Windows Server 2022 Domain Controller Losing Disk Space On Logs Directory

REM64 20 Reputation points
2023-01-26T16:45:25.0866667+00:00

Hi All,

We have a Windows Server2022 Data Center environment with 3 domain controllers with different roles. We have 2 DCs losing free disk space (shrinks about 1 GIG a week) and I cannot locate any files that could be using space. I will just note the following for one DC with the hope someone here can shine some light on how to troubleshoot and identify what is going on with the logical drive losing space.

(Logical Volume for logs directory)

E= Logs (Total volume = 19.9 GIG. Free space =13.3GIG)

  • If I check the properties of the drive it displays used space=6.66GB
  • If I expand the folder and navigate to the logs directory, all logs combined are 110MB
  • I've unhidden system files and hidden files, folders, and drives, but cannot find any files that would be using over 6GIG
  • I installed a Windirstat program that scans the directory and lists all files, but even with this program, there is nothing displaying additional files.

I'm at a loss and can't find any KB article anywhere that could help me identify the issues. I'm assuming there is some orphaned or phantom file somewhere that maybe a PowerShell command can be run to find what is eating up the space.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Bob

Windows for business | Windows Server | User experience | Other
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Answer accepted by question author

Limitless Technology 45,246 Reputation points
2023-01-31T08:53:09.3+00:00

Hi. Thank you for your question and reaching out. I’d be more than happy to help you with your query.

There are a few potential causes of unexpected disk space usage on Windows servers, some common ones include:

  1. Large event logs: Event logs can take up a significant amount of disk space, especially if they are not being regularly cleared or archived. Check the event logs for any large logs that might be causing the issue.
  2. System restore points: Windows Server creates system restore points by default. Over time, these restore points can take up a significant amount of disk space. You can try disabling system restore or configuring it to use less disk space.
  3. Windows updates: Windows updates can also cause disk space usage to increase, especially if there are a large number of updates that have been downloaded but not yet installed. Check for any updates that may be causing the issue and install them if possible.
  4. Windows defender: Windows defender can take up disk space when it saves the scan results or quarantined files. Consider disabling the real-time protection, cleaning the quarantine and configure the defender to use less disk space.
  5. Shadow Copies: Shadow Copies are used to create snapshots of the file system at specific points in time. Over time, these snapshots can take up a significant amount of disk space. You can try disabling shadow copies or configuring them to use less disk space.
  6. Large files or folders: Sometimes there are large files or folders that are not easily noticeable, check if there are any large files or folders in the root of the drive, or in the hidden files and folders.
  7. Disk fragmentation: The disk fragmentation can cause disk usage to increase, consider running disk defragmenter to optimize the disk.
  8. Replication issues: If the domain controllers are replicating data, the replication process can cause disk space usage to increase if there are any issues with the replication process. Check the replication status and troubleshoot any issues that may be found.

It's essential to identify which one of these causes is behind the disk space shrinkage and address it accordingly. It would be advisable to take a backup of the important data before making any changes.

If the reply was helpful, please don’t forget to upvote or accept as answer, thank you.

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  1. Sivakumar, Thirunavukarasu 0 Reputation points
    2026-07-24T08:50:01.7033333+00:00

    In Folder properties there will be option to unprotect operating system files, do it and see of any other folders are there.

    open recyclebin in C Drive and Delete it contents which will clear space much

    use diskcleamup utility and check any temp files are there to remove

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  2. REM64 20 Reputation points
    2023-01-31T17:01:33.5566667+00:00

    Hello, Mr. Limitless Technology (What a great name),

    Thanks for the breakdown. Option#5 "Shadow Copies" was the culprit. Somehow on these two servers, the "Shadow Copies" settings for each logical volume got changed (had to be manually changed) from "Use Limit", to "No Limit". This took me some time to figure this out because I was not aware of this change, but it makes sense now that the Shadow Copies got enabled and is the culprit for the decreased disk space (1GIG a week as an estimate). I reverted back to the "Use Limit" settings (needed to do some vssadmin resize shadowstorage commands first) and purged all the shadow copies that got created. All is well now with space.

    Thanks for the useful information you provided.

    Bob

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