Unable to Reset, Error: ‘additional free space is needed on the drive where Windows is installed. Free up some space and try again.’

Ive been having a similar issue. My machine will not boot into windows. I can get into the recovery menu in windows 10. I have about 6gb free. When i try to perfom a reset Im told to clear some disk space and try again. The problem is it doesnt tell you how much space you need. Also the only way to remove files via command prompt. The machine wont boot to safe mode.

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You may need to consider reinstalling Windows 10 on your case since your computer is unable to boot to Safe Mode or complete a reset. We suggest that you perform a clean install by following the instructions under «Use installation media to reinstall Windows 10» found on the link below:

Let us know if you require further assistance.

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We have noticed that the post has been inactive for quite some time. We’d like to confirm if the article provided by Hector Mad resolved the issue.

If so, we highly encourage you to inform our Community by marking the post as an answer or by clicking on Helpful. This will help other members who may have the same issue as you. Otherwise, don’t hesitate to update us so we can further assist you.

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Reset: Additional free space is needed

I need to reset an Omen laptop after my son took control of it. I have no password.

When trying to reset it (removing all files), I get the following error message:

«Additional free space is needed on the drive where Windows is installed. Clear some space and try again.»

But I cannot clear space without losing in.

Moved from: Windows / Windows 10 / Install, upgrade, & activate

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A corrupted boot system parameters is one of the possible reasons why you are having an additional free space is needed error when resetting your computer. I found a thread with the similar issue and one of our community members provide a solution that other members found helpful. Click on this thread and follow the steps given by bob omb.

Should you need further assistance, don’t hesitate to get back to us.

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Thanks for the tip!

Unfortunately, I need an account password to access the command prompt. so that doesn’t work.

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We appreciate your response. Since you do not have an account password to access the command prompt, your best options is a clean installation of Windows 10. You can download the latest Windows 10 ISO from this link. For the steps to perform a clean install or reinstall of Windows 10, you can follow the steps in this Forum Article that was provided by Andre Da Costa.

Should you have further queries, feel free to post it.

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Hello Eric Bernie

I have tried every solution in both threads and I still can’t seem to restart/factory reset my pc and I want to do that because every time I want to log on it restarts in 1 minute and when I try to shut down it doesn’t show none of the options that are sleep/shut down/restart and when I try to enter my pass its just highlights the password and I’ve tried multiple threads none of them work. (Btw I’m using a teclast tablet with windows and android on it)

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Have you tried performing a clean installation of Windows 10 as outlined by Andre Da Costa on his forum article? If the issue still continues after performing this procedure, I highly recommend contacting the device manufacturer for further assistance. A configuration of your tablet may need to be corrected in order to perform a Restore factory settings. Please refer to this support article on how to obtain the contact information of the device manufacturer.

Let me know if you have other questions.

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Reset this PC not working. Additional free space is needed on the drive where windows is installed. free up some space and try again.

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1
Are you able to get into Windows on your PC?

2
What size internal hard drive do you have on your system, is that a 32GB (29.1GB usable) storage or do you have more storage than that on your system?

Power to the Developer!

MSI GV72 — 17.3″, i7-8750H (Hex Core), 32GB DDR4, 4GB GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 256GB NVMe M2, 2TB HDD

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1. No..I m it a able to do that

2.i m not sure..but it’s more than that mostly

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Since you cannot get into Windows, or Reset Windows, please try the following to see if that allows you to get into Windows and clear up space . . .

Start your PC, just as Windows attempts to load (spinning dots), press and hold Power Button for 5 — 10 seconds to perform a Hard Shut Down

On the third start Windows will boot into the Recovery Environment and from there you can access System Repair, Safe Mode, Command Prompt . . . etc.

Please try each option one at a time, then see of Windows will boot . . .

Go to Troubleshoot — Advanced Option — Revert to previous build of Windows
if available, this is the best option . ..

Go to Troubleshoot — Advanced Option — Startup Repair
See if Windows startup can repair itself

Go to Troubleshoot — Advanced Option — System Restore
Check to see if you have a restore point you can go back to

If you do not have a Restore Point, go to Troubleshoot — Advanced Option — Startup Settings and click Restart
Upon restart, press 4 to enter Safe Mode

Power to the Developer!

MSI GV72 — 17.3″, i7-8750H (Hex Core), 32GB DDR4, 4GB GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 256GB NVMe M2, 2TB HDD

How to free up disk space in Windows

Technical Level : Basic

If you have been using your computer for a while, you will notice your storage device (hard disk or SSD) will begin losing space over time. Factors for this includes the data we store on the drive such as our documents, photos, music, videos and other files. Limited space is especially an issue if you are using a Ultrabook which often comes with a low capacity SSD drive. There are some common work arounds for this which includes archiving older files to an external hard disk. For some persons though, this is not an option. So whats eating up that space and how can I free it up to get back some of it? Lets find out.

Instructions for this article can be applies to Windows Vista and later versions.

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.

Computer Explorer displaying the amount of disk space available

The above screenshot displays amount disk space I have remaining on my system drive.

Windows setup checking for available disk space.

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.

Launch Disk Cleanup, the quickest way is this:

Press Windows key + R then type: cleanmgr.exe

Windows 7/Vista/XP > Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup

Windows 8/8.1/10 > Windows key + S > type disk cleanup > hit Enter on your keyboard

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 Windows 7 to 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 Windows Vista or clean install, Windows 7 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 7 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.

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 7 . 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.

Resources:

How to: Rollback to a previous version of Windows from Windows 10