On windows vista, there is a folder called winsxs, which stands for windows side by side. The winsxs folder is the only location that the core system components found on the system and all the system files you see in their usual locations, in the windows directory structure, are hard linked back to the winsxs folder. How to clean up winsxs folder on windows 2008 r2 to gain more. Apr 17, 2018 how to address disk space issues that are caused by a large windows component store winsxs directory content provided by microsoft applies to. In windows 10 and windows server 2016, you have a number of ways to start the cleanup of the component store, which use a combination of package deletion and component. Batch file to compress winsxs files that havent been used in a while. Contribute to hfiref0x sxsexp development by creating an account on github.
Each time you run a windows update files in the winsxs folder get update and the size will continue to grow. Ill use the pc normally for a few days, but will also try to use every program i occasionally use. It should compress most of the files anyways, so well ignore those. Clean up component store winsxs folder in windows 10 8. Other people have mentioned compressing the backup folder inside the winsxs folder. Deleting files from the windows sidebyside winsxs folder is a bad idea. Its a part of the move to a component based architecture, where the winsxs folder contains multiple versions of a component such as windows media player or iis, and the appropriate versions are hardlinked into the system.
Apr 17, 2018 discusses how to address disk space issues that are caused by a large windows component store winsxs directory. In windows 7 and windows 810, there is a new folder under c. The drive i am looking at now has about 56 gbs used and 11 gbs free its is a windows 2008 r2 sp2. Clean and compress the winsxs folder windows 7 random. On my 5 year old vista sp2 laptop, with tons of software and updates, compressing the winsxs and installer directories under c.
Winsxs folder file compression microsoft community. Windows uses a system folder called winsxs to store files. In this article we will talk about the winsxs folder in windows 10 and windows 8. Well given that sbs 2011 is based on windows server 2008 r2, the answer is a. Ive read all about winsxs side by side and how it tries to solve the dll hell problems that have plagued windows for ages, but i thought it was ridiculous that this folder was taking up over 10 gigs of precious space on my 64 gb solid state drive. One commonly asked question is, can i delete the winsxs folder to regain some disk space. How to enable ntfs compress on winsxs folder in windows 10 and 8. Compressing winsxs folder solutions experts exchange. Oct 28, 2019 maintenance how to reclaim space reducing size of winsxs folder on windows 10 you cant delete the winsxs folder, but you can clean up its contents to free up space on windows 10, and in this. How to clean up winsxs folder on windows 2008 r2 to gain more disk space. Windows users who have run a disk space analyzer like treesize or wiztree in the last days may have stumbled for the first time upon the winsxs folder in the windows directory the folder usually has a size of about 5 to 8 gigabytes on windows vista and windows 7 or newer, there are however reports of bigger folders, up to 16 gigabytes and more. Using any of these will make the service pack permanent. This folder also contains files for uninstalled, disabled windows components.
How to clean up winsxs folder on windows 2008 r2 to gain. How to address disk space issues that are caused by a. Its a part of the move to a component based architecture, where the winsxs folder contains multiple versions of a component such as windows media player or iis, and the appropriate versions are. Not only are these files critical to the operation of windows 10 but when updates to windows are installed, these files get updated. Windows os stores all its core components to winsxs directory.
This tutorial details how to use file and folder compression in windows 10. It also stores older versions of all dll and component files and can grow to be quite large. Winsxs and general windows folder ntfs compression. Nov 23, 2016 is it ok to apply file compression to the c. Mar 03, 2015 i was onsite this week and had a server with 21gb of files in the winsxs folder which was pretty well huge in comparison to the overall 30gb in the windows folder. When windows installs updates, it drops the new windows component in the winsxs folder and keeps the old component in the winsxs folder. How to reclaim space reducing size of winsxs folder on.
The winsxs folder is the component store located in your c. A script to compress winsxs folder resided in windows directory. On windows 10, winsxs windows side by side is an essential folder within the windows folder, which contains most of the components to customize and update the current installation. You cant just delete everything in the winsxs folder, because some of those. Deleting files from the winsxs folder or deleting the entire winsxs folder may severely damage your system so that your pc might not boot and make it impossible to update. Im running out of disk space and winsxs folder is already taking a lot of space. How to reclaim space reducing size of winsxs folder on windows 10. Tips, windows you may have an older computer, a smaller ssd or a vm with little space left on the system partition, and you need a couple of gbs of disk quickly. I was just wondering if is it advisable to set this folder to. Pls provide me the details of the steps for compression of the folder. How to address disk space issues that are caused by a large. Clean and compress the winsxs folder windows 7 ssds are pretty common these days, which means that there is a limited amount of space for the os. Winsxs folder compressing a way to reduce the size of the winsxs directory using the ntfs compression.
