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I'm trying to shrink my C: but I cannot shrink it beyond 2624 MB although my free space is 149.06GB. Might need some help :(

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Windows has the bad habit of placing essential Windows files at the end and the middle of the system disk. These files are unmovable, probably because Windows addresses them directly by sector-number. The Windows Disk Management knows not to move them, but Linux applications will move them in order to resize the disk in effect breaking Windows, so are to be avoided.

To shrink the Windows partition to the minimum possible, disable first the page-file, set System Restore to zero and empty the Recycle Bin. Then defragment the disk so as to move all used sectors to its beginning. Finally, resize using only Disk Management and from inside a running Windows.

Once the disk has been resized to an acceptable minimum, return all the settings that you have turned off.

Take good backups, since the smallest error during this operation can end up with a non-booting disk.

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  • Linux applications will move them in order to resize the disk - I have a situation where the Linux KDE Partition Manager refuses to shrink the Windows partition (for the aforementioned reasons) and thus break it. Maybe some other Linux tools would do it?
    – cipricus
    Commented Apr 1 at 10:36
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    @cipricus: Don't force it - you risk to end up with an unbootable Windows.
    – harrymc
    Commented Apr 1 at 13:42
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    @cipricus: Mounted or unmounted changes nothing. The answer for your closed question was wrong. Moving a file marked as unmovable by Windows is a risk, even if some Linux programs don't understand this.
    – harrymc
    Commented Apr 1 at 19:27
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    @cipricus: For a minimal Windows installation you could try Tiny10 or Tiny11.
    – harrymc
    Commented Apr 1 at 19:44
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    @cipricus: A defragmenter might be able to analyze Windows and tell you which file is blocking you. This file might perhaps be removable by changing some parameter.
    – harrymc
    Commented Apr 1 at 19:51
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You have to reduce the unmovable files. I have created a powershell script that will do it for you.

set-wmiinstance -class win32_computersystem -argument @{AutomaticManagedPagefile="false"}; (get-wmiobject -class win32_pagefilesetting).Delete(); powercfg /h off; disable-computerrestore -drive "C:"; defrag C: /l /d /g /k /h /u /v
  • Disable the automatically managed pagefile setting and paging file C:\pagefile.sys.
  • Disable system restore on drive C:
  • Disable hibernation.
  • Perform defragmentation on C: (Verbose messages, show progress, slab consolidation, re-trimming, with normal priority).

Also if this is failing, run chkdsk to fix disk errors.

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