RealTek drivers are using all my disk space

The best tool I've found to quickly and easily see where your space is being consumed is TreeSize Free.  Make sure you run it as administrator so it can map out all folders.  It will then sort the root folders largest to smallest, and as you drill into them, subfolders and files will be sorted the same way, which quickly reveals where storage is being consumed.

If you've already used Disk Cleanup even after clicking the "Clean up system files" button to reveal more opportunities for reclaiming space, you could try removing the rollback files for Windows updates, which will remove your ability to uninstall those updates.  If you want to attempt that, open an elevated Command Prompt and enter this: "dism /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase".

I can simple click on the DriverStore folder and select properties. This folder is 9.5 GB, the entire Windows folder is 21.5. Of the 9.5 GB, 8 GB are Realtek audio drivers. I don't see how they all could be needed.

This is after cleaning up system files and removing everything, including rollback files for Windows.

I can't find anything about identifying which of those 8 GB of audio driver files I really need.

Realtek drivers are bloated, but not THAT bloated.  Even with multiple previous versions retained, it would take quite a while to reach 8GB.  Unfortunately I don't know of a safe way to clean up the DriverStore folder other than the Disk Cleanup method you've already attempted.  Out of curiosity, how many DriverStore subfolders are the 8GB worth of Realtek drivers spread across?  If it's not too many, what are the INF file names shown in the names of those subfolders?

Since reply is liking me now,. let me also add that all the filenames are different. So it doesn't seem to be older versions of the same driver in most cases.

It is tantalizing to thing that if I could remove even 5 GB of drivers, add the 3 GB update.es and the 2 GB of other updates downloaded that failed to install and then the 2 GB I have free and the laptop would have 12 GB of free space. Which would seem like enough that updates should work.

All the apps and user files are on the D drive. So Windows only needs to share C with the antivirus software and Adobe Reader.

I tried replying and the Reply kicked me out and lost my previous long reply. Here is an abbreviated version.

There are 70 folders that all start hdx that seem to be sound and video drivers. The names are hdxmatp3.inf, hdxseds.inf, hdxsf.inf etc. They range in size from 20 to 300 MB each. I used RAPR and all have Realtek Semiconductor Corp as they Pkg Provider and all but the first one is Driver Version 6.0.1.7544. That exists as versions 6.0.1.7654 and 6.0.1.8142. The later is also the version listed in the device manager. If I was feeling brave, I'd just delete all but the two hdxmatp3.

I also discovered a hidden system folder OSRSS that has a 3.3 GB update.esd file that looks like an aborted attempt to update the OS to a new major release.

I can provide more info, if you think it will help.

Update.esd is indeed the file name that Microsoft uses to deliver new Windows 10 releases, although I've never heard of a folder called OSRSS.  As for your Realtek drivers, I'm amazed that folders for individual INF files can be up to 300 MB each since the entire driver download package is about that size -- granted, the installer has compressed versions of those files, but still.  One option I suppose you could try would be uninstalling the Realtek drivers using Programs and Features, then deleting those files from DriverStore, and then reinstalling the audio drivers, the idea being that whatever is needed would be put back that way, and whatever isn't put back and doesn't break anything in Device Manager wasn't needed for your system, at least in its current state.  You may want to consider capturing a system image (Macrium Reflect Free is a popular tool for this purpose) or at least creating a System Restore checkpoint before doing this, however, just as a safeguard.

OSRSS was a hidden folder. I didn't see it until I tried using TreeView to look at the C drive. I couldn't find any mention of it googling about it. If I delete it and the pending updates I free 5 GB of disk space. I may try that and then try to update again.

All the driver files seem to have been part of the original Windows install when I first started up that Dell laptop. Only one 300 MB folder is newer. I was thinking of trying to go the opposite of your suggestion, i.e., back up the DriverStore to a flash drive and then delete all the audio drivers other than the ones that are newer than the 70 that all have the same version number and creation date. ZDNet says I can just copy DriverStore and point to the copy if I need to install a missing driver. Other sites say use pnputil.exe.  I THINK RAPR and pnputil will not remove a driver from DriverStore that is in use. Does it make sense to to you to try dropping drivers I think I am not using?

I'm hoping if both these actions work, Windows might actually update!

Or I can take the Microsoft suggestion, which was to restore the system back to the start (a 'clean' install) and let Windows try to update from there. That seems a bit drastic.

Hi,

Did you ever delete that OSRSS-folder?

I have the same issue with a computer with 32 GB disk and cannot perform version upgrades because it's not enough space.

The computer is remote and I do not dear to delete something that would make it BSOD, but I only need like 1 GB more free space to get enough for a version upgrade (still on 1511, would love 1809)

Here too, on my Dell (the XPS 13 9360) I have about a quarter Terrabyte of diskspace, which once seemed quite a lot.

And now, Dell asks me to updata the Realtek driver with 467.6 Megabyte, and two others totalling 533.4 Megabyte of space! Half a Gig. Just some update ... 

Is this a business model: write inefficient code so people will someday buy new laptops?  The software size of the already fine running Realtek driver seems crazy to me. I wonder: what is hidden in this code - is it just full of inefficiencies due to poor forms of rapid programming or something of supposed value I cannot tell. I can't find any clear documentation of the code. Nor does it seem open source. Is this really the correct file?  I do not notice any special features to the sound that would allow for a sound-driver to be so very huge. Instead of making the file much smaller as it was in the original community message, the drivers seemed to have ballooned.

Competing OSs (Apple and Google) do not seem to need such huge footprints. Nor do mobile devices. Disk may be cheap - but that is not a reason for the vendor to eat it all - the benefit if for the consumer - I thought.  Irritated by the same thing, what is going on, what is being installed on my laptop? I would appreciate a clean, lean set of clearly documented products. That's why I chose Dell. Just don't understand this diskspace eating. Can't find explanations. And do not understand how to maintain a clean lean OS.

But thanks for the support with these tools. It just seems that my XPS requires huge drivers. To me, clear feedback that this facet of code quality can improve or that the new large functionality should be better explained.