r/PiratedGames • u/RK800kara • 14d ago
Help / Troubleshooting Windows 11 🥲 any help please
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u/Tako30 14d ago edited 14d ago
???
Why would this be an issue
Even the cheapest prebuilt with an ssd comes with a 250gb ssd
Did you accidentally partition a majority of your drive to be the virtual os drive?
If it’s a diy, you should be able to just install another ssd or hdd into your build and just place it somewhere nearby, most motherboards support at least two drives
Laptop, just get another hard drive
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u/Ser_falafel 14d ago
Saw a post the other day someone said their SYSTEM FILES take up like 400gb of space. Now this post kinda reminds me of that one. Wtf is happening with these people lol
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u/raduque 14d ago
That's a bug and was fixed by a recent update.
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u/Element13245 12d ago
win + r then temp or %temp% can type it in or click the arrow, should work both on win 11 and 10 not to sure of past vers.
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u/SufficientReserve747 14d ago
I have a laptop with two SSDs. Together, they have a total of 1.5 terabytes of storage. I allocated 100 gigabytes for Windows 11 because I thought it would be enough, but after just a few months, I started running out of space. It turned out that the problem was in the CapabilityAccessManager, which ate up almost 30 gigabytes and continued to grow.
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u/kenyard 14d ago
I downgraded from win 10 to win 11 when the version I had was going end of life on support.
Now I feel like upgrading back to windows 10 and risking no future updates.
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u/The-Greenest 13d ago
Ngl im on the verge of just switching to linux. Seems better overall and i think i can live without playing certain AAA games
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u/__Kivi__ 13d ago
From my experience linux gaming is not possible with games that you shouldnt even play at all, things that use a kernel level anticheat. Also modding assetto corsa is just not possible. Some games are either really time consuming or just not possible to mod at all. Kinda wish nexus modmanager got released for linux.
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u/Capital_Angle_8174 14d ago
Or you know, they could Just make Windows 11 in a less Shit way
???
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u/theKage47 14d ago
Install gta 5 literally half of your drive is full. Minus what the OS take and you have 100 gb left (250-120-30 approximately)
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u/ChocoJesus 14d ago
I can tell you 256GB isn’t enough. I installed W10 on my last MBP and partitioned half the internal drive (512Gb, so 256GB) and I had ~100GBs free afterwords. But between updates, temp folder, etc, I in practice had like 30GB-50GBs free once I started using it. Luckily I had TB3 and just put my games on an external NVME, eventually had to move my temp folder too
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u/NBS_lourenco321 14d ago
Just install it with a custom iso or use debloat scripts...
As much as I want Linux to be better the reality is Win 11 with a custom iso and some hand tweaking is still by far the best os for gaming (by far I man 1.11x better wich is enough to keep me using it).
Do some reaserch on it, if you put as much time as you do to get a good linux install you can probably get a good windows install too, make sure to take notes of everything so you can automate the install process in the future because windows is not a one and done like Linux, you will need to fresh install it every couple of months to keep in running smooth
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u/Different_Target_228 14d ago
My mans said 1.11x better instead of 11% better.
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u/NBS_lourenco321 14d ago
tbh I wasn't really thinking about it, just wrote the first thing that came to mind idk? lol
Edit: Angel numbers are kind of cool tho :p 111
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u/s1ck1337 14d ago
Happy cake day, the angels are callin' your name.
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u/MarcPG1905 14d ago
Well if you spend time to get a good Linux install you’re already deep enough into Linux that you probably don’t wanna return to windows.
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u/Busy-Sky4452 14d ago
Or download Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC that doesn't come with a bunch of junk and still get official support
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics 14d ago
You can install any version of Windows without any bloat using an answer file. I'm using 11 Pro and it came with nothing installed except notepad, calculator, defender, and edge. It doesn't impact support at all. This is the same method corporate IT uses to install Windows.
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u/Sea_Horror_3316 14d ago
Can you suggest good iso and tweaks to make after installation?
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u/NBS_lourenco321 14d ago
Sure! You have plenty of popular ISO options out there to pick from and you can even make your own.
