How big is your windows folder?


Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...
yeah, i know this thread hasn't been added to in over a week, but i've just discovered the joys of ntfs compression :D

360MB, for all intents and purposes.

Sweet, that is really getting down there :p

Can you tell a differance in speed now? Or is it the same?

The 168mb one I posted, was actualy NT 4 with SP6a :blush:

in all honesty, things do seem to be working better. it's really hard to tell on a 2.53GHz machine, though.

i just wish i could get the actual size down. for some reason, i can't remember how i got down to ~460MB last time :( i figure that with the compression, i could be down to almost 300MB or less, if i could get rid of all the stuff i got rid of last time (and yeah, i've deleted everything i usually delete)

  • 4 weeks later...
in all honesty, things do seem to be working better. it's really hard to tell on a 2.53GHz machine, though.

i just wish i could get the actual size down. for some reason, i can't remember how i got down to ~460MB last time :( i figure that with the compression, i could be down to almost 300MB or less, if i could get rid of all the stuff i got rid of last time (and yeah, i've deleted everything i usually delete)

You have VS.net installed? That takes up a lot of space in the windows folder :(

I've gone through the first 8 pages of this thread. Would someone kindly post a summary of what should be safe to delete from the windows folder?

Mine is currently at 1.7 gigs. I'd like to get it down to around a gig without crashing my computer lol.

Thanks a bