What folders should be cleaned on the computer. Don't forget to clean the Temp folder

Hello admin! A week ago, I began to notice that the free space on my drive (C:), with installed Windows 10, began to disappear somewhere, and it’s no joke, one fine day a whole 3 GB disappeared. Not immediately, but I managed to find the culprit, or rather the culprit, it turned out to be a folder WinSxS - its size in my operating system a week ago was 15 GB, but today it is already 18 GB. I also noticed why this particular folder grew so much, the reason turned out to be operating system updates, over the past week my Windows 10 received too many of them, the laptop asked me to reboot several times to install updates.

My question is this. About the folderWinSxS has been written a lot on the Internet, but still, what is the safest way Should I empty this folder or will it ever clean itself? Which system components exactly does the WinSxS folder store? ? They say that in reality she takes much less space than is visible in its properties and there are only symbolic links on it.

How to empty the WinSxS folder in Windows 10, 8.1

Hello friends! A day ago I found myself in the same situation, I’m telling you the details.

Literally the day before yesterday, installed on my Windows laptop 8.1 was updated several times, and yesterday morning the “This PC” window caught my eye and I was surprised to find that there was still free space 29 GB, although just yesterday it was 34 GB!

I quickly researched hard drive program "" and found that 5 GB free space on disk“ate” the folder WinSxS, after that it began to occupy a record size - 21 GB.

I suggest that you work together to clean out the component storage folder on my computer and consider other issues related to this folder along the way!

Why do you need the WinSxS folder?

The WinSxS folder is located at C:\Windows\WinSxS and is the storage Windows components. The natural question is: “What kind of storage is this?”

First time folder WinSxS appeared in the operating system Windows XP. The WinSxS folder is created during the OS installation process andcontains copies of the original Windows files that operating system uses for its recovery as needed. I'll give you the simplest example, let's remove the Internet Explorer folder from the system , which contains famous browser from Microsoft, this is not easy to do, but if you wish, you can, after deleting the browser files, enter the command"sfc /scannow" , V result Windows 10 will begin checking the integrity of system files and if a missing browser is detected Internet Explorer, will restore its original files from our WinSxS folder. Many deleted or damaged system files from the folder Windows the operating system will restore automatically and without a command"sfc /scannow".

• Note: Starting with Windows 10, (replacing a rollback to factory settings) also occurs using components from the WinSxS folder

Why folder WinSxS may grow after the next Windows updates?

When installing updates, old system files are replaced with new versions, and old versions of these files are stored still in the WinSxS folder for a long time to ensure the possibility of recovery in case new versions of system files begin to work incorrectly.

WinSxS folder takes up less space on your hard drive than it seems

The specifics of the operating system look like this: one third of the files in the folderThere isn't really WinSxS, but there are hard links to these files. At this time the files are located in other Windows and System32 system folders.

The WinSxS folder can be cleared of old versions system components, but delete under no circumstances can it be

Typically, the system component storage folder takes up no more than 10 GB on disk (C:) and this is quite normal, but if the folder grows to 15-20 GB, then you urgently need to perform a cleaning procedure.

Before you clean out the WinSxS folder, let's let's analyze its contents using the command line.

So, if you go to C:\Windows and look at the properties of the WinSxS folder, then we will see such a picture.

In my case, the folder weighs quite a lot - 21 GB.

Open a command prompt as administrator and enter the command:

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore(This command will analyze the folder WinSxS)

Component storage size according to Explorer: 20.86 GB
Actual component storage size: 17.71 GB
Component Store Cleanup Recommended: Yes

Clearing the folder WinSxS Using the administrator command line, enter the command:

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

Operation completed successfully

The WinSxS folder has been cleared! I wonder how much smaller it has become (let me remind you that before cleaning it was size 21 GB)

We analyze the component store with the command already familiar to you:

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore

Component Store (WinSxS) information:
Component storage size according to Explorer: 7.95 GB
Actual component storage size: 7.74 GB
Component Store Cleanup Recommended: No

That's it. Now the component storage on our computer takes up 7.74 GB! The folder size has been reduced by three times.

Friends, you can shrink the WinSxS folder even more. The thing is that the /StartComponentCleanup parameter has additional key/ResetBase, which can be used to remove all superseded versions for all components in the component store. Enter the command:

Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase

Operation completed successfully

Now our folder WinSxS has become even smaller than 6.85 GB!

Many users are annoyed by the presence of the WinSxS folder because it takes up too much space on the device. Until recently, it was impossible to reduce its size, and any attempt ended in unstable operation of the computer. Now developed safe method"cleansing" and users can find out what can be removed in Windows folder. The method is quite simple, every computer owner can handle it.