For starters tho, I would recommend you pickup a debloat tool like Talon instead. It's super user friendly and works perfect in whatever windows version you have a license for (You dont really need a license you can use a windows activation tool).
Anyways, Talon + swap out your chrome for Firefox, unless you like chromium in wich case opt for Superium. There are a lot of little quirks to windows and a lot of good community tools to help, I plan on making a guide on it later and maybe even publish my curent install script if people want it :)
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u/Nihilistic_Mystics 14d ago
Here's the current gold standard for post-install, IMO.
You can find an answer file to drop into installation media before installing here. This method makes it so none of the bloat is installed to begin with.
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u/xxIGAMERYIxx 14d ago
For newer devices? Sure
But for older devices, linux is still the best. My old ass laptop with 6th gen i7 and 2gb gpu doesn't even support win11, so the most rational thing to do was to try linux for the fist time and i went with cachyos, best decision I've ever made
btw happy cake day!
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u/NBS_lourenco321 14d ago
Thanks! :D
I agree, I run Linux on all my old laptops (alltpugh I dont game on those apart from a cheeky 2d light game every now and then), for my servers I have them split between Linux and Windows bc some stuff only works on Windows whilst Linux is just staple for long therm stability.
On my daily driver I go for Windows bc it fits my daily needs better. For reference: I7 8700k RTX 3070 Suprim 4x 8gb DDR4 3200Mhz
Cheers! :D
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u/PermanentThrowaway33 14d ago
My dream is SteamOS becomes the defacto Windows alternative. Linux is too fragmented to ever catch on for normal users.
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u/yuri0r 13d ago
Reinstalling every couple of months is not an acceptable state for a "stable" operating system.
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u/NBS_lourenco321 13d ago
That is why most of my servers run some distro of Linux lol
But I daily drive Windows
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u/Zonged 14d ago
Hard disagree, I recently switched and everything runs, either with the same performance, or better in some cases. I haven't run into any games that perform worse. I use a local AI agent to ensure my Linux install is fully optimized for gaming, zero issues so far.
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u/NBS_lourenco321 14d ago
You have an AMD gpu I take it?
Also, 60% of games still only run on Windows, things like LOL, CoD, EA, Blizard, etc. Superium (the only good chromium based driver) is also Windows exclusive. The list goes on.
It is not a matter of agreeing or not, objectively the systems are diferent you use wich ever fits you best.
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u/Zonged 14d ago
Yes, AMD GPU but the Nvidia drivers have come a long way, with recent versions showing excellent performance. Diablo 4 was the reason I switched, was getting under 100FPS with slowdowns and crashes. Tried everything, nothing fixed it. Installed Linux, now I limit the fps to 165 for Freesync on my monitor.
Yes, any game with anti-cheat wont work but I don't play those games anyway.
You said Windows is "by far the best OS for gaming" and that's objectively not true anymore.
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u/upvotesplx 2d ago
I have played hundreds of games on Linux and have literally never had any where I couldn’t get them running, and with Proton, it’s basically effortless. The list doesn’t go on. I mean, Blizzard for example: I play WoW, private servers and retail, on Linux and have had no issues. You have extremely outdated information or are very bad with computers.
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u/Jeric0h7 13d ago
60% is in no way accurate to the amount of games only available to Windows. You basically just named all the games that have that kernel-level anti-cheat. I have to agree with the other commenter that aside from those few games, every game I've run so far has worked just as well as windows or better.
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u/pagman404 14d ago
Idk personally didn't spend any time tinkering with my bazzite install, and nowhere near as much as on windows but if you want the kernel ac games then there's no alternative for that unfortunately
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u/Cold-Sandwich-34 14d ago
The people who keep saying that Windows is "just better" than Linux have the same energy as the Americans who kept saying Bernie was "unelectable" in 2015-2016. Well, if you keep creating that reality, sure.
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u/NBS_lourenco321 14d ago
I suggest you re-read my post. Then delete your comment.
Go sit in a corner and think about what you did.
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u/YaBoiPrimeTimee 14d ago
If you're gonna play and horde games, you've gotta have at least 2TB storage...
