Windows 7 via BootCamp takes 48GB on late 2013 rMBP

[MUrhino]

So, after installing Windows 7, updates, Flash, Java, Adobe Reader, Firefox, and IBM Lotus Forms Viewer, Windows 7 is taking up close to 50GB of SSD space. I don't remember that being anywhere close to normal on my previous MacBook Pro from 2009 using a third party SSD and Windows 7. Both were using the 64-bit version. Am I missing something here?

I used Bootcamp in the normal manner (i.e. didn't interrupt the process and let Bootcamp do all the work). Would using Parallels possibly reduce the size of the install somehow? Does Parallels create a separate partition for Windows that can adjust in size to expand as needed for Windows? Basically I'd prefer to not have dedicated space for Windows that goes unused.

Thanks for the input...definitely strange troubleshooting Windows installs with all the different problems surrounding the retina models Bootcamp issues.

 

[saturnotaku]

Your pagefile and hibernate files each occupy an amount of space equivalent to your system RAM. If your MBP has 16 GB, you can do the math.

Lots of RAM renders the pagefile largely superfluous, and you can shrink it down to a minimum of 1 GB, maximum of 2 GB. Some programs might not work correctly if you disable it entirely.

As the rMBP uses an SSD, hibernation is another largely useless feature as you can cleanly boot Windows in about the same time as resuming from a hibernated state. The file can be removed via an elevated command prompt.

Google searches will tell you how to accomplish both tasks and free up that space.

 

[jenzjen]

we disable both hibernation and pagefile on our installs without issue and like other poster mentioned, you will recoup significant space

 

[MUrhino]

So I'm assuming this is something I can do from the Windows Bootcamp partition itself? I won't need to reinstall Windows to accomplish this, right? Any idea if this would also need to be accomplished if Windows was installed through Parallels? Thanks for the help!

 

[saturnotaku]

So I'm assuming this is something I can do from the Windows Bootcamp partition itself? I won't need to reinstall Windows to accomplish this, right? Any idea if this would also need to be accomplished if Windows was installed through Parallels? Thanks for the help!

One is done through the system control panel, the other through an elevated command prompt. Again, search on the subjects and you will find exactly what you need to do.

If you have a Boot Camp partition, but also run the same copy through Parallels, you only need to do it once.

 

[MUrhino]

One is done through the system control panel, the other through an elevated command prompt. Again, search on the subjects and you will find exactly what you need to do.

If you have a Boot Camp partition, but also run the same copy through Parallels, you only need to do it once.

Thanks for your help saturnotaku!

I'm just curious if you have a preference of Parallels or other VM-ware vs. Bootcamp. I read somewhere that using Bootcamp slows down the boot-time and possibly some performance of your machine. Any thoughts to this?

<Edit> I just reduced pagefile to a max of 1GB and turned off hibernation, and that definitely did the trick! The only problem now is I've got 30GB of unused HD space dedicated to Bootcamp that I can't recover to my Mac OS X side of the house via Disk Utility. This seems to be a potentially good reason to upgrade to Parallels 9 (the expanding disk space for windows). Thoughts? And thanks again to saturnotaku and jenzjen for your help. I had googled my heart out but couldn't find answers for something this specific until you guys mentioned pagefile and hibernation fixes.