Solved Is 24.1 GB Excessive for Windows Folder Size (Pro)?

[taranaki]

I'm trying to save some space on my cramped SSD. My Windows folder is 24.1 GB, and of this subfolder winsxs is 13.2 GB, subfolder installer is 3.2 GB, subfolder System32 is 2.4 GB, assembly subfolder 1.4 GB and sysWOW64 is 1.2 GB. Those are the biggies. Am I stuck with these sizes or is there anything I can do to reduce them?

I have deleted all but 3 of my system restores, I do not have a hiberfl (spelling), and have reduced my swp. file on this partition to max. 850 MB (I have another 16GB swp. file on another partition).

 

[Maguscreed]

Let's be clear about one thing.
Randomly deleting stuff in your windows folders is going to kill your system.

Best thing I have for you is ccleaner.
CCleaner - Download
Use the file cleaner, but NOT the registry scanner.

Typical size for a windows folder with win 7 is between about 18 and 24 gigs.
There's a lot of factors that determine that, and while you are at the top end of that, you are not into a realm where I think something is wrong.
As long as you have another drive you can completely remove the page file from the ssd btw. You just have to have a page file it doesn't have to be located on the boot drive.

Deleting old restore points may buy you back a gig or two from the windows folder as well.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Installer folder?? I don't have one at all. Any idea what it's for?

The rest of your folder sizes are fairly close to mine.

 

[taranaki]

Thanks for the replies. I don't have any idea what is in the installer folder, however as Magus points out I'm not touching anything I don't understand.

Magus did mention deleting the paging file altogether, however I read on here (comment 3 and more details on comment 2) that you can't.

"Windows requires to have a pagefile present on your system drive in order to write kernel memory dumps in the event of a crash. So even if you set "No pagefile" on your system drive, Windows will end up creating a pagefile anyway, even if it doesn't actually use it for paging"

And further on someone mentioned that the minimum size Windows needs for the crash is 800 MB, which is why I set mine at 850 MB. If I am wrong I would like to be corrected so I can indeed delete this page file on this cramped drive.

 

[Maguscreed]

I disabled mine and moved it to another drive, I don't recall any specific trouble with doing so.
You are probably right to leave some small bit on the boot drive though.
Make sure you do have a pagefile of a fair size on another drive.

There is one problem with my way. Should the drive I've moved the pagefile to have a problem It would likely result in me not being able to boot.

 

[taranaki]

thanks again for the info. Can you shed any light on what the installer folder is for?

 

[Maguscreed]

As I can't locate it on any of the 6 windows 7 machines I have access to atm, no I really can't are you familiar with how to take a screenshot? Seeing the contents of said folder might give us insight.
You can attach images to posts here using the paperclip icon (just make sure to hit upload before closing the window that pops up.

 

[pbcopter]

@ignatzatsonic

Installer folder is a hidden protected operating system file.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2667628

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2592038

 

[Maguscreed]

oh der, it's the update folder.
I totally forgot about that, you have to have both view hidden and view operating system files to even see it. Which is why I was missing it.

 

[taranaki]

I expect that it is hidden as pbcopter states - however I have checked "show hidden files folders.. " etc. in Explorer and it still doesn't show. See screenshot of Explorer. How I found that the installer folder was taking so much space was by using WinDirStat. I've attached 3 screen shots of WindDirStat drilling down in the installer folder. It is full of .msi and .msp files. I presume that this can't be deleted, but I would like confirmation either way from someone who knows thanks.

 

[Maguscreed]

Well the reason it's hidden twice is because there is really no good reason to mess with it.