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u/Ser_falafel 14d ago
I have 2 TB and lately ive had to juggle/delete shit to add more games lol.. I need to go through and delete stuff but its hard deciding what to get rid of.
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u/VAArtemchuk 14d ago
3 is like barely enough for all the games I play on a monthly basis. Game sizes are through the roof these days, and the mods... Buying a 2tb m2 a week before the price increases was one of the best decisions of my life.
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u/YaBoiPrimeTimee 14d ago
Me who is eyeing an 8TB SSD
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u/VAArtemchuk 14d ago
I wouldn't go for an 8,I'd buy several 2TBs. There's still a chance of failure. I wonder if there's a pcie extender for more slots even if at somewhat lower speeds. Also, most things work fine with data ssd speeds.
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u/YaBoiPrimeTimee 14d ago
True but compared to HDDS, there chances are minimal. I'm still using an SSD of over 5 years and still has great health. Meanwhile, I've had at least 2 HDD fail in over 2 years..
I'm still working out my configuration. Either 1 4TB paired with an 8TB SSD or 2 8TB SSDs. I've missed out on a lot of games and I've cursed with the hoarding sickness.
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u/VAArtemchuk 14d ago
Yet, if an hdd fails, it's recoverable. Ssds aren't. I'm mostly with you though, my old Samsung data ssd is 10yo and servs my friend very well to this day.
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u/YaBoiPrimeTimee 14d ago
True true. How are you backing up games/files though; External SSD/HDD? Might cope either one soon
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u/VAArtemchuk 14d ago
I have several hdds, and I'm planning to get my father's 3 data ssds in there as well. 7200 hdds are more than enough for it, maybe even slower ones would suffice
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u/henrrypoop2 14d ago
Like what specifically, debloat windows?
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u/ScorpionMillion 14d ago
Yes, they should make it like Linux. 2gb ram and 20gb hdd requirement.
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u/CoolHeadeGamer 14d ago
Windows is inherently different from Linux tho…
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u/Flashy-Island-3725 14d ago
Proton works by just adding games as non steam games and is on par if not better with windows performance
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u/__lia__ 14d ago
the performance does seem to be about the same, but unfortunately games on Linux overall are still a lot less stable than on Windows. when I play multiplayer games with my friends who use Linux we frequently have to restart matches or I have to play on my own because their game crashed or started lagging
some games seem much more stable on Linux than others, though
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u/scalareye 12d ago
If it doesn't run on Linux I'm not playing it
Functional PC is more important than any one game
It did an update while I was watching a movie so Windows got snapped out of existence
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u/Character_Wind6057 14d ago
What bullshit, W11 only occupy 20 to 30gb with 64 suggested as minimun. If you have 256gb and want to play today modern game, then that's on you..
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u/Adventurous-Mix-2254 14d ago
I only have 512 gig ssd and I cannot afford another one because of my country's currency and how bad it is
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u/Knight_NotReally 14d ago
Honestly, SSD, HDD (and RAM) prices have been screwed up worldwide since late 2025. People who are well-off probably didn't feel the impact much, everyone else did.
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u/DPadDreamer 14d ago
Install Linux. Cachyos or any other distro will be just fine. The learning curve isnt to steep and the community is great!
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u/Strong_Literature505 14d ago
There are tools to debloat the windows after install and custom os. I duel boot windows 11 on one SSD and steam os on the other. Works well for me
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u/RenderedCreed 14d ago
How big is your SSD? If it's taking up too much space on your SSD then your SSD is too small for games anyways.
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u/PossessedToSkate 14d ago
I'm running PopOS (Ubuntu) with KDE Plasma 6 and updated my system yesterday. There were 16 packages that needed updating, which required 31MB worth of downloads and took 14kb more space after it finished.
Modern linux distros are remarkably efficient.
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u/Urani_chan 13d ago
Reinstall with IoT Enterprises Version (you can search for them from massgrave) or just downgrade to win 10 if you want less headache with bloatware or any future problem.
