F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Why is the SSD on the new laptop 29% full?

Why is the SSD on the new laptop 29% full?

Why is the SSD on the new laptop 29% full?

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B3NP
Member
172
06-17-2021, 07:23 AM
#1
I've been using Mac computers since the late 1990s and recently purchased a Microsoft Surface laptop with a 13.8", 16/256 GB SSD. I believe this is quite impressive. However, the SSD only has 170GB available. I've looked through many PC websites and forums but haven't found a solution. Is this typical for Windows 11? And if not, how can I free up space on the hard drive? This isn't a major issue, but it feels very full for a brand-new laptop. Thank you for your assistance.
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B3NP
06-17-2021, 07:23 AM #1

I've been using Mac computers since the late 1990s and recently purchased a Microsoft Surface laptop with a 13.8", 16/256 GB SSD. I believe this is quite impressive. However, the SSD only has 170GB available. I've looked through many PC websites and forums but haven't found a solution. Is this typical for Windows 11? And if not, how can I free up space on the hard drive? This isn't a major issue, but it feels very full for a brand-new laptop. Thank you for your assistance.

S
sweetcake18905
Junior Member
19
06-18-2021, 02:23 AM
#2
170GB free out of 256GB (238GB usable space) is 71% free or
29% full
(
not 70% full
).
Used space is 238 - 170 = 68GB
Quite normal disk usage for windows 11.
S
sweetcake18905
06-18-2021, 02:23 AM #2

170GB free out of 256GB (238GB usable space) is 71% free or
29% full
(
not 70% full
).
Used space is 238 - 170 = 68GB
Quite normal disk usage for windows 11.

E
Eman_45
Member
52
06-18-2021, 09:18 AM
#3
I think the 16/256 indicates 16GB of RAM paired with a 256GB storage, leaving roughly 170GB remaining.
E
Eman_45
06-18-2021, 09:18 AM #3

I think the 16/256 indicates 16GB of RAM paired with a 256GB storage, leaving roughly 170GB remaining.

B
Bloodbath538
Member
127
06-18-2021, 12:06 PM
#4
Thank you very much for your responses – they are indeed very useful and timely. I assumed there might be an issue, but it turned out to be nothing; I was only concerned because I was unfamiliar with Windows.
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Bloodbath538
06-18-2021, 12:06 PM #4

Thank you very much for your responses – they are indeed very useful and timely. I assumed there might be an issue, but it turned out to be nothing; I was only concerned because I was unfamiliar with Windows.

A
axelking777
Member
59
06-20-2021, 02:47 AM
#5
Apologies for the confusion, I intended to mention 170GB free and have now fixed the question.
A
axelking777
06-20-2021, 02:47 AM #5

Apologies for the confusion, I intended to mention 170GB free and have now fixed the question.

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ChibiWolf39
Senior Member
491
06-20-2021, 04:32 AM
#6
Well, formatting usually consumes around 10%, which brings the total down to 225~ windows at 20-30GB, landing you around 195~. The remaining items are random files that come along with the default installation. Also, windows works with binary bytes instead of decimal ones, but it still advertises in decimal, causing a loss of about 20GB~ storage. (macOS uses decimal, so you don’t notice this)
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ChibiWolf39
06-20-2021, 04:32 AM #6

Well, formatting usually consumes around 10%, which brings the total down to 225~ windows at 20-30GB, landing you around 195~. The remaining items are random files that come along with the default installation. Also, windows works with binary bytes instead of decimal ones, but it still advertises in decimal, causing a loss of about 20GB~ storage. (macOS uses decimal, so you don’t notice this)

R
roye652
Junior Member
6
06-21-2021, 12:39 AM
#7
Windows itself occupies around 30gb, while a pagefile with 16gb of RAM would make roughly 32gb of storage available. Using 68gb with no other applications running feels reasonable, although there might be some unnecessary space from Microsoft's software.
R
roye652
06-21-2021, 12:39 AM #7

Windows itself occupies around 30gb, while a pagefile with 16gb of RAM would make roughly 32gb of storage available. Using 68gb with no other applications running feels reasonable, although there might be some unnecessary space from Microsoft's software.

I
iMadara_PVP
Junior Member
11
06-22-2021, 07:42 AM
#8
No. That's not, how it works.
256GB drive capacity is is actually 256'000'000'000 bytes (not 256GB).
When you convert to GB you get 256'000'000'000/1024/1024/1024 = 238GB
There is no way to get 225GB from 256GB.
If you take 240GB drive for example, then actual capacity is 240'000'000'000/1024/1024/1024 =223GB.
That's probably where you got this 225GB number.
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iMadara_PVP
06-22-2021, 07:42 AM #8

No. That's not, how it works.
256GB drive capacity is is actually 256'000'000'000 bytes (not 256GB).
When you convert to GB you get 256'000'000'000/1024/1024/1024 = 238GB
There is no way to get 225GB from 256GB.
If you take 240GB drive for example, then actual capacity is 240'000'000'000/1024/1024/1024 =223GB.
That's probably where you got this 225GB number.

T
teostien
Member
62
06-22-2021, 06:56 PM
#9
256000000000 divided by 1024 equals 250,000,000KB
250,000,000 divided by 1024 equals 244,140.625MB
244,140.625 divided by 1024 equals 238.419GB
You need to perform this for each conversion
Then you lose formatting which is another 10% and windows. Formatting isn’t the same as converting from decimal to binary.
T
teostien
06-22-2021, 06:56 PM #9

256000000000 divided by 1024 equals 250,000,000KB
250,000,000 divided by 1024 equals 244,140.625MB
244,140.625 divided by 1024 equals 238.419GB
You need to perform this for each conversion
Then you lose formatting which is another 10% and windows. Formatting isn’t the same as converting from decimal to binary.