patch cleaner / installer folder

[Deleted695]

my windows folder is 61 Gbyte
my winsxs subfolder is 12 Gbyte
my installer subfolder is 31 Gbyte
I can free my installer subfolder with 21Gbyte space by using patchcleaner.
patchcleaner looks for orphaned files

But is it safe to use patchcleaner?Won't I have problems with my installations?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Never heard of it,
Use disk cleanup and cleanup system files inside it,
You can also use ccleaner although I never have.

 

[Arc]

my winsxs subfolder is 12 Gbyte
my installer subfolder is 31 Gbyte
I can free my installer subfolder with 21Gbyte space by using patchcleaner.

C:\Windows\Installer?

Dont touch it, with whatever cleaner. Otherwise there will remain a big chance of a number of programs having a msi based installer not working properly.

 

[MoxieMomma]

C:\Windows\Installer?

Dont touch it, with whatever cleaner. Otherwise there will remain a big chance of a number of programs having a msi based installer not working properly.

Agree with the above expert advice!!

@Louis14: are you referring to Disk Cleanup Wizard addon lets users delete outdated Windows updates on Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, by any chance?

 

[Callender]

Personally I agree with ARC's advice. However I would point out that it's possible to reduce the size of the WINSXS folder using advanced disk cleanup if you have the update from microsoft installed that allows this. As it's designed by Microsoft to work properly it's the only thing I would use and even then only with a system image backup.

See: https://social.technet.microsoft.co...sxs-folder-of-windows-7-sp1?forum=w7itproperf

As for the installer folder it shouldn't be touched except with Microsoft's own tool (Windows Installer Cleanup - msizap.exe) and then only if you're trying to fully uninstall a program. If you get it wrong it will leave you with programs that can't be removed or repaired. You will not be able to uninstall or repair any application that used one of those .msi files.

 

[Layback Bear]

Two tutorials by Brink that I use. Other than these methods I recommend leaving winsxs alone.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/818-disk-cleanup-open-use.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/76383-disk-cleanup-extended.html

Is their a winsxs full moon. Lots of people worried abut winsxs all of a sudden.

 

[jcrawfor74]

my windows folder is 61 Gbyte

But is it safe to use patchcleaner?Won't I have problems with my installations?

Hi, I am the guy who wrote PatchCleaner. I first released back in June 2015 and after 12,000+ downloads I have not had a single person complain that it has broken their computer.

PatchCleaner comes with a move option, so to be safe you can plug in an External USB drive and use the move option to relocate the orphaned patches to your external drive. If you have problems you can just copy them back.

To date there is one known issue with PatchCleaner (which I encountered) which can cause problems with Adobe Reader's automatic update, please read more on the website. PatchCleaner.

To explain briefly how PatchCleaner works. Microsoft maintains a list of known required patches that you can obtain via a WMI call (Windows Management Instrumentation). I compare this list against what is actually in the installer folder. Anything in the folder that is not in the list is identified as an orphaned patch and can either be moved or deleted.

In saying all that, I do not warrant the product so use at your own risk.

I recommend the move action. 12,000 + users can't be wrong

 

[Callender]

Okay so this intrigued me. Having a recent system image backup available I ran Patch Cleaner. Here are the results.

One orphaned msi installer detected and moved. Sure enough - after inspection it turns out that it can be deleted. It's the installer for Opswat Gears - a program that is no longer installed. It's the only detection and doesn't free up much space.

​

​

 

[UsernameIssues]

It's the only detection and doesn't free up much space.

Have you used Microsoft's Disk Cleanup tool in the past?

 

[Layback Bear]

Here I am again, Mr. Simple.

I use the Windows 7 built in disk cleaner or the extended.
Anything in WINSXS that it doesn't remove I leave alone.
Windows 7 knows what it does or does not want to save.

Any thing to do with WINSXS that is messed up could take days to repair.

 

[Callender]

Microsoft's Disk Cleanup tool

It's the only detection and doesn't free up much space.

Have you used Microsoft's Disk Cleanup tool in the past?

Yes I've used it with these settings:

​

I'm pretty sure those settings clean up WINSXS as intended by Microsoft. Running with those settings does seem to miss that orphaned file.

Also I use Microsoft's own Windows Installer Cleanup on rare occasions. Interestingly, Patch Cleaner makes it's way onto the list:

​

 

[jcrawfor74]

PatchCleaner clean up results

It's the only detection and doesn't free up much space.

On a clean machine there is not much to clean up so yes, it doesn't clean up much space

On some of my development computers, the best results I got was 15GB.

After a recent set of Microsoft windows updates, again on a computer I use for software development, it found and cleaned up just over 1GB, (this was a computer that I had cleaned a few months earlier).

Right now on my Laptop with Windows 10 - 1.2GB



Check out a few of the happy users who have used it and provided feedback on other sites, who are getting between 10 and 15 Gb reduction in the installer directory size.

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/safely-delete-unused-msi-and-mst-files-from-windows-installer-folder/

How can I to free up drive space from the Windows installer folder without killing Windows 8.1? - Super User

So I would say give it a run on a computer with a large c:\windows\Installer directory, you might get better results. Also try running it after one of those large blocks of windows updates.

Cheers

 

[Callender]

Check out a few of the happy users who have used it and provided feedback on other sites, who are getting between 10 and 15 Gb reduction in the installer directory size.

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/safely-delete-unused-msi-and-mst-files-from-windows-installer-folder/

How can I to free up drive space from the Windows installer folder without killing Windows 8.1? - Super User

So I would say give it a run on a computer with a large c:\windows\Installer directory, you might get better results. Also try running it after one of those large blocks of windows updates.

