Are you getting a low disk space warning in Windows? Or maybe you have been prompted to delete a previous version of Windows to gain some disk space? If so, here's how to quickly free up space on your drive.

We have all been there. You are working along, and all of a sudden, a little dialog box pops out and tells you that you are low on disk space. It used to happen a whole lot more years ago when drives were smaller. But it is scary when it does pop up.

Disk Cleanup

Now one way to quickly free up some disk space is to use the built-in Disk Cleanup utility. If you click on the Low Disk Space warning, it brings up Disk Cleanup with default settings.

The default settings for Disk Cleanup are pretty good and will do the job. But there are more advanced settings that can clean up even more files; you have to know how to get to them. You can also run Disk Cleanup as a Scheduled Task. Check out the links below.

Clean up Windows 7 with Disk Cleanup

Clean up Windows 8.1 with Disk Cleanup

Clean up Windows 10 with Disk Cleanup

Clean up Windows 11 with Disk Cleanup

Manually delete temporary files

If you are looking to delete the temporary files/folders quickly on your computer, here's a down-and-dirty quick way to do it. All you have to do is bring up a Run dialog box.

How to open a Run dialog box

All versions of Windows:
On the keyboard, press the Windows logo key + R

Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Windows 11:
Right-click on the Windows logo on the Start Menu or press the Windows logo key + X and then select Run

In the Run dialog box that appears, cut and paste or type either:

• %temp%
  (user temp folder)
• %systemroot%\temp
  (system temp folder)

and then select OK. If you get a prompt telling you that you do not currently have permission to access the folder, click on the Continue button. File Explorer will open and display the contents of that folder.

Now highlight one of the files and then press the CTRL + A keys simultaneously to select all of the files/folders. Right-click on them and select Delete. If you get a prompt about permanently deleting the files, left-click on Yes. If you get a prompt telling you that a file is still in use, make sure the Do this for all current items checkbox is selected and then left-click on Skip.

Turn off hibernation

If you still need to free up some space, you can disable hibernation and delete the hilberfil.sys file. That should give you a few more gigabytes of free space. You will need an administrative command prompt to run these.

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 7

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 8

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 10

How to open a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges in Windows 11

Once you have an administrative command prompt open, just cut and paste or type the following into it:

• powercfg.exe /hibernate off
  (turn off hibernation)
• powercfg.exe /hibernate on
  (turn on hibernation)

Graphic Visualization Tools

Now when it comes to finding large files or folders, nothing can beat an excellent visual treemap. Instead of the usual file/folder data like you see in File Explorer, a graphic visualization tool shows file/folder information using blocks. The larger the square, the bigger the file/folder.

Years ago, I started using a graphic visualization tool when I had a client that all of the desktops began running out of disk space. Using a visualization tool, I found that the network-deployed anti-virus clients were downloading new virus definitions, but they were not deleting previous versions.

Now there are a couple of different graphic visualization tools out there. I first started using SpaceMonger but have since moved over to SpaceSniffer. It does not require any installation (unzip and go) and is entirely free (but donations are recommended).

Now right out-of-the-box SpaceSniffer can be a bit overwhelming with all of the information it provides. But with a couple of changes to the configuration, SpaceSniffer can open up just the way you like.

Now be careful not to go crazy and start deleting folders/files in the Windows folder. I know that it is one of the largest folders on the C: drive, but resist the urge to delete anything inside of the Windows folder. I would focus on the size of the user(s) folders/files. For more information on SpaceSniffer and how to use it, follow the link below.

SpaceSniffer, find lost disk space the easy way

So, you say your Windows 10 computer is starting to run slow and having errors. Or maybe you just got a new computer and want to recycle your old Windows 10 system. Then it may be time to reset Windows 10 on your computer.

Now over the years, Microsoft has made resetting Windows difficult, at best. In most versions, you had to reinstall Windows to get a clean copy. But with Windows 10, you can reset the operating system without losing your files.

There are two (2) reset options built-in to Windows 10. You can either keep your user files or remove everything. Take note; either option removes all applications not included with Windows 10. That means you will have to reinstall all of the programs you installed or came pre-loaded on your computer.

Below you will find the instructions for performing a reset of Windows 10 using the built-in feature. But if you want to remove everything, you do have two (2) more options. The first is using the Refresh Windows Tool, which does the same thing as the built-in remove everything option.

Refresh Windows Tool

The second option is a little more complicated but does have some advantages. With this option, you download the Windows 10 installation media and perform an in-place upgrade. With this option, you can choose to save your files and all of your installed programs. Or you can get rid of everything and start with a fresh copy of Windows 10. Now the in-place upgrade does reset all of Windows 10 settings back to default but retains all of the installed programs.

How to repair Windows 10 by doing an in-place upgrade

Always remember to backup your computer before performing any reset. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Backup Windows 10

How to reset Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. Left-click on Settings (gear icon).
   
