surface 3 memory issues

Question

Hello,

I have an issue with the memory with my surface 3. When i look on on the local disk memory it shows that there is 8.93 GB available out of 110 GB. When checked individually the files on the local disk C and pc, the total memory is 26.1 GB. Where is the rest of the memory? How can it be reclaimed? Thank you in advance.

Richard

Answer 1

Hi Richard,

You can use Disk Cleanup to find and remove temporary files that may be consuming your Surface's storage. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Search for Disk cleanup from the taskbar and select it from the list of results.
2. Click on Clean up system files to get a full list of files that consume space.
3. Under Files to delete, select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it.
4. Select OK.

The Surface 3's storage can also be expanded by using a microSD card. For more options in freeing up drive space, open this link.

If none of the suggestions provide a resolution to the issue, please update the post so I can help you further.

Regards.

Answer 2

Hello Ruz,

Thank you for your prompt reply. I did everything you recommended, including the tips in the link, and I recovered almost 0.5 GB.  There are still about 80 GB unaccounted for. Any other tips?

Richard

Answer 3

I appreciate the information, Richard. When you first tried locating the files that are eating up your device's storage, were all files and folders displayed? See if you will find the huge files when hidden items are shown. To show hidden files, click on Start, then type "folder". Open Show hidden files and folders > under Advanced settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives > OK.

Next, navigate to the folders below which usually store large system files on your device:

• AppData - This is where the programs store data specific to your user account. To open it, press the Windows key + R (Run dialog), type "appdata", then press Enter.
• Temp - This is where Windows stores temporary files. You can view its contents by entering "temp" in the Run dialog.
• Windows.old - If you upgraded your version of Windows, this is created to store the previous Windows installation. It is located in the Local Disk (C:) drive. The previous recommendation (running Disk Cleanup) would be able to find this if you have it on your device.

Also, if hibernate is enabled on your Surface, it will create a large file so your device can easily keep your ongoing work or activities. If you want to check if such file is on your Surface, look for hiberfil.sys on your C: drive. Hibernate would have to be disabled if you don't want Windows to recreate this file.

Please note that while Windows will recreate the necessary files it needs to run, personal files will not be recovered if you delete them permanently.

I'll be here if you need more help.

Answer 4

Take a look at https://www.jam-software.de/treesize_free/?language=EN - it is a

free program, and should help you visualize where space is being used.

Answer 5

Thank you! I located the missing 74GB in a folder called Roaming in AppData. Can that be safely recovered?

Thank you for your time and expertise