Massive Windows file on my system drive

onepack · 11 Jun 2017

Hi everyone, anyone,
After all these years, I finally agree with my wife - I need help!
Weird things were happening, Registry in a knot I think, so reluctantly I just had to do a complete reinstall of W7 Pro x64. I installed the usual stuff, security etc. then spent ages watching Microsoft installing hundreds of updates. Then I began the laborious task of reinstalling all my apps. My system seems to be working quite well but I noticed my "C" drive seemed much fuller than I would have expected. Please checkout the attachment.
I have 2 folders in C:\windows - winsxs (12gb) and assembly which is over 38gb.
Does anybody know what these are and what I can do to make them a sensible size. I don't believe this can be correct for a normal Windows installation. This problem has only arisen since the reinstall.
Any help gratefully received.
Thank you.

AddRAM · 11 Jun 2017

Did you do a clean install ?

Meaning did you format your install partition ? Your 119 GB ssd ?

Windows should only take up about 20-25 GB

Do you have a windows.old folder on C ?

Never heard of an Assembly folder.

torchwood · 11 Jun 2017

its a valid W7 file.
Mines only 1Gb

How did you re-install?

you could run disc cleanup, see what it clears.
(both parts includes system files)

Roy

cosmicanddavid · 11 Jun 2017

dont delete winsx files it will ruin your pc various sources say it safe some say it not avoid doing that task never ever delete system32 files either i think you need to find windows.old and delete all that junk from that when i do a fresh reinstall of windows i always do it in this order first revouninstaller to remove programs i dont need ccleaner glary utilities got a good empty folder search on it to me i think it probally made loads of windowssystem restore somehow i would use ccleaner and revo uninstaller to look at startup menus tuneup utilities 2014 still does a good job removing crap you dont need but be careful it leaves a file on desktop that near impossible to remove

Barman58 · 11 Jun 2017

winsxs (12gb) is fine, It's part of windows own virtualisation system, It's full of mostly Symbolic links, these are special Pseudo shortcuts that point to files and return the size of the files pointed to and not the actual size of the files in WinSxS, in fact it's more likely that the WinSxS is really only a few hundred Megabytes even on a very complex system.

The assembly folder is more suspect - It is also a system folder, that was in XP used for .Net files and folders. It is also sometimes used for storing temporary files for windows updates, so can be cleaned with care (use the Built in Disc cleanup), as you may find that it is a protected area that will prevent manual editing. You could try manually navigating the structure and looking for temp folders and see if you can manually clear them (Leave the folders in place to be safe ).

Also there is some discussion of the need to retain the update files after they are installed - These may be adding to the size of "assembly" folder, and some users are stating that they may be removed after updates have finished ( I believe this removal of the update files may be automatic on later versions of windows but is not well implemented in Win7 so could be leaving some, at least, updates behind - Again I believe the advanced option in the Disc cleanup is the best way to proceed

torchwood · 11 Jun 2017

A windows.old file is only created on an upgrade/repair install, and as Barman stated can be safely removed using MS's in built disk cleaner, it has also been improved/updated to remove entries in the winsxs folder.

note there is also a .net assembly file.

Roy

onepack · 12 Jun 2017

First of all my thanks to all who have taken the trouble to reply.
This was a fresh install on a formatted SSD.
I have already run Disk Cleanup which removed very little.
I have also run CCleaner and Revo Uninstaller Pro but without any progress.
Using TreeSize, I drilled a bit further down see 1st attachment.
Again I went further - 2nd attachment.
All this LOOKS like a bunch of temporary files that could possibly be deleted (?).
Most of these .tmp files in the NativeImages\Temp folder contain a .dll - not all the same one.
If you look at the third attachment, you can see that Windows Explorer does not actually show these folders/files (folder options set to show hidden stuff).
However it does seem that I can delete these "invisible" files using TreeSize - but should I ???

I am not any kind of expert, I only know what I have taught myself.
I just want to email, surf, dabble with pictures and music.
Why should I have to be messing about with all this stuff and why is Bill a billionaire?
Should I go Windows 10?
Should I go Apple?
Should I go Unix?

Perhaps a slate & some chalk!

Ranger4 · 12 Jun 2017

@onepack. Did you run Win Disc Clean up as Administrator, which usually removes a lot more unnecessary old files. To do that Right click on Win Disc Clean up & select, Run as Administrator.

Also old files removed by Win Disc Clean up are not actually deleted until the computer is rebooted. So run Win Disc Clean up as Administrator & when it has finished, reboot your computer & see if Tree Size shows a reduction of files.

In Tree Size you can show Tree Map which lays out what's on the drive in a map form. To do that run Tree Size & select View from the top menu, then select Tree Map from the items listed on the RH side of the top menu. Then supply us with a screen shot of the map please.

onepack · 12 Jun 2017

Thanks Ranger4.
I ran Disc Clean Up as Administrator and rebooted - no change.
Attached is Tree Map as requested.
Much appreciate your efforts.

Ranger4 · 12 Jun 2017

@onepack. This website might be of interest to as it mentions that this Nativeimages could be related to the Anti Virus program you are using, "g data antivirus 25.3.0.3" or the "business" edition "14.0.1.122".

windows - Is it safe to purge %WinDir%\assembly\NativeImages*\Temp\? - Server Fault