Cheers

I will do as you say and try running Patch Cleaner after next months batch of Windows Updates. All I was really saying in my earlier post was that it didn't find much to remove but obviously that may not be the case for other users. It certainly didn't do any harm! I think the concern shown by other members here is what would happen if it removed the installer (msi) for a currently installed program but there were no such issues when running it on my machine.

 

[menace97]

I have used PatchCleaner with fantastic results. It is an excellent utility! Remember, as it is suggested when you use the application, deleting (as with anything done on a PC, is not always the best thing to do) is one option, but MOVE is the ideal choice of the two. Browse and relocate the "move" location to a specific backup hard drive or partition perhaps. That way, if anything should go wrong, you can always simply return the file in question to the original location and done! I have never had any program/application pop-up and ask for any of these lingering files in approximately 6 months.

Thanks jcrawfor74 for your fantastic utility!

 

[Deleted695]

patchcleaner

dear menace97,
I'm glad you succeeded!
Thanks for you info.

 

[Guinan]

Hi, I am the guy who wrote PatchCleaner. I first released back in June 2015 and after 12,000+ downloads I have not had a single person complain that it has broken their computer.

.................

Hi jcrawfor74!

My Installer is 24G at present , so I desperately neeed to restore some of that space. I followed your link and downloaded the file, notwithstanding Eset's violent protests. What I'm left with is a "PatchCleaner_1.4.2.0[1]" file without an extension!:huh: Either possibly Eset is trying to be "helpfull", or it was designed this way and I'm supposed to add the extension myself, in which case I would like to know what extension to use.

I would be eternaly grateful for your help (or anyone else's for that matter) to get me some "breathing space" on my - way too small - HD.

 

[derekimo]

Hi, I am the guy who wrote PatchCleaner. I first released back in June 2015 and after 12,000+ downloads I have not had a single person complain that it has broken their computer.

.................

Hi jcrawfor74!

My Installer is 24G at present , so I desperately neeed to restore some of that space. I followed your link and downloaded the file, notwithstanding Eset's violent protests. What I'm left with is a "PatchCleaner_1.4.2.0[1]" file without an extension!:huh: Either possibly Eset is trying to be "helpfull", or it was designed this way and I'm supposed to add the extension myself, in which case I would like to know what extension to use.

I would be eternaly grateful for your help (or anyone else's for that matter) to get me some "breathing space" on my - way too small - HD.

It is an .exe,



You can also unpack it with 7-zip and run the .msi inside,

Support
Installation Issues
Some people have encountered some installaton challenges when attempting to install. If you hit problems then I suggest you try the following.

The installer that you download from the website is a self extracting 7z archive created as per my blog post (How to make a self extracting archive runs your setup.exe, 7zip -sfx).

So you can actually open the .exe file with 7Zip and extract the files (setup.exe and PatchCleaner.msi).

I would then try running the PatchCleaner.msi file directly.

PatchCleaner - safely clean your windows installer directory | homedev - software development out of the box

 

[Guinan]

It is an .exe,

View attachment 389378

You can also unpack it with 7-zip and run the .msi inside,

Support
Installation Issues
Some people have encountered some installaton challenges when attempting to install. If you hit problems then I suggest you try the following.

The installer that you download from the website is a self extracting 7z archive created as per my blog post (How to make a self extracting archive runs your setup.exe, 7zip -sfx).

So you can actually open the .exe file with 7Zip and extract the files (setup.exe and PatchCleaner.msi).

I would then try running the PatchCleaner.msi file directly.

PatchCleaner - safely clean your windows installer directory | homedev - software development out of the box

@ derekimo:
Thanks for your very quick reply! Also thanks for a look into your "kitchen", but I'm afraid that's waaay over my head... I'm a 68 year old grandma who's trying to keep up with the savy crowd LOL. So please take my hand here and show me the way.

I don't have 7zip, would rar do the trick? And am I to use it on the file without extension that I already downloaded, or should I download the one you posted above and unzip that?

Am I correct in assuming that to instal I don't use the .exe, but rather run the .msi instead?

I don't mean to sound dense, but I've never encountered this method before.

Thank you for your patience

 

[derekimo]

You're welcome, I was just pointing out the options for you but I will unpack it for you so you can just use the .msi file.

View attachment PatchCleaner.zip

I'm sure you can also do it with WinRAR, I just don't have it installed but they are quite similar.

Regarding the install, yes, I would just unzip the file above and run the .msi file as mentioned in the part I quoted from the support.

There is also a setup.exe in the unpacked download, I would just go with the .msi file though.

Hope that doesn't confuse you and clears things up.

 

[Guinan]

You're welcome, I was just pointing out the options for you but I will unpack it for you so you can just use the .msi file.

View attachment 389435

I'm sure you can also do it with WinRAR, I just don't have it installed but they are quite similar.

Regarding the install, yes, I would just unzip the file above and run the .msi file as mentioned in the part I quoted from the support.

There is also a setup.exe in the unpacked download, I would just go with the .msi file though.

Hope that doesn't confuse you and clears things up.

Poor PatchCleaner nearly burst a vein collecting all my orphaned files, but I'm now down from 27Gb to 7Gb!! I'll have to let it recuperate some before I use it again LOL.

Many many thanks to jcrawford and yourself for all your help. If I ever encounter probs with W7 again, I'll know where to come for help. Great board and wonderful people!