WINDOWS 10 UPDATE- SCHEDULED DURING OCTOBER 2018

Windows 10 is doing another update which is scheduled for sometime in October 2018. It's a big one, so big, they are doing some advance notifications of users whose hard drives might not have enough room to download and install it.



There is a Windows Update screen which is pre-warning a small percentage of users to make enough space on their device to handle this 10GB update or they will put their existing Windows 10 operating system at risk.  



While this applies mostly to super-active users who store everything on their device, those who have smaller hard drives (less than 250GB) and those with older copies of Windows 10 that haven't been updated regularly, it is never a bad idea to check your own device to make sure you have enough free space. No matter what size hard drive you have.

If you see the above picture on your screen when the update becomes 
available, then you need to make some room so the update can download and install.

The Microsoft warning says: 
"Windows Update does not check systems for adequate space requirements before it initializes."  



In other words, it is up to you to make sure there is enough space on your device.  Microsoft is also saying they can't be responsible for lost work if the update doesn't install because of not enough space.

In this picture, there's a total of 74.4GB, but 66.9 is used up and there is only 7.5 GB of space left. There is no way this device can accept a file bigger than 5GB and still operate without glitching.
  .

If your hard drive screen looks like the above picture or if your USED side is more than 50% of your hard drive, then you seriously need to clean up your device to get rid of anything you don't need or use anymore. It will make your device run much more smoothly and will free up some badly needed space.

Storage Space

If you must KEEP a file, then buy some flash drives to keep the files on. Your hard drive needs to keep a certain amount of free space available in order to operate efficiently and to accept downloads for Windows Updates and other crucial operating files.

Make A Schedule

Each user is advised to have a regular schedule for doing their system maintenance - monthly is what most users do.  But if you are a user who stores everything on your hard drive, you might want to schedule a weekly date to check the amount of your "available" storage space, and remove (delete) files that came with downloads and other unnecessary files.  

What Is System Maintenance

System maintenance includes clearing temporary files, emptying browsing history on each browser, deleting duplicate copies of folders,  emptying your download folder, emptying your recycling bin and deleting any old APPS that you no longer use. This is also a good time to get rid of Bloatware that came loading on your device when you first bought it.  



Bloatware consists of Apps and programs that are pre-loaded on your device. Often they are sample size Apps that require you to purchase the full program after trial period expires.  Go to SETTINGS, PROGRAMS and FEATURES.  Go to NAME and click that column to put them in alphabetical order OR you can go to INSTALLED ON column and it will put them in date order.  Uninstall anything that is not needed or are Apps you no longer use. 

Bloatware slows down your device and takes up
valuable space that you can be using for other programs

 



You can remove Bloatware right from your START button. Click START at bottom left of your device and it will bring up all the files and Apps that are on your device.  Right click next to any title and select UNINSTALL as seen in this picture. Also if a file says FREE, get rid of it. It is taking up valuable space.

Uninstall Apps right from your START MENU. Also get rid of
anything that says it is free. It is a space hogger.

Personal note:  I back up important operating files from my PC on flash drives so that if I ever get the blue screen of death, I am able to restore my PC very quickly. When it comes to Windows updates, size Does matter so you really need to do system maintenance monthly to make sure your system has enough "free" space and is running smoothly.  

What flash drives look like

Even though my 500GB PC hard drive has about 300GB available space, photos take up more space than text documents.  I save nearly all my work on flash drives.  I also find it is more convenient for me to take flash drives with me when I go on vacation or to the office. Everyone should invest in at least 3 flash (thumb) drives of 32GB or more.  

This gives you an idea of how much they cost.
32GB is what most people purchase but
128GB is huge. At $34.99, the 128GB is a bargain.