SOVLED! System (Z:) Windows 10 – Steps Need To Follow

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Once it comes to managing drives on Windows computers, System (Z:) Windows 10 is a topic that catches the interest of a lot of people around the globe. System (Z:) seldom causes trouble but if its presence annoys you, it’s possible to remove the drive by tweaking the Windows Registry. Besides that, you could update Windows, reset Windows and use System Restore. Continue reading to learn what must be done to get System (Z:) out of your sight. 

An Overview Of System (Z:)

In layman’s terms, Windows creates System (Z:) during OS upgrades to give Windows users the option to return to previous Windows versions. That means there is no need to worry too much about the drive for most of the time. Also, System (Z:) is usually hidden so if you come across it, there must have been a bug. Regardless, if your PC is working as expected, you should leave the drive alone. 

How To Remove System (Z:) On Windows 10

You don’t want to see System (Z:) every time you check out the driver of your PC? In that case, you may remove it using these solutions. 

Apply Changes To The Registry

  • Step 1: Press Windows key, type Regedit and press Enter.
  • Step 2: In Registry Editor, select File and choose Export to create a backup of the registry. You could use the backup to recover your PC if you mess up while changing the registry. 
  • Step 3: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies and select Policies.
  • Step 4: Right-click an empty space on the right, hover your mouse over New and click either QWORD (64-bit) Value DWORD (32-bit) Value, depending on your platform.
  • Step 5: Name the new value NoDrives, double-click it and pick Decimal.
  • Step 6: Enter 33554432 then hit OK.
  • Step 7: Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer, select Explorer and create another NoDrives value like the one in Policies. 
  • Step 9: Close Registry Editor.
  • Step 10: Restart your computer. 
  • Step 10: See how things turn out. 

Update Windows 

  • Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings, pick Update & Security and click Check for updates.
  • Step 2: If an update is available, allow Windows to download and install it.
  • Step 3: As soon as the process concludes, restart your computer.
  • Step 4: When the screen comes back on, search for System (Z:). 

Reset Windows

  • Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings, pick Update & Security and click Recovery.
  • Step 2: under Reset this PC, select Get started and choose Keep my files.
  • Step 3: Click, pick Reset and let the process go all the way. 

Make Use Of System Restore

In the case that none of the above works, you have no choice but to resort to System Restore. It’s strongly recommended that you back up your computer in advance to avoid losing data. 

  • Step 1: Press Windows key, type System Restore and press Enter. 
  • Step 2: Select System Restore then choose a restore point.
  • Step 3: Initiate the process. 

Other Inquiries

Does System (Z:) drive pose a threat to my computer?

As it’s designed to bring Windows back to a previous version, System (Z:) does not put Windows PC at risk. Also, since the drive is kind of small, its impact on performance is insignificant. 

What must be done to free up drive space?

It’s possible to free up space on computer drives in many ways but in terms of convenience,  Disk Cleanup is second to none. 

  • Step 1: Press Windows key, type Disk Cleanup and press Enter. 
  • Step 2: Click the drop-down menu, pick a drive and hit OK.
  • Step 3: Check all the checkboxes under Files to delete before hitting OK.
  • Step 4: Restart your computer after the process finishes. 

Note: Need more space? Then open Disk Cleanup, select Clean up system files, choose the (C:) drive and hit OK.

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