Backup drive is running out of space

Question

The hard drive, 250GB, on my Windows 10 PC has four partitions - C,D,E & F, each with disc space of about 58 GB. As of now, the System Backup is configured to the D drive which has latest backups & system images only. Presently I have only 15 MB free space on the D drive & so I am getting a System notification that my D drive is running out of space. I want to take a complete System Backup on an external Disc drive for safety & security of my system, files & folders. Let me know how I can clean up the D drive for taking backups again on the same drive as before. Also let me know how I can make a Bootable Backup disc in case of my PC crashes. Please help me & suggest step by step guideline for resolving the issue.

Answer 1

Hi,

In Windows 10, you can either use File History in Settings or Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel to back up your files or the image of your Windows 10. Just to clarify, what tool did you use to back up your files or image? If you used Back and Restore (Windows 7) and you set up a back up schedule, the drive that you're using for the back up will surely consume a large amount of space. To free up disk space, you can either delete an old back up or you can set up Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to only save the latest backup file. To do this, follow these steps:

Delete an old backup file:

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select View backups....
4. Choose the backup the you want to delete, and then press Delete.

Keep the latest system image :

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select Change settings....
4. Choose Keep only the latest system image and minimize space used by backup, and then press OK.

If you do not want to use the current location of your backup anymore and you want to change it to your external drive, you can do so by following these steps:

1. Open Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel.
2. Press Change settings.****
3. Choose the drive you want to save your backup file, and then click Next.
4. Choose your backup settings**.**
5. Press Save settings and run backup.

If you want to create a bootable media or an installation media of Windows 10, you can do so by using the Media Creation Tool. Please take note that you need a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space so that you can create a bootable media. You can download the Media Creation Tool here. The link also has the steps on how to create and use the bootable media.

If you have additional questions, kindly reply to this thread.

Answer 2

Hi Argel Obm,

Thank you for your helpful post. I am travelling & would try out your suggestions after return.

Would write back if I need further help.

Thank you 

Bappaditya Gupta

Hi,

In Windows 10, you can either use File History in Settings or Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel to back up your files or the image of your Windows 10. Just to clarify, what tool did you use to back up your files or image? If you used Back and Restore (Windows 7) and you set up a back up schedule, the drive that you're using for the back up will surely consume a large amount of space. To free up disk space, you can either delete an old back up or you can set up Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to only save the latest backup file. To do this, follow these steps:

Delete an old backup file:

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select View backups....
4. Choose the backup the you want to delete, and then press Delete.

Keep the latest system image :

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select Change settings....
4. Choose Keep only the latest system image and minimize space used by backup, and then press OK.

If you do not want to use the current location of your backup anymore and you want to change it to your external drive, you can do so by following these steps:

1. Open Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel.
2. Press Change settings.****
3. Choose the drive you want to save your backup file, and then click Next.
4. Choose your backup settings**.**
5. Press Save settings and run backup.

If you want to create a bootable media or an installation media of Windows 10, you can do so by using the Media Creation Tool. Please take note that you need a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space so that you can create a bootable media. You can download the Media Creation Tool here. The link also has the steps on how to create and use the bootable media.

If you have additional questions, kindly reply to this thread.

Answer 3

Kindly update this thread if you're able to follow the steps we've provided. Also, please provide the result after performing those steps.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Answer 4

I am using Windows 10 with all the latest updates and repeatedly getting the "running out of space on drive E" message.   

1. My Control Panel/Backup and Restore window does not contain either  "Manage Space" nor a "Change Settings" link.   

2.  The message: "Windows could not find a backup for this computer." is displayed.  

When I upgraded to Win 10 I created a System Restore flash drive, but don't remember ever using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) because I thought it was only for older Windows programs.

How do I get rid of the Drive E message? 

Hi,

In Windows 10, you can either use File History in Settings or Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel to back up your files or the image of your Windows 10. Just to clarify, what tool did you use to back up your files or image? If you used Back and Restore (Windows 7) and you set up a back up schedule, the drive that you're using for the back up will surely consume a large amount of space. To free up disk space, you can either delete an old back up or you can set up Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to only save the latest backup file. To do this, follow these steps:

Delete an old backup file:

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select View backups....
4. Choose the backup the you want to delete, and then press Delete.

Keep the latest system image :

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select Change settings....
4. Choose Keep only the latest system image and minimize space used by backup, and then press OK.

If you do not want to use the current location of your backup anymore and you want to change it to your external drive, you can do so by following these steps:

1. Open Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel.
2. Press Change settings.****
3. Choose the drive you want to save your backup file, and then click Next.
4. Choose your backup settings**.**
5. Press Save settings and run backup.

If you want to create a bootable media or an installation media of Windows 10, you can do so by using the Media Creation Tool. Please take note that you need a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space so that you can create a bootable media. You can download the Media Creation Tool here. The link also has the steps on how to create and use the bootable media.

If you have additional questions, kindly reply to this thread.

Answer 5

Further to last posting:

When I open Drive E in Windows Explorer/This PC/Local Disk (E), it says: This folder is empty.  How can I be running out of space if the Disk is empty? 

I am using Windows 10 with all the latest updates and repeatedly getting the "running out of space on drive E" message.   

1. My Control Panel/Backup and Restore window does not contain either  "Manage Space" nor a "Change Settings" link.   

2.  The message: "Windows could not find a backup for this computer." is displayed.  

When I upgraded to Win 10 I created a System Restore flash drive, but don't remember ever using the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) because I thought it was only for older Windows programs.

How do I get rid of the Drive E message? 

Hi,

In Windows 10, you can either use File History in Settings or Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel to back up your files or the image of your Windows 10. Just to clarify, what tool did you use to back up your files or image? If you used Back and Restore (Windows 7) and you set up a back up schedule, the drive that you're using for the back up will surely consume a large amount of space. To free up disk space, you can either delete an old back up or you can set up Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to only save the latest backup file. To do this, follow these steps:

Delete an old backup file:

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select View backups....
4. Choose the backup the you want to delete, and then press Delete.

Keep the latest system image :

1. Open Control Panel and access Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
2. Click Manage space.
3. Select Change settings....
4. Choose Keep only the latest system image and minimize space used by backup, and then press OK.

If you do not want to use the current location of your backup anymore and you want to change it to your external drive, you can do so by following these steps:

1. Open Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel.
2. Press Change settings.****
3. Choose the drive you want to save your backup file, and then click Next.
4. Choose your backup settings**.**
5. Press Save settings and run backup.

If you want to create a bootable media or an installation media of Windows 10, you can do so by using the Media Creation Tool. Please take note that you need a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space so that you can create a bootable media. You can download the Media Creation Tool here. The link also has the steps on how to create and use the bootable media.

If you have additional questions, kindly reply to this thread.