YES

Debug Dump Files 	When your computer experiences a system hang because of a poorly written application or device driver, Windows intelligently creates a log of what happened. This log can be used along with other logs such as System error memory dump files to help diagnose the problem when sent to Microsoft or the developer for review. 	Keep It

System error memory dump files 	Similar to the Debug Dump files, memory error dumps happen when poorly written drivers or applications crash. It is very handy for utilities built into Windows such as Troubleshooters which help in diagnosing problems that occur in Windows. 	Keep It

 The most common locations are Temporary files, Temporary Internet Files, Recycle Bin to name a few. Other not so common locations include the Thumbnail Cache which stores previews of your images allowing you load them faster when you open the Pictures Library or Windows Live Photo Gallery. This I do not recommend you delete for obvious purposes. Lets dig a little deeper. Disk Cleanup provides a list of areas where you can free up disk space and gain additional speed in some cases.

In addition to these common locations, Windows will also store information related to Error reporting and solution checking, leave these for diagnosis that can help resolve issues with applications or devices. Also, if you do an upgrade from previous version of Windows 10 or clean install, Windows 10 might store information related to servicing which are logs used to assist the installation of the operating system. Once you have checked these locations for clean up, click the OK button and these locations will be cleaned out.

As I noted earlier, the Windows.old folder is basically a backup of your old installation of Windows, which you can use to reinstall Windows if you decide to return to your previous installation. Also, its used as a last resort in case you didn’t backup your files and need to recover personal files and settings. The Windows.old folder can use up a considerable amount of your hard disk space. Its normally stored at the root of your hard disk where Windows 10 is installed. Before you delete it, make sure you check through the directories and ensure that everything migrated successfully to your current version of Windows.

http://notebooks.com/2010/11/09/how-to-recover-documents-music-and-email-after-upgrading-with-the-windows-old-folder/

Once you have determined what to remove, click OK then click the Delete Files button to begin.

Click Yes if you are ok with the action that will be taken.

System Restore – System Restore keeps a large collection of System Restore Points in addition to storing them in your System Images of Windows 10. A friend had recently upgraded to Windows 10 and he asked me why he was low on hard disk space. He had a 320 GB drive and only had about 70 GBs of free disk space left after doing a disk cleanup. It was then I discovered that System Protection had been configured to use about 200 GBs of  disk space to keep System Restore Points.

Configuring System Protection settings

To configure System Protection, click Start, type: System Protection, hit Enter. Under Protection Settings, click the Configure button. A dialog will appear with various settings for configuring Restoration and Disk space usage. Under the Disk space usage tab, you will see the current amount of space in use by System Restore while the Max usage displays the amount allocated. 

Use the Max usage knob to configure how much disk space you want to allocate to System Protection. In the above screenshot, you will see that I am using 21.05 GBs for Restore Points, while I have allocated 22.36 GBs of disk space for System Protection. You also have the option of deleting all Restore Points which stores System settings and previous versions of files. I suggest you leave this, since you will be able to individually restore changes to files you are working on. So for instance, if you edited an image and would like to restore it to a previous version or original version of the file. 

Archive Large Files to an External Hard Disk

Storing large files on your local drive that you are not using doesn’t really make much sense these days. Moving infrequently used multimedia, like photos and videos, to an external drive can free up significant amounts of disk space.  Because of my Internet limitations, I still need to keep my music locally, so that means my iTunes library probably consumes the most space on my Surface Pro.

Archiving files to an external drive is easy. Before you do that though, you need to invest in an external drive. It’s fairly easy to find one that is really cheap with lots of space.  Once you have one, I recommend you check out our guide on how to partition a hard drive for macOS Time Machine and Windows 10 Backups.

There are several backup methods you can use, but I always go with the manual method, which involves copying files from your personal folder to a backup folder on your external drive. Select the files or folders then performing a drag and drop action using the right mouse button to your external drive. When the context menu appears, click Move here.

source: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/maximize-storage-Space-low-capacity-windows-10-devices/

The proper way to do this according to cnet.com is

the proper way to delete the Windows.old folder:

Step 1: Click in Windows' search field, type Cleanup, then click Disk Cleanup.

Step 2: Click the "Clean up system files" button.

Step 3: Wait a bit while Windows scans for files, then scroll down the list until you see "Previous Windows installation(s)."
Step 4: Check the box next to the entry, then make sure there are no other boxes checked (unless you do indeed want to delete those items). Click OK to start the cleanup.

I am sorry to hear of this issue. You may want to delete the windows.old folder to free up space. One moment for steps