3. Left-click on Update & Security.
   
4. In the left-hand column, left-click on Recovery.
   
5. In the right-hand column under Reset this PC, left-click on the Get started button.
   
6. On the Choose an option page, left-click on either Keep my files or Remove everything.
   
• If you select Keep my files, you get a prompt with a list of the apps you will need to reinstall. Left-click on the Next button to proceed. Once you left-click on your choice, you'll come to the Ready to reset this PC screen. Left-click on Reset to proceed with the reset.
• If you select Remove everything, you will be prompted to either Just remove my files or Remove files and clean the drive. Once you left-click on your choice, you'll come to the Ready to reset this PC screen. Left-click on Reset to proceed with the reset.
7. In newer versions of Windows 10 (2004 and up), the next screen you get will ask you How would you like to reinstall Windows?
   
   Select either Cloud download or Local reinstall.
• Cloud download requires Internet access and can use more than 4GB of data
• Local reinstall uses the hidden recovery partition on your computer to reinstall Windows 10
8. Once you left-click on your choice, you'll come to the Reset this PC screen. Once you confirm your selection of settings, Left-click on Reset to proceed with the reset.

If you selected Remove files and clean the drive, you will need to go through the initial Windows 10 set up. For security reasons, Microsoft would like you to use a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows 10. But if you have used previous versions of Windows, you probably had a local account. And you might not have had a password at all. You can still create a local account in Windows 10, and here is how you do it.

When you get to the How would you like to set up? page,

left-click on Set up for personal use and then left-click on the Next button. On the Sign in with Microsoft page, left-click on the Offline account link down in the lower left-hand corner.

This will take you to a page titled Sign in to enjoy the full range of Microsoft apps and services.

Left-click on the Limited experience link down in the lower left-hand corner. The next page is Who's going to use this PC? This is where you create a local account.

Just type in a username and left-click on Next. The following screen will ask you for a password, but it's not required for a local account. If you do not want a password, leave the password field blank and left-click on Next. Without a password, when Windows 10 starts up, it will boot directly to the desktop.

Wi-Fi hotspots have become quite familiar with smartphone users. Having the ability to share your Internet connection can be a lifesaver at times. But did you know that you can do the same thing with a Windows 10 computer? Here's how to create a mobile hotspot in Windows 10.

It used to be that if you wanted to share your Internet connection on your laptop or desktop computer, you had to use third-party software like Virtual Hotspot. The cool thing is Microsoft has built that feature right into Windows 10.

I know what you're thinking; "When would I ever use a Wi-Fi hotspot?". Using the Windows 10 mobile hotspot can be extremely helpful if you have to pay for Internet access, like at a hotel or airport.

For example, when I travel, I like to set up my laptop to use a wired (Ethernet) Internet connection, because they usually are faster than wireless. Once I've established a wired connection to the Internet, then I share that connection with all of my wireless devices (smartphone, tablet, etc.).

Now there are a couple of requirements that your system has to have before the mobile hotspot feature becomes available. You have to have at least two (2) network adapters, and one of them has to be a wireless adapter. The connection to the Internet can be either wired, wireless, or cellular.

The mobile hotspot uses WPA2-PSK security, and only 8 (eight) devices can connect to it at one time. And the only thing you can share is your Internet connection. Devices connected to the mobile hotspot cannot access folders, files, or printers on the host computer.

How to set up a mobile hotspot in Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button (Windows logo) to bring up the Start menu.
   
2. Left-click on Settings (gear icon).
   
3. Left-click on Network & Internet.
   
4. In the left-hand column, look for the Mobile hotspot tab. You don't see it; your computer doesn't meet the requirements.
   
5. Under Network status in the right-hand column, make a note of which type of connection you are using.
6. In the left-hand column, left-click on Mobile hotspot.
   
7. In the right-hand column under Mobile hotspot, make sure the connection shown under Share my Internet connection from is the same connection from Step 5. If not, use the pull-down menu to change it.
8. Directly below the Share my Internet connection from pull-down menu is the Network name and Network password. If you want to change either of these, left-click on the Edit button below them.
   
9. Now go back to the top of the right-hand column and left-click on the Share my Internet connection with other devices slider switch to turn on your mobile hotspot.

Everyone knows that when you make any significant change to your computer, you must backup the registry first. But not many casual computer users understand what the registry is and how to back it up. So here's how to backup and restore the registry in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

So, what is the registry? The registry is a database that contains information on the hardware, software, and user(s) installed on your computer. Even though it may sound like a single entity, it consists of several different files. The collection of these files is called the registry hive.

FYI: The information in the registry hive is stored in two (2) essential elements: Keys and Values. Keys are like folders; they can contain values and keys. Values are like files; they contain data in various formats.

