MediCat Says Not Enough Space - How Big a USB Do You Actually Need
The toolkit alone is about 21 GB, so space errors hit people in three different places: a pendrive that is simply too small, a PC drive with no room to extract, and space that 'disappears' during the copy. Each one has a different fix — here they are, separated honestly.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 10 / 11⏱️ 6 minute read
🎥 The video shows the recommended drive size being used for the install
MediCat is one of the largest repair toolkits you can put on a USB — that is its strength and its main requirement. The project's own minimum is a 32 GB drive, and anything smaller cannot work, no matter how the files are arranged. If your install stops with a space error, find which of the three situations below matches yours before buying or deleting anything.
There is not enough space on USB Drive (E:)✕
⚠️
You need an additional 5.84 GB to copy these files.
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The space error in its real form. On a small pendrive this is not a settings problem — the 21 GB toolkit simply cannot fit, which is what Fix 1 explains.
1
A 16 GB (or Smaller) Pendrive Can Never Work
No setting fixes physics — the toolkit is bigger than the drive:
MediCat's full package is about 21 GB, and the installed toolkit needs working room on top of that. The project's stated minimum is a 32 GB USB drive.
If you are using a 16 GB or 8 GB pendrive, the install will fail or stop midway every time. This is the expected behaviour, not a bug.
Buy or borrow a 64 GB drive if you can: it leaves room for extra Windows/Linux ISO files, drivers and backups next to MediCat — which is how the toolkit is actually used in repair work.
Remember the real capacity is always a bit less than the label (a 32 GB drive shows about 29 GB in Windows). That smaller number is what must fit the toolkit — another reason 64 GB is the comfortable choice.
Pendrive 16 GB — usable ≈ 14.9 GB
MediCat toolkit ≈ 21 GB — physically cannot fit
Pendrive 64 GB — usable ≈ 58 GB
Toolkit installed, with room left for extra ISOs and backups
The same comparison as numbers: why the project's 32 GB minimum exists, and why 64 GB is the comfortable technician's choice.
2
Your PC Also Needs Free Space — for the Download and Extraction
A space error can appear before the USB is even touched, because the files live on your PC first:
You need room for the ~21 GB download, then room again when the archive extracts — the extracted files take roughly as much space as the archive itself.
Keep about 45-50 GB free on the drive where you download and extract. If your system drive is nearly full, extract to a different internal drive with space.
After the USB is created and tested, you can delete the extracted copy on the PC to reclaim the space — keep the original archive only if your internet is slow and you may need to rebuild the drive later.
3
Install Stops Halfway? Suspect a Fake-Capacity or Failing Drive
If a drive that claims to be 64 GB runs out of space at, say, 10 GB copied, treat the drive itself as the suspect:
Very cheap no-name drives are sometimes sold with fake capacity — they report 64 GB but physically hold far less, and files copied beyond the real limit are silently lost.
Restart the install with a known-genuine drive from a reliable brand/store. The difference is immediately visible: a genuine drive copies the full toolkit without space errors.
Also unplug and firmly reconnect the drive, and use a direct motherboard port — a drive that drops connection mid-copy can leave a half-written mess that looks like a space problem.
4
Free Up Room the Right Way If Your Drive Is Borderline
On a genuine 32 GB drive that is almost enough, do not fight for megabytes — but do these basics:
The installer formats the USB anyway, so old files on the pendrive are not the cause of a space error — deleting them changes nothing. Space errors on the USB side mean the drive is too small or fake.
Skip adding your own extra ISO files until after MediCat is installed and booting. Add extras later, one at a time, watching the free space.
If you plan to also keep a large Windows ISO and backup images on the same drive, step up to 128 GB or a portable SSD now rather than re-creating the drive later.
The video above walks through the install on a properly sized drive — if your copy progress and file sizes look wildly different from the video's, your drive or download is the problem, not the steps.
🔴 Honest bottom line: there is no "lite install" trick that squeezes MediCat onto a small pendrive. The tools are the size. A genuine 64 GB drive is the cheapest permanent solution to every error on this page.
🎥 Watch the Complete Process in the Video
Watch the complete install on a correctly sized drive, from empty pendrive to boot menu.
No. The toolkit itself is about 21 GB, so a 16 GB drive physically cannot hold it. The project's minimum requirement is 32 GB, and 64 GB is recommended for comfortable use with extra ISO files.
How much free space do I need on my PC to create the drive?
Plan for about 45-50 GB free: roughly 21 GB for the downloaded archive, a similar amount for the extracted files, and working room. After the USB boots correctly, the extracted PC copy can be deleted.
My 64 GB drive shows only 58 GB. Is space missing?
That is normal and not missing space. Manufacturers label capacity in decimal units while Windows measures in binary units, so a genuine 64 GB drive appears as about 58-59 GB. Only a drastically smaller figure indicates a fake or faulty drive.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu MediCat USB video • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments — help is available there 🙏