Rightclick the volume you want to compress, and then click properties. I was onsite this week and had a server with 21gb of files in the winsxs folder which was pretty well huge in comparison to the overall 30gb in the windows folder. Adding and removing files and folders in winsxs folder. Jul 03, 2014 ive previously reported on easy way to shrink that winsxs folder in windows 7 by installing a patch which adds a new function to the default windows cleaning wizard and allows to select windows unused patches left behind taking valuable space. These components are kept to rollback any problematic change or to repair a file that becomes corrupted. Iso files format a hard drive for both windows and mac zip a file or folder in. Mar 11, 2016 in last weeks article, how to clean up system files with the windows 10 disk cleanup tool, i told you about the winsxs folder and how it can accumulate a lot of extraneous files. I posted earlier in the month here about how to clean up a large winsxs folder on windows server 2008 r2. The only thing is that this cleanup method suits only for the advanced users, who are familiar with the windows 10 components and their purpose. Due to the nature of the folder, it wouldnt affect system performance and would save several gigabytes of disk space.
To better manage your computer hard drive, minitool partition manager is helpful to allow you resize. Oct 02, 2009 deleting files from the windows sidebyside winsxs folder is a bad idea. How to compress winsxs folder on windows 2008 r2 server. For more information, see dism operating system package servicing commandline options use the startcomponentcleanup parameter. Winsxs directory growing uncontrollably, blocking server. When these featured are installed into a particular location, what actually happens is that a new link. Apr 23, 2016 windows uses a system folder called winsxs to store files that are needed for your windows installation, as well as backups or updates to those files. In confirm attribute changes, click the option you want. The winsxs folder is at about 25 gbs full right now. How to ntfs compress windows winsxs folder you may have an older computer, a smaller ssd or a vm with little space left on the system partition, and you need a couple of gbs of disk. Jan 22, 20 how to ntfs compress windows winsxs folder labels. How to save space by cleaning windows winsxs folder. On my 7 vm the winsxs folder is taking up 15 gb of space which is way too much for a 40 gb drive.
By continuing to use this site andor clicking the accept button you are providing consent quest software and its affiliates do not sell the personal data you provide to us either when you register on our. How to cleanup system disk in windows 7 sp1 by deprecated. Whether its the hardware devices or the software applications that power them, everything is much more powerful and capable th. Jan 06, 2015 this tutorial details how to use file and folder compression in windows 10.
Need to compress winsxs folder on windows 2008 r2 server. Then i want to enable ntfs compression for all files in winsxs that. Winsxs cleanup in windows 2012 and windows 8 lefteris. Winsxs and general windows folder ntfs compression neowin.
First up install the desktop experience feature via the add features function from server manager. My original installation of win764, along with all my application software, took about 22gb on my 64gb ssd. Mar 20, 2015 i posted earlier in the month here about how to clean up a large winsxs folder on windows server 2008 r2. Now, after about a years use, my windows folder itself is taking up 21. Analyze component store winsxs folder in windows 10. Im just wondering why the winsxs folder in vista and windows 7 doesnt utilise file compression. Jul 24, 2010 the winsxs folder explained by martin brinkmann on july 24, 2010 in windows last update. This directory contains dlls, binary and xml files necessary for installation and operation of any windows roles or features. Back in time when i had to install additional windows components on a 2003 server the windows comopnents wizard asked me to insert the install disk or point to a folder which contains the install files. How to cleanup a large winsxs folder on windows sever 2008 r2.
Oct 23, 2018 thus, windows allows to significantly reduce the size of the winsxs folder by removing the unused components from the disk. On the general tab, click to select the compress volume to save disk space check box, and then click ok. How to save space by cleaning windows winsxs folder laptop. Roles, features and the winsxs folder in windows server. Definitely do not compress that folder, do not compress anything inside the windows folder you will screw windows up. Windows 10 and windows server 2016 automatically reduce the size of the winsxs folder by using methods similar to the ones described in this topic, in addition to internal processes, such as uninstalling and deleting packages with components that have been replaced by other components with newer versions. Discusses how to address disk space issues that are caused by a large windows component store winsxs directory. Windows vista enterprise windows 7 enterprise windows 7 service pack 1 windows server 2008 enterprise windows server 2008 r2 enterprise windows server 2008 r2 service pack 1 more. I have less than 10 gb free, the windows folder is taking up 85% of that and winsxs is taking up 52% of that according to windirstat. Reduce the size of vistas winsxs folder andrew berry. In other words, the current dlls that are active in the system are hardlinked back to this winsxs folder. Windows uses a system folder called winsxs to store files that are needed for your windows. Does the system require additional disk space initially to perform the compression and am i likely to kill the system if i attempt to compress the c. How to clean up windows 10s winsxs folder using the.
