How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista

Shadow Copy, or Volume Snapshot Device is an application interdependent with System Restore that is unique to Windows Vista and Windows 7. The Shadow Copy is the disk space used by System Restore (up to 15% of of disk volume) which makes...
Method 1 of 2:

Reviewing Shadow Copy

  1. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 1How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 1
    Click Start>Computer and on Local Disk (C:) you'll see the available disk space you have left on the hard drive of your Windows Vista desktop/notebook computer.
  2. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 2How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 2
    Click Start>All Programs>Accessories.

  3. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 3How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 3
    Select Command Prompt (make sure you right click on Command Prompt first, and select Run as administrator).
  4. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 4How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 4
    Type in vssadmin list shadowstorage.
  5. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 5How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 5
    Press Enter/Return. Command Prompt will show the allocated space towards Shadow Copy. This can be reduced to allow more free hard drive space.
Method 2 of 2:

Reducing Hard Disk Space Allocated for Shadow Copy

  1. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 6How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 6
    Exit Command Prompt and backtrack to Step 3 in Reviewing Shadow Copy. Open Command Prompt, again selecting the Run as administrator option when right-clicking.
  2. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 7How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 7
    Type in vssadmin resize shadowstorage /On=C: /For=C: /Maxsize=[here add the maximum space you will allow for Shadow Sorage, e.g. 3GB].
  3. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 8How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 8
    Press Enter/Return. The results will be displayed in Command Prompt.

  4. How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 9How to Reduce Shadow Copy on Windows Vista Picture 9
    Click Start>Computer and once again review the available disk space for Local Disk (C:).
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