Reasons for the large folder size and its constant increase

There is a myth that the folder is simply gigantic in size, but in reality this is not the case. The whole point is that its contents are “hard links”, and file managers and Explorer simply do not take them into account. Thus, the actual weight of the folder is much less than described in the properties.

You need to understand that when you try to delete the contents of a folder, most often problems arise: certain problems– complete loss of functionality or appearance of operating system errors.

When updates are carried out, the directory size is constantly increasing due to the preservation of old versions of the updated files. They may come in handy when rolling back to old version, if problems arise.

What can you delete when emptying a folder on Windows 10?

Before we start talking about clearing the directory, we need to warn you: under no circumstances should you delete it!

The folder with the system of the 10th version of WinSxS contains files for updating, for use in work, and those that return the system to its original position and restore it.

To safely clear a folder of only backup copies, you must do the following:

• launch command line as Administrator
• enter the corresponding command Dism.exe/online/cleanup-image/AnalyzeComponentStore. After the analysis of the contents of the folder is completed, a message about cleaning will appear
• enter the command Dism.exe /online/cleanup-image/StartComponentCleanup and press the Enter button

This command should not be abused because if there are no backups in the directory at the end of its cleanup, it may become even larger in size. The procedure should be carried out if the folder size is more than 7 GB.

Cleaning WinSxS in version seven

Before starting the process, you will have to install the optional update type KB2852386 to add the required partition to the appropriate Disk Cleanup utility.

• go to the update center via the control panel or start menu
• click on the phrase “search for updates” and click on the optional types of updates that appear to find the one you need
• reboot the device

• at the end, the disk cleanup utility is launched and the corresponding button is pressed. Here you select the item called “Files backup copy service pack" or "Clean up Windows updates"

We hope our tips helped you understand the problem.

Many people face the problem of running out of free space on their hard drive. The disk on which the operating system itself is installed becomes especially clogged. This is due to the fact that there are a lot of folders on it, which the system itself fills with the information it needs. This problem also relevant for Windows 7. Clean system folders from unnecessary garbage This can be done either manually or using special programs.

Windows 7 system folders: the need for cleaning and possible consequences

Each of the system folders has its own purpose and stores information of a certain kind. Before cleaning the disk, carefully read what function a particular folder is responsible for, otherwise you may lose important data or severely damage the operating system, which will lead to its failure:

Video: what files can be deleted on the system disk

What not to do when cleaning system folders

Please read the features of the above folders carefully. Before you empty one of them, consider whether you might need its contents in the future. Some folders, such as Windows or System32, should not be touched at all. And don't try to empty folders by simply deleting their contents. This will lead to the fact that remnants of them are stored in the computer’s memory, which in the future will begin to clutter and overload the system. There are only a few folders that can be cleaned manually:

Do not delete the folders themselves under any circumstances, this will lead to critical errors during system operation, you only need to erase their contents. Also, before clearing system folders, make sure you can free up memory using other methods, for example, by uninstalling third-party applications and games.

Methods for cleaning up Windows 7 system folders

If you still decide to clear your hard drive of accumulated third party files, then the easiest way is to use the built-in Windows functions. There are two initial versions- standard and extended cleaning.

Standard cleaning

Using the standard cleaning method, you will get rid of following files and folders:

To carry out standard cleaning hard drive, follow these steps:

Advanced Cleaning

With the advanced cleaning option, you will delete the following folders and files:

To perform an advanced disk cleanup, follow these steps:

Mark the files you want to erase and click OK. Selecting the files to be deleted

Video: disk cleaning using Windows

Disk cleanup using third-party programs

Before you start manually cleaning each folder individually, you should use special third party programs created for automatic search and clean the disk from unnecessary files:

Video: Removing system files using CCleaner

Features of cleaning individual system folders

If the previous cleaning methods did not solve your problem or you need to clean one of the folders selectively, then find it in the sections below and follow the instructions provided.

But many folders are hidden by default to prevent the user from accidentally damaging them. To display hidden folders V general list follow these steps:

Winsxs

Cleaning the Winsxs folder on Windows 7 is done through standard disk cleanup. This method has already been described above. Before you start cleaning, you are presented with a list of files that can be deleted. Check the section “Update package backup files” in it.

Check “Update package backup files”

Video: how to empty the Winsxs folder in Windows 7

System Volume Information

To empty a folder System Volume Information, you need to access it first:

Consistently click the “Apply” button, OK.