Automatically backup and restore the registry in Windows 10 and Windows 11

The System Protection tab of the System Properties dialog box inside Windows 10

Now, the simplest way to backup the registry is to create a restore point. Restore points contain backup copies of the registry, most drivers, and files with particular extensions.

Restore points can be a lifesaver if your system fails to start after a change or modification. Just make sure to create a system repair disk or recovery drive (instructions below) and have it on hand only in case your system won't start up correctly. You can use it to boot your computer and access a restore point.

How to create a restore point in Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Bring up the System > About page by either:
   
   • Pressing the Windows logo key + Pause.
   • Pressing the Windows logo key + X to bring up the Power User menu and press Y to select System.
   • Right-clicking on the Windows logo on the Start menu to bring up the Power User menu and select System.
2. In the right-hand column, left-click on the System protection link.
3. In the Protection Settings field, check and ensure system protection is enabled. If it is not, then highlight the drive's name and left-click on the Configure ... button. Once you have verified that system protection is enabled, proceed to the next step.
4. Highlight the C: (System) drive, and left-click on the button labeled Create ....
5. Type in a descriptive title for your restore point (the date and time are automatically added).
6. Left-click on Create.

How to use a restore point in Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Bring up the System > About page by either:
   
   • Pressing the Windows logo key + Pause.
   • Pressing the Windows logo key + X to bring up the Power User menu and press Y to select System.
   • Right-clicking on the Windows logo on the Start menu to bring up the Power User menu and select System.
2. In the right-hand column, left-click on the System protection link.
3. At the top of the System Protection tab, left-click on the button under the System Restore section labeled System Restore ....
4. When the starting screen appears, left-click on Next >.
5. Highlight the restore point you want to use, then left-click on Next >.
6. When the confirmation screen appears, left-click on Finish.
7. A warning should appear telling you not to interrupt the system restore process. Left-click on Yes to proceed.
8. Your computer will start restoring the system (including the registry) to how it was when the restore point was created and reboot.

Creating a system repair disk or recovery drive in Windows 10 and Windows 11

System repair disks and recovery drives are essentially the same thing. They are bootable drives that contain the essential system tools to repair your Windows installation. The only difference is the media they use; system repair disks use CDs/DVDs, and recovery drives use USBs. Recovery drives can also reinstall Windows. Click here for more on Recovery Drives for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

How to create a system repair disk for Windows 10 or Windows 11 (requires a blank CD/DVD)

1. Bring up the Run dialog box by either:
   
   • Pressing the Windows logo key + R
   • Right-click on the Windows logo on the Start Menu or press the Windows logo key + X and then select Run
2. In the Run dialog box that appears, type recdisc and select OK. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Just follow the prompts.

How to create a recovery drive for Windows 10 (requires an empty USB drive 16GB or larger)

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Accessories.
3. Double left-click on Recovery Drive. Just follow the prompts.

How to create a recovery drive for Windows 11 (requires an empty USB drive 16GB or larger)

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Double left-click on Recovery Drive. Just follow the prompts.

Manually backup and restore the registry in Windows 10 and Windows 11

The Registry Editor interface inside of Windows 10

Another way to backup the registry is to use the built-in Registry Editor. The beautiful thing about using the Registry Editor is that you don't have to backup the whole registry if you don't want to. You can just backup any key or value you want.

There is a downside to using the Registry Editor to manually backup the registry. To restore anything with the Registry Editor, you must boot your computer in either standard or safe mode. A system repair disc doesn't have the Registry Editor included.

How to manually backup the registry using the Registry Editor in Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Bring up the Run dialog box by either:
   
   • Pressing the Windows logo key + R
   • Right-click on the Windows logo on the Start Menu or press the Windows logo key + X and then select Run
2. In the Run dialog box that appears, type regedit and select OK. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. When the Registry Editor appears either:
• Highlight Computer in the left-hand column to backup the complete registry.
• Highlight the key or value you want to backup.
4. Left-click on the File pull-down menu and left-click on Export.
5. Select the location and a descriptive file name for the backup file, and then left-click on Save.

How to manually restore the registry using the Registry Editor in Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Bring up the Run dialog box by either:
   
   • Pressing the Windows logo key + R
   • Right-click on the Windows logo on the Start Menu or press the Windows logo key + X and then select Run
2. In the Run dialog box that appears, type regedit and select OK. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. When the Registry Editor appears either:
4. Left-click on the File pull-down menu and left-click on Import.
5. Navigate to the location of the REG file you want to import and left-click on it.
6. Left-click on the Open button. You should get a confirmation screen telling you successfully imported the file.

In doing computer repair, I often get asked, "Why does my computer take so long to start up?". Quite frequently, it turns out there are items set to auto-start that don't need to or don't exist anymore. Here's how to disable programs, drivers, and services that auto-start in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Now, this one doesn't cost any money and can dramatically improve the time it takes for your computer and programs to start up. By minimizing the number of applications that launch at startup, you can also free up memory.