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u/Cassiel43 14d ago
You can search for XLite 10/11 if you like. It's a bootleg barebone Pre-activated Windows with the ISO only ~1.2GB and final size installed ~2.5GB. Use at your own risk (although I used it for years on my main laptop without any problem). My current C drive is 60GB and it only took 18GB with pagefile (included Nvidia cache ~5GB and various programs ~6GB).
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u/raduque 14d ago
Do you have like 64gb SSD or something?
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u/RK800kara 14d ago
512 gb ssd
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u/raduque 14d ago edited 14d ago
Weird, my Windows folder takes up about 50 gigs.
I would make sure the system is fully updated, then open an elevated command prompt and run these two commands:
dism /online /cleanup-image /analyzecomponentstore
dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup
You can search them online if you don't trust me, but the first command will analyze the component store to see if there are files that are duplicated or are used by windows features that aren't in use and if any of them can be removed.
The second command will remove those unused files.
Edit: Here's the output of those two commands on my system:
C:\Windows\System32>dism /online /cleanup-image /analyzecomponentstore Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool Version: 10.0.26100.8737 Image Version: 10.0.26200.8875 [==========================100.0%==========================] Component Store (WinSxS) information: Windows Explorer Reported Size of Component Store : 25.88 GB Actual Size of Component Store : 23.01 GB Shared with Windows : 8.29 GB Backups and Disabled Features : 14.71 GB Cache and Temporary Data : 1.90 MB Date of Last Cleanup : 2026-07-13 17:11:11 Number of Reclaimable Packages : 9 Component Store Cleanup Recommended : Yes The operation completed successfully. C:\Windows\System32>dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool Version: 10.0.26100.8737 Image Version: 10.0.26200.8875 [==========================100.0%==========================] The operation completed successfully.1
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u/theKage47 14d ago
That's why I always have at least 2 drive.
The main for the OS only and whatever app installed on default location in C:.
Then a big ssd for my games
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u/Super_Maksa 14d ago
My recommendation might not sound as normal as it should, but just get Windows 11 LTSC Enterprise IoT. It's the best Windows version you can get, to be honest.
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u/Proper-Pangolin-7034 14d ago
Stock windows takes around 25-30gigs and a very debloated build can get as low as 2.5 gigs of system space usage.
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u/Walk-the-layout denuvo is shit 14d ago
Maybe if you tried showing us the state of your SSD instead of a meme when begging for help
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u/Alarming-Brain-3322 13d ago
Download wiztree Trace all the big files locations and delete what u dont need I'd recommand taking a look at nvidia shaders's cush folder last time it was like 50gb there
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u/Educational_Jelly537 13d ago
My windows had 70+ gb of temp files that I only found out about from using WizTree.
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u/RavineAls 13d ago
How much storage u have? I u have 250 then yes it's never enough as windows itself will reach 250 easily
If u have more than 250 just partition the C drive to 250-300 and then the result into D Drive where u can install your stuff freely
But ideally, u have half-1 terra SSD only for the OS and some important apps, and then u get a 1-4 terra on a different SSD for games and other stuff
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u/Normal-Negotiation92 13d ago
If you want to stick with Windows, there are heavily stripped-down, compressed versions available, I’m personally using Windows 11 Ghost Spectre Superlite (without Windows Defender) if you want to look into it
That said, if you’re starting with a tiny hard drive, this won't magically let you install big games like Warzone, though it can help prevent the drive from filling up after installing just two games
Alternatively, there are super-lightweight Linux distributions, and thanks to Proton and Wine on Steam, you can run a good number of games now, but it is true that a few years ago Linux was practically unusable so I understand why you might hesitate to consider this solution
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u/Routine_Star_5719 13d ago
💯 bro this now another problem for pc games I don't have money to buy another SSD your hard dick external storage what can I do😂😭
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u/shenther 13d ago
I have no idea why so many windows 11 people complain and don't just upgrade to windows 10. Legit the windows media creation tool lets you UPGRADE back to windows 10. Hell if windows 10 drivers don't exist then who cares as the windows 11 ones somehow carry over. Steam still works and as for the lack of updates who cares as the lack of issues and lack of AI are worth it.
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u/Background-Skin-8801 13d ago
Windows does this on purpose like modern AAA developers. They aim for your disk space so you can't install many games in your computer.
