Can't install latest update, external storage issue

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earthman

PCHF Member
Dec 27, 2020
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I'm not sure if I should post this here or in the laptop section,...anyway it's a little Asus which contains a 32GB emmc drive, apart from a couple of pictures, I have left this storage just for the Windows system, I think that it's up to 28GB right now, the latest update says that I need to free up some space, well no matter what I've tried to delete/remove, I can't get past theses two screens.
I have extra storage connected to this laptop in the form of an SD card and USB stick but even though they are displayed as options in the first window, when I select either and press 'next' I get the next window pop up. How on earth do I get Windows use one of these storage devices to complete the install??
spacetoupdate.jpg


spacetoupdate1.jpg
 
I have a Dell version of this system.

Lets start with this.

Start
Scroll towards the bottom
Windows Administrative Tools
Select Disk Cleanup
Click Cleanup System Files
Click the More Options Tab
Under System Restore and Shadow Copies Click Clean Up
Click the Disk Cleanup Tab
Put hash marks in every box
Click OK

May take a while depending on the amount of data make sure that the power is plugged in.

Open an Administrator Command Prompt and use the following command

powercfg.exe /hibernate off

In the same Command Prompt use the following command and tell us what it states.

Compact.exe /CompactOS:query
 
I have a Dell version of this system.

Lets start with this.

Start
Scroll towards the bottom
Windows Administrative Tools
Select Disk Cleanup
Click Cleanup System Files
Click the More Options Tab
Under System Restore and Shadow Copies Click Clean Up
Click the Disk Cleanup Tab
Put hash marks in every box
Click OK

May take a while depending on the amount of data make sure that the power is plugged in.

Open an Administrator Command Prompt and use the following command

powercfg.exe /hibernate off

In the same Command Prompt use the following command and tell us what it states.

Compact.exe /CompactOS:query
Will try all that tomorrow but I doubt that will fix it because I've already been through disk cleanup a few times,...never turned hibernate off though.

How will any of this change the fact that I can't seem to pick another drive for the software to be installed on??
 
Do you have any files on the SD card or USB drive?
I’m wondering if the drive needs to be blank.
I do have some files on them yes but there is plenty of space left on them.

Rustys, I'm not having much luck on the command prompt front, assuming that I'm entering the text correctly and in the right window?....I don't mess around with admin controls in general so not 100% sure what I'm doing here.

laptopreport.jpg
 
Open an Administrator Command Prompt and use the following command

powercfg.exe /hibernate off

In the same Command Prompt use the following command and tell us what it states.

Compact.exe /CompactOS:query
I stated use Command Prompt not Powershell

Click Start
Type Command
On the Right select Run as Admin.
Try the commands again.

Did you tell windows to start storing information to the SD card?

In order for windows to preform updates you have to have available space on the primary drive.
 
Worth trying a blank USB drive/SD Card.

As for those cmds there’s a space between .exe & / which has been removed in the cmds you entered, this is most likely why it failed.
 
I stated use Command Prompt not Powershell

Click Start
Type Command
On the Right select Run as Admin.
Try the commands again.

Did you tell windows to start storing information to the SD card?

In order for windows to preform updates you have to have available space on the primary drive.
You can tell that I don't have much idea on what I'm doing here,...Powershell (whatever that is) was the only thing/option that I could see. Am I suppose to be left or right clicking the mouse on 'Start' for one?

I bought this laptop new a couple of years ago, all the operating system is stored on it's built in storage so far, I bought a USB stick and an SD card to store any photos etc on, now I'm trying to use the empty space for the latest update from Windows. If this isn't possible why are these drives showing as an option in my first picture yet when I click on it, I get that second window which doesn't carry this process on? All I'm getting is options to clear/delete stuff off the built in storage but I don't even have half a GB of photos stored on it in the first place.
I know that Windows 10 has grown in size over time, is 28 to 32GB just too small to hold it now? Is it not possible to split it between two storage cards??
 
Worth trying a blank USB drive/SD Card.

As for those cmds there’s a space between .exe & / which has been removed in the cmds you entered, this is most likely why it failed.
Thanks for the ideas,....on the spacing front and using capitals, I were copying what I thought Rusty had put.
 
Right click start
Type Command
On the Right select Run as Admin.

Try inputting the commands again
powercfg.exe /hibernate off

Compact.exe /CompactOS:query

Like Bastet has stated remember that there is a space before the /
 
Right click start
Type Command
On the Right select Run as Admin.

Try inputting the commands again
powercfg.exe /hibernate off

Compact.exe /CompactOS:query

Like Bastet has stated remember that there is a space before the /
Many thanks, I did use spaces there,,....I had the caps lock on for both them 'C's' too, not sure if I were right doing that, they look like a big C to me.
 
Well I have managed to get it working by uninstalling three or four things, Asus Giftbox and Canon printer software for example, all the items certainly didn't add up to much in the GB stakes so I'm still a bit puzzled as to why it worked but it did, the install did take hours & hours though, looking at a blue screen for like an hour just to see 1% figure did have me worried for a while, went out for a walk into town for like another hour only to see it get to 19%,....it's probably taken half the day to complete.

Anyway, I've since gained 5GB on the C drive after being able to use the option of deleting the previous windows files,...no chance of going back to the previous version for me then but realistically who does that anyway??

I'd still like to know why my laptop wouldn't use another one of my drives in the first place? I will probably be in this same situation next time windows decide on another update.

Many thanks for the help/suggestions guys, sorry Rusty, run out of time to do the command thing, intrigued to know what results you may have expected and how/why could it be linked to the system not giving me the option to use another storage space??

If it's not working properly tomorrow, I'll give that a go and see if you can make head or tail from those results.
 
Anyway, I've since gained 5GB on the C drive after being able to use the option of deleting the previous windows files,...no chance of going back to the previous version for me then but realistically who does that anyway??
In case the windows did not update correctly.
The instruction in Post 2 would of done using disk clean up.

I'd still like to know why my laptop wouldn't use another one of my drives in the first place? I will probably be in this same situation next time windows decide on another update.
You need to set windows to do so.
 
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