In windows server 2008 this was changed and all files were copied to the c. Legacy and new windows vista versions and window vista software. Contribute to hfiref0xsxsexp development by creating an account on github. Although you cant delete the winsxs folder as its an essential part of windows 10, you can use these steps to clean up its contents to keep it. Follow the steps in this tutorial to conduct the winsxs folder cleanup on windows 1087 and reduce the size of winsxs folder to save space for windows 1087. Jan 04, 2010 ive read all about winsxs side by side and how it tries to solve the dll hell problems that have plagued windows for ages, but i thought it was ridiculous that this folder was taking up over 10 gigs of precious space on my 64 gb solid state drive. Even if you dont have a windows component installed, it will. Computers, and the technologies associated with them have grown manifold over the last few years. But, you can shrink the winsxs folder with vsp1cln. Winsxs folder is the component store of windows vista and later operating systems. The only files that could be skipped over is the manifest files that are less than 4kb in size. We have a post that describes how to clean up winsxs folder on a windows 8 computer but unfortunately, the same step doesnt seem to be working on a windows server 2008 r2 system.
While this question has been discussed in blog posts, this topic goes into a little more details about the concepts behind the component store specifically the winsxs folder and then provides links to topics that highlight ways to better manage the. Winsxs and general windows folder ntfs compression mini spy. Modifying the winsxs folder directly is not advisable. How to save space by cleaning windows winsxs folder laptop mag. But you can do so if you are running short on space by following the right direction. In case when it is necessary to perform deletion of windows 7 unused updates on plenty of pcs at the same time of course nobody will run from one pc to another, performing all these operations manually.
Maintenance how to reclaim space reducing size of winsxs folder on windows 10 you cant delete the winsxs folder, but you can clean up its contents to free up space on windows 10, and in. The winsxs folder is located in the windows folder, for example c. First up install the desktop experience feature via. Newer systems windows 10 are providing for compressing system folders like winsxs but i do not think this applies to server 2008. To reach the best result, you can use all three ways together. Short for windows side by side, winsxs is a folder in different operating systems of windows server and in sbs 2011, which stores dll and system files for various purposes. Jan 31, 2014 how to automate winsxs folder cleaning up. In windows 8 and up, you can run the following commands to clean up space from windows updates. Apr 17, 2007 winsxs and general windows folder ntfs compression mini spy. Since then ive had a few questions about if this same procedure will work on an sbs 2011 server.
Jun 17, 2016 on my 7 vm the winsxs folder is taking up 15 gb of space which is way too much for a 40 gb drive. I was told to be very carefull with this folder because deleting the wrong files could mess up the server. The winsxs folder contains the files for all the windows features you can install in the default operating system. How to reduce the size of your winsxs folder on windows 7 or 8. This folder builds up unnecessary files over time, such as old versions of system components. Microsoft recommends not touching this winsxs folder for the purpose of gaining more disk space. How to ntfs compress windows winsxs folder dan dar3. This topic is about the different ways to reduce the size of the winsxs folder on a running version of windows 10. Cleanup the winsxs folder in windows 7810 help desk geek. How to use file and folder compression in windows 10. Clean up component store winsxs folder in windows 10.
Run disk cleanup add it in from windows features in programs and features and click on the system cleanup button. Whether its the hardware devices or the software applications that power them, everything is much more powerful and capable than ever. How to address disk space issues that are caused by a large windows component store winsxs directory. Many system files are actually just symbolic links to the contents of this folder. The winsxs folder contains every operating system file. This means that every windows update you install increases the size of your winsxs folder. Bereinigen des ordners winsxsclean up the winsxs folder. Just hardlinks to the current directory and the parent directory. It stores this data in large forms and as a result, the individual space of the disk vanishes slowly. The component store winsxs folder contains all the components that makeup windows to allow you operate your system.
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