Now, there are three (3) programs I use to enable or disable programs, drivers, or services that start up in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The built-in programs (Task Manager and System Configuration) are pretty safe to use but still can degrade performance if not used properly. The third program (Autoruns / Autoruns64) can be dangerous because not only can it enable or disable entries, but it can also delete them.

Note: I recommended that you make changes one at a time and restart between them. That way, you can find out if you need that program or service you just disabled. Yes, it's time-consuming, but sometimes you have to do it.

Task Manager (Auto-start programs)

The Startup tab inside of Windows 10 / Windows 11 Task Manager

Using Task Manager is the most comfortable and safest way to enable or disable programs that auto-start with Windows 10 and Windows 11. None of the programs listed here are going to prevent your computer from starting if disabled. You will not find any program listed here that Windows 10 or Windows 11 requires to operate.

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Task Manager, it's a built-in program that does a lot of different things. It monitors running programs, system performance, and active processes. And it also manages programs that auto-start with Windows.

How to start Task Manager in Windows 10 and Windows 11

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Task Manager.

or

1. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL all at the same time.
2. From the security screen that appears, left-click on Task Manager.

or

1. Right-click on an empty area of the Taskbar.
2. On the context menu that appears, left-click on Task Manager.

Sometimes, the first time you run Task Manager, it will only display running apps. You have to left-click the More details arrow to view all the tabs. The location of the tabs varies from Windows 10 (across the top) to Windows 11 (down the left side).

Once the tabs are displayed, left-click on Startup (Windows 10) or Startup apps (Windows 11). From here, all you have to do is highlight the program name and select the Enable / Disable button.

System Configuration (Auto-start services)

The Services tab inside of System Configuration

This program is used mainly for diagnostics, so there are no splashy graphics. With System Configuration, you can change the services that auto-start with Windows. Be careful about making changes here, as they can have a significant impact on system performance.

How to start System Configuration in Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button and scroll down the list of applications to Windows Administrative Tools.
2. Left-click on Windows Administrative Tools to expand the contents.
3. Scroll down and left-click on System Configuration.

How to start System Configuration in Windows 11

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Left-click on System Configuration.

How to start System Configuration in both Windows 10 and 11

1. Press the Windows logo key + R to bring up the Run dialog box.
2. Type in MSCONFIG and left-click on OK.

From the default dialog box, select the Service tab. There, you will find all the services that auto-start with Windows. Remember that some of the Microsoft services listed cannot be disabled, so it's always best to select the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox at the bottom of the services section.

Once you have made your changes left-click on the Apply button, then left-click on the OK button. You will get a dialog box prompting you to either Restart or Exit without restart. Left-click on Restart, and you're ready to go. Remember to make changes one at a time and restart in between changes.

Autoruns / Autoruns64 (Auto-start programs, drivers, and services)

The Everything tab inside Microsoft Autoruns

Autoruns.exe (32-bit) and Autoruns64.exe (64-bit) are part of Microsoft's Sysinternals Suite of troubleshooting utilities and do not come with Windows 10 or Windows 11. But they are free, require no installation, and can be downloaded separately or with the complete suite (see links below).

Now Autoruns.exe will only run on 32-bit versions of Windows 10, and Autoruns64.exe will only run on 64-bit versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows 11 does not come in a 32-bit version. Most versions of Windows 10 are 64-bit, so if you have any doubt about what version of Windows 10 you have, download Autoruns64.exe first.

This program is the most complex of them all. And the most dangerous! Why do you ask? Besides being able to disable programs, drivers, and services that auto-start, you can also delete their load points altogether. So be careful!

Once you have downloaded the files and extracted them to a permanent location, open that folder with File Explorer. Locate either Autoruns.exe or Autoruns64.exe (depending on your version of Windows 10). Right-click on the release of Autoruns for your version of Windows 10 / Windows 11 and select Run as administrator from the context menu.

When you start Autoruns, it automatically scans your computer for auto-start programs, drivers, and services. Autoruns has multiple tabs for the different Windows auto-start locations (logon, services, drivers, etc.), including one called Everything. And if you select the User pull-down menu on the toolbar on top of the program, you can also select the different user profiles.

If you want to disable/enable a program or driver, left-click on the checkbox on the left-hand side of the entry. You can also delete an entry, but I recommend that you back it up first, just in case. If you find you don't need the backup, you can delete the file later.

To back up an entry in Autoruns, you right-click on it, and a context menu will appear. Left-click on Jump to entry ... and the Registry Editor opens to the location in the registry of that entry. Right-click on the selected entry in the Registry Editor, and a context menu appears. Left-click on Export and select a location and file name for your backup file.

Autoruns
Sysinternals Suite