I recently reset my Omen 15 laptop that's running Windows 11, and now I'm facing a strange issue. Before the reset, I had a full 500GB of storage. However, after the reset, my available space dropped to just 26.3GB, with only 1.22GB free! I've checked disk management, but I can't see any additional partitions, and there is nothing installed since it's all factory reset. I'm at a loss here and can't reset again or do a clean install due to the limited space (less than 100MB left!).
3 Answers
It sounds like you may have multiple partitions created from the factory reset, which can be pretty troublesome. The built-in factory reset feature isn't the most reliable and often leads to these problems. My advice would be to perform a clean install of Windows, as that tends to resolve storage issues like this one. Just make sure you backup any important files first, if you can free up some space!
Check if you have a Windows.old folder taking up space! This folder can hold your previous installation data, and it may take a few days to delete automatically. You can access Storage Sense by typing it in the search bar, and try to look for the option to remove previous Windows versions. It might free up some space for you!
Thanks! I checked my Windows.old folder, but it’s empty. I also tried using Storage Sense, and it said it couldn’t free up any more disk space.
If you're still having trouble after checking the Windows.old folder, it might help to get into your BIOS or check your disk setup. Just remember that making changes can be risky, so ensure your data is backed up before doing anything. You might need to create a bootable USB drive with Windows installation media to proceed with a clean install if you're stuck.
How do I do that?