28 GB Windows folder. How to reduce bloat?

ProfPepper · 22 Nov 2016

Hi,

I have a 60 GB SSD and would like to free up storage. My C drive I've lost around 6 GB this year alone, mostly in the windows folder, however I do not think that I have installed 6 GB worth of windows updates.

I've used Disk Cleanup, use CCleaner, and my DriverStore is only 1.9 GB.

Below is a breakdown of most of my windows folder so you can see the size of each folder.

As you can see, the Winsxs is quite large but I'm not sure if there is an adequate method to reduce size.

Thanks for any help, I'll be happy to answer any questions to clarify.

Megahertz07 · 22 Nov 2016

Don't try to shrink Windows folder or you may have an unstable system.

Under windows, the only two folders that you can clean is the C:\ Temp and C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

See post nº5
Wondering why my C:\Windows folder is so large

ProfPepper · 22 Nov 2016

I was hoping that wouldn't be the case :/

Why does the Windows folder get so consistently large anyway?

XweAponX · 23 Nov 2016

It's the Winsxs folder, mine is about 9gb. Look through that folder, for things that ought not to be in it, I'm not clear on what that folder is for, recovery, ? There is a Backup folder in there, check that.

Check these:

How to Save Space By Cleaning Windows' WinSxS Folder

Clean Up the WinSxS Folder

This has a link to a specific cleanup tool:

winsxs folder 12Gb in size, how can I reduce?! - [Solved] - Windows 7

And again, run Disk Cleanup:

How to Reduce the Size of Your WinSXS Folder on Windows 7 or 8

MourningStar · 23 Nov 2016

Megahertz07 said:

... Under windows, the only two folders that you can clean is the C:\ Temp and C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download ...

I noticed I have a folder labeled 'SoftwareDistribution.bak'. Is it ok to delete this one?

XweAponX · 23 Nov 2016

I just ran the Disk Cleaner utility, and it killed 2gb off my Winsxs folder. Try it and see what happens.

I suppose any *.Bak files/Folders can be deleted

MourningStar · 23 Nov 2016

XweAponX said:

... I suppose any *.Bak files/Folders can be deleted

sorry, I need more than "I suppose" ... (no offense intended)

AddRAM · 23 Nov 2016

3 things you can do to gain space.

1) Reduce the size of the pagefile, if you`ve never touched it, it`ll be 8 GB, you don`t need a 8GB page file.

2) Disable Hibernation

3) Disable System Restore or lower the amount windows use for system restore.

I don`t recommend #3 unless you create Disk Images.

townsbg · 24 Nov 2016

Winsxs cannot be cleared by much without seriously damaging the system. See my thread on the subject for something that you can do. Winsxs Folder

ProfPepper · 24 Nov 2016

So it's best to leave it alone? I'm just trying to prevent my SSD from getting too low on free space where it starts hindering the performance. I currently fluctuate between about 13-15 GB of free space, but if the winsxs folder keeps growing the way it is, it could easily get to about 10 GB and lower.