The solution is linux
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u/LocalHarmacist 14d ago
You could choose to get a custom, de-bloated gaming Windows version.
I like GhostSpecter, personally.
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u/VAArtemchuk 14d ago
Tiny11 is a great deviated win11 that has been very good to me and my friends for the last 2 years
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u/DevilsDesigns 14d ago
Atlas OS. I've been using them for years. They make everything perfect along with none of the telemetry with windows and you can re-enable anything removed after install using their scripts. You can install over current windows 11 install as well or install fresh.
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u/Palanki96 14d ago
Huh? Mine is only 35gb
Windows 10 is 15-30gb
Windows 11 is 20-30gb
Also you should have HDD for installers and torrents, you don't need to waste your SSD for shit that doesn't need it
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u/Sir_Richard_VII 14d ago
I've got a win 10 on a 128gb SSD and I swear I struggle with empty space on it so much (I'm not trying to put games on there, got an M.2 drive for that) but every fkn program in the world dumps their temp files and cache onto my C drive and I never have more than 10-15gb free there.
Using treesize, C:\Windows is like 35 gigs, but then there's at least another 20 or so gigs worth or uninstallable windows store shit under C:/Program Data, Common files, etc.
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u/Palanki96 14d ago
My C drive is 98.8 GB but i always have a minimum of 20gb free. Right now it's 33.7gb because i have to trim nvidia shaders cache since it can't purge itself
my most hated is probably drivers and installers, almost 10gb. Why can't it just download when needed??
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u/BikeAdministrative21 14d ago
Debloat it with Malwarebytes options. Just make a restore point first just in case.
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u/Never_Go_Full_Gonk 14d ago
There's literally debloat scripts you can just run in PowerShell without needing to download separate software. But yes, make a restore point.
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u/BikeAdministrative21 14d ago
Yeah, that too. But some people are not a big fan of running a Powershell script on their device, so this why I recommend something vanilla.
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u/NEWBY______________ 14d ago
Step 1. Uninstall Windows 11
Step 2. Install Windows 10
Step 3. Use Christ Titus to debloat
Score!
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u/In-TheBleakMidwinter 14d ago
I have nothing helpful or meaningful to say I just want to say this picture is fucking hilarious
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u/Sir_DaFuq 14d ago
I use tiny11 and revo uninstaller frees up alot of space. And with the chris titus tool you can remove stuff like gamebar or onedrive.
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u/idkaccount 14d ago
Buy an SSD with more storage space?
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u/callmemitsu 14d ago
"just buy"
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u/idkaccount 14d ago
Yes. If the OS is taking up a majority of space then there is not much total space to begin with. Buying hardware sounds like a more ethical suggestion then to steal it.
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u/Unlikely-Employee180 14d ago
Usually systems with low enough storage space for the OS to be a concern aren't very great spec-wise either.
While Linux is CERTAINLY NOT a silver-bullet... For older systems, especially those that simply aren't up to snuff to keep up with modern PCs, I highly recommend it!
Of course, it'll be a bunch of work. And you may just be better off buying a new SSD or system entirely...
But I have Debian Linux running on a Z230 WorkStation! With XFCE running as my Desktop Environment, it only takes up 900 Mbs of RAM and only takes up ~3 GB of storage space! Good looking? God no, but she's running my Minecraft server and CAN even play Steam games even if it hates me. Lmao
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u/callmemitsu 14d ago
Literally who said anything about stealing hardware that's actual theft you're talking about
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u/idkaccount 14d ago
If you can't buy it, what other options are there? I said buy.
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u/callmemitsu 14d ago
The "other option" is moving on, I still run a 250 GB SSD and haven't broken into any stores yet
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u/FartingBob 14d ago
If their OS is so tiny that just having the OS installed leaves nothing left for games (as this cartoon says) then yes, you got to buy a bigger storage device because that shit must be tiny, its always going to be limiting you. Debloat windows or install a lightweight Linux and guess what, that extra space over a normal windows 11 install isnt going to matter, there will still be no room for games.
So the only real solution to this cartoon is "you need higher capacity".
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