Users who want to install or have already installed the Windows 7 operating system, which is the most popular among all available, often wonder about the use of disk space by the Windows 7 system. How much space this system occupies can be determined initially from several factors. Actually, they will be discussed later and some additional parameters.
Windows 7: how much space does the distribution take?
As you know, the system must first be installed. But this will require an installation distribution. Usually, installation is not performed from the hard drive (files are written to an optical or USB-drive), but you still need to know the size of the installer and its associated components, at least to estimate the space on a removable drive.
Here you can’t do without considering some of the features of Windows 7. How much disk space the installer takes depends on what kind of modification is supposed to be installed, whether the service pack is present in the downloaded package, etc.
If you look at the same links to torrent trackers, on average the maximum version (and it is by far the most common) in the version with 64-bit architecture is about 3.03 GB, and version 32 bits (x86) - 2, 32 GB
The question of how much space Windows 7 “Ultimate” takes after installing it on a computer or laptop is controversial. The fact is that such contradictions are connected exclusively with the recommendations of the developers, to reserve as much as 20 GB for the installation process only. But that is not all. Only twenty "gigs" the user does not get off, because for the normal operation of the system during operation this will be clearly not enough.
How much space does Windows 7 take after installation: general
But back to using the hard drive. After installation using a standard distribution kit, which already includes the SP1 update package (and for normal operation of the OS, it is necessary in any case), the stationary system for 32-bit versions takes from 5 to 8 GB, and systems with 64-bit capacity take from 11 to 16 GB.
Apparently, this scatter applies to system versions (Home, Ultimate) and their architecture. It is easy to conclude that the “Maximum” version belongs to the highest value, which includes the first service pack, extended driver support, and some additional features or components that are not available in other versions (we are not talking about pirated assemblies and repacks now )
Issues of modifications and system capacity
So, we have the installed OS. How much space does Windows 7 “Maximum” take (64 bits)? Again, a moot point. According to some estimates, with the first service pack it is somewhere around 13.6 GB (at least on a SSD standard hard drive).
Another point that needs to be taken into account when answering the question of how much space Windows 7 64-bit architecture takes: with an active Internet connection, the free space in the system partition (on drive C) begins to instantly decrease. Why?
Yes, only because the “seven”, with the update service turned on by default, immediately starts searching for updates for the system itself, and even in the first phase their size is about 4.8 GB. Thus, the space occupied on the hard drive already reaches 18.4 GB.
But that is not all. After all, updates do not go anywhere and are not deleted, and if the update is also included for other Microsoft products, it is easy to imagine how large this will eventually result.
Cleaning the system partition
Now one more look at Windows 7. How much space the system takes along with updates is already clear. But almost all users want to clean the hard drive a little.
In the simplest case, you can apply one of the most effective methods, which consists in using the built-in disk cleaning tool. And no matter who says anything, not a single optimizer program will be capable of the actions presented below.
For starters, you should use the usual “Explorer”, in which the right-click menu on the system drive brings up the context menu. The property section is selected from it. The first default is the General tab. In its window there is a disk cleaning button, by clicking on which you can activate the process of estimating the occupied disk space and the ability to delete unnecessary files without harming the system. The results list contains temporary installation files, memory dump files, etc. On all lines, check the boxes and remove all components.
Disk Space Recommendations
Developers give their tips on using the system partition. Firstly, you should not install programs exclusively on drive C in the ProgramFiles folder. If it is possible to install in a virtual partition (for example, drive D), it is better to use this option.
Secondly, it should be noted that the My Documents directory, as well as the folders for downloads, images, videos or directories with the default activated activated shared access, are located exclusively in the system section. You can view all of these items on drive C in the Users folder. Therefore, it is recommended to save "heavy" documents in the form of films, music or projects such as AutoCAD files exclusively in virtual sections (so the documents will not be affected, and the space will be saved).
Thirdly, and most importantly, it is recommended to keep about 10% of the volume of the system partition free for normal PC operation. And no matter how much space is allocated for it. Total 100 GB - 10 GB free space. And dropping below the 10 gigs is not recommended at all. And then after all, some fill out the document folder, as they say, to the eyeballs, and then complain that the system is slow. But what about virtual memory, because the space reserved for the pagefile.sys file is also not unlimited? So it turns out that the system is simply exposed to excessive load for no apparent reason.
Using Optimizer Programs
The decrease in free space can also be associated with activity when working with the Internet. Temporary files, cache - this is not a complete list of all the garbage that remains in the system, and is not deleted by its own means.
This is where the use of special software systems for system care is justified. For the most part, optimizers are able to not only remove unnecessary files, but also delete incorrect or outdated registry keys, files and folders left after uninstalling programs, clean RAM and much more.
Conclusion
Above we briefly talked about Windows 7. How much space it takes at a certain moment is hard to say. As already described, updates alone in the form of update packages that are required to be installed can take up no less (if not more) space reserved for a “clean” system. But the user must be careful not to bring their own computer or laptop to excessive clutter.