DriversStore

To delete outdated drivers from the repository called DriversStore, follow these steps:

Installer

The Installer folder may contain necessary for the system or programs files, but there is a special third party application PatchCleaner, which will automatically determine what content can be removed:

Pagefile.sys

If you are confident that your computer will cope with the required tasks without the Pagefile.sys page file, you can remove it by following these steps:

Folders with history, cache and browser cookies

Browser files can take up large number disk space. The easiest and safest way to remove them is through the settings of the browser itself: Marking the files. which should be deleted from the browser history

Problems with disk cleanup

If, after you have deleted any files from the system folder, errors appear or the computer begins to slow down, there is only one thing left to do - perform a system restore. This could happen due to incorrect disk cleanup or deletion. necessary files. System recovery is only possible if there are restore points on the computer:

Video: Restoring Windows 7

What to do if there is no “Clean up system files” button

If you try to free up disk space using standard method cleaning, you are faced with the absence of a “Clean up system files” button, this means that you have UAC (control accounts), and the program starts immediately with the ability to clean system files. That is, clicking the “Clean up system files” button gives you administrator rights and with them the ability to edit and clean up system folders. But if UAC is disabled, then you have access to changing system files immediately and clicking any additional buttons no need.

If the "Clean up system files" button is missing, User Account Control is disabled

If you want to clean up disk space or are sure that part of the virus remains in the system files, then in this case the operating system itself has a standard and advanced disk cleaning function. You can also use third-party programs or clean each folder separately. But you shouldn’t delete everything, otherwise it will lead to computer breakdown, and the only way out will be to roll back the system to last point recovery.

Many people notice that the Windows folder is growing, but the download speed is falling. Cleaning the Windows folder! Let us help you clean Windows XP of junk.

The first thing we’ll do is clean “%windir%/temp/” from there you can delete everything. We also delete everything from the folders "%systemdrive%/Documents and Settings/%user%/Local Settings/Temp/" and from "%systemdrive%/Documents and Settings/%user%/Local Settings/Temporary Internet Files/". Perhaps after these actions the Windows folder will be “lightened” by 1-2 gigabytes, and the “Documents and Settings” folder may even be lighter by up to 20 GB.

Now let's take on the supplies that makes Windows Update. In the Windows folder there are folders like "*$" and "*$". These folders contain files that are necessary for correct removal installed updates. If removal is not required (which is usually the case), then they can simply be deleted. After uninstalling, go to “Add or Remove Programs”, check the box to show updates, and remove all Windows updates (for cleanliness).

ATTENTION! The folder "$" cannot be deleted! It is used to install new updates.

Go to the folder "%windir%\Installer$PatchCache$\Managed\" and clean out all its contents. This folder stores basic versions files that change when updating software using msp patches and they are used in order not to ask for the distribution kit with each update. If the installer does not find these files, it will ask you to insert a disk or indicate the path from where the program was installed.

Now let's set up the "%windir%\SoftwareDistribution\" folder. All downloaded updates from Windows Update are stored in this folder. After using the system for a long time, this folder becomes quite large sizes. We clear the Downloads folder in it. The Windows folder is cleared by another 500-2000 MB.

After Service installations Packs, the folder "%windir%\ServicePackFiles" appears, which stores updated versions files. This folder can be deleted, but it is advisable, of course, to have a distribution kit, in case something gets into the system and replaces the critical ones Windows files. For this case, in fact, there is a folder with a capacity of 500 MB. If desired, this folder can be moved to another drive, so that the service does not “lose” them, you need to change several parameters in the registry. We launch the registry editor and go to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup”, along this path we edit the “ServicePackCachePath” and “ServicePackSourcePath” parameters.

Next, to optimize the system, we clean the Prefetch folder, which is located in the Windows folder. IN prefetch folder(.pf extension) contains information about frequently opened programs and services, for faster loading. You can, and moreover, you need to periodically delete everything from it; the system will boot faster, and programs (for the first time) will be slower. Then files are formed again, so we take the folder “on a pencil” and periodically clean it.

And again from optimization: it is important to sometimes clean the C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\PRINTERS folder! This folder creates a lot of “pleasant” moments for printer owners (especially HP). In general, print queue data is stored in it. It often happens when there is a failure that we clean up the “frozen” documents in the “print manager” and calm down on that. However, if the folder is not empty, and the system sees this, it calls spoolsv.exe and it begins to consume 99% of the memory. Having been “killed” through the task manager, after some time this process is started again by the system and continues to poison life. Similar symptoms are also characteristic of some viruses that disguise their activity as spoolsv.exe, but most often it is enough to simply empty the specified folder!

We go to the folder Windows/System32/dllcache/ Only the files need to be deleted using the commands Start - Run - sfc /cachesize=0 then sfc /purgecache. Well manually after the commands too, of course.

Finally, you can clean the System Volume Information folder, but keep in mind that these are your restore points.

If you do all this “lazy” by hand, then cleaning programs like CCleaner will come to the rescue, but keep in mind that abuse of cleaners can lead to an unscheduled reinstallation of Windows.

If any system file, but the OS loading can sometimes save the matter sfc team/scannow, and the Windows distribution inserted into the DVD-Rom.

Winsxs folder - essential Windows element. During the update process, the OS saves copies of components (bin and xml files, dlls etc.) previous versions. That is, it creates backup storage, used for recovery, or “rollback,” in the event of data corruption or a failed update.

During the operation of the operating system, Winsxs tends to increase in size: it can reach a volume of more than 15-20 GB. And many users who lack free space on drive C ask the question: “Is it possible to remove Winsxs?”

If we are talking about sending it to the “Basket” via standard function, definitely not. This will lead to destabilization of the system. The right decision V in this case- clean the folder selectively (without damaging “vital” subfolders and files) using third-party and Windows-integrated utilities.

The methods for deleting Winsxs content differ for the Windows 7 and 8.1 distributions. Implemented in the G8 additional tool cleaning.

How to reduce the size of Winsxs in Windows 7?

Method No. 1

1. Press the key combination “Win” + “E” at the same time.

2. Right-click on the C drive icon.

3. In the list of functions that opens, click “Properties”.

Advice! The properties window displays the free and used space of the disk partition. Analyze these parameters and compare them with the volume of Winsxs. You may need to further clean up or delete other folders containing temporary or unnecessary files to empty container “C”.

4. Click on the “Disk Cleanup” button.

This option can also be run in the Run window:

• hold down the "Win" key and press "R";
• in the panel that appears, in the “Open” line, enter - cleanmgr;
• click “OK”;
• in the new window “...select device”, open the drop-down menu (the “down arrow” icon) with a mouse click and select “(C:)” in the field.

5. When data analysis is complete, a settings panel will appear on the display. To clean the storage folder, in the “Delete the following...” block, check the box next to the “Clean up Windows updates” item.

6. Click OK.

7. While performing the procedure, do not close the utility window or launch other applications.

Method number 2: cleaning using the WinsxsLite script

WinsxsLite software developed by Christian Bering Boegh is distributed free of charge. Has the status of a trusted application. Despite its tiny size (0.5 MB), it copes with the task “excellently”. Significantly reduces the volume of the storage folder and at the same time maintains the functionality of the OS.

1. Download the WinsxsLite utility from a trusted web resource.

2. Unpack the archive (right click → Extract all) into a separate folder.

3. Run WinsxsLite.bat with administrator rights.

4. In the console window, in the prompt line, enter “1” (select Phase 1 mode), and then “s”.

5. Wait for the scan to complete (it will take approximately 1 hour).

• Phase 1 + Apply [a];
• Phase 2 + Scan [s] + Apply [a];

Reducing the volume of Winsxs in Windows 8

Method No. 1: standard procedure

1. Right-click on the “Windows” icon in the taskbar.

2. Opens context menu systems. Click the “Find” function in the list.

3. In the “Search” panel that opens (on the right), in the search line, enter the query “disk cleanup”. Press "Enter".

4. In the list of found parameters, select “Free up disk space...” (left click on the name).

5. In the window that appears, click the “Clean up system files” button.

6. In the list of items, check the box next to “Clean up Windows updates.”

7. To start the removal procedure, click “OK”.

Method No. 2: dism.exe utility

1. Open system menu: Right-click on the “Windows” icon (located in the lower right corner of the screen).

2. In the function bar, click “Command Prompt (Administrator)”.

3. In the command line console, enter the following directive:

dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase

4. Press "Enter".

5. Wait for the procedure to complete (its progress will be displayed directly in the console).

Advice! To quickly analyze the contents of the storage, the utility can be launched with another key - dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore.

Method number 3: setting up automatic deletion

1. Open Windows menu 8.1 (right click on the “Win” shortcut).

Control Panel (in the View add-on, set “Large icons”) → Administration → Task Scheduler (open by double-clicking).

3. In the scheduler window, click on the “Library” folder and go to the directory: Microsoft → Windows → Servising.

4. In the adjacent panel, right-click on StartComponentCleanup, and then select “Run” from the submenu.

After these steps, the operating system will automatically clean Winsxs on a schedule (setting time intervals is on the “Conditions” tab).

Advice! To quickly activate a task, run in command line: schtasks.exe /Run /TN "\Microsoft\Windows\Servicing\StartComponentCleanup"

Periodically monitor the volume of Winsxs and clean it if necessary. Let there always be enough free space on the C drive of your PC!