Cannot update windows due to lack of storage (even after clearing everything off). Will reinstalling windows from physical media help?

VikingRaid13 1 Reputation point
2021-03-01T23:41:08.127+00:00

I have a Toshiba Satellite (CL45-C4330) that I got about five years ago as a gift. It is a very low spec laptop (2GB ram, 32GB storage, Intel Celeron, 32-bit version of Windows, etc) and ever since I got it I have had a massive problem with updating windows. Simply put: not enough storage. Even after factory resetting the laptop and deleting as much bloatware as I could find, I still don't have enough storage to update. The installer recommends inserting external storage of at least 15GB. I have a 32GB memory card attached to the laptop but that still doesn't help. Because of this I am unable to update windows and I am stuck on version 1511 (the November 2015 release). Before anyone asks, I have tried opening up the laptop to see if I could put in a hard drive but no look. The 32GB of storage is eMMC memory and there is no sata port (or m.2 port) for a hard drive. Enough of the backstory; here's my question. Would reinstalling windows (either by using an installation disk on a thumbdrive or just formatting the laptop and reinstalling through an installation media) solve this problem? I don't care if everything gets wiped off the laptop as long as I can get it updated. Thanks in advance.

Windows 10
Windows 10
A Microsoft operating system that runs on personal computers and tablets.
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  1. Teemo Tang 11,331 Reputation points
    2021-03-02T02:43:36.387+00:00

    Unfortunately, even if you reinstall Windows 10 on this gift laptop, update or upgrade still can’t be achieved. The free space is too small to upgrade a new version Windows 10. The latest Windows 10 system(20H2) itself will cost 30GB or higher space, despite you could install Windows 10 on laptop, there is not enough space to do any other thing…
    The storage space in memory card can’t be used for system installation or update, just can be used for data store.
    These are the basic requirements for installing Windows 10 on a PC. If your device does not meet these requirements, you may not have the great experience intended with Windows 10 and might want to consider purchasing a new PC.
    RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
    Hard drive size: 32GB or larger hard disk
    Source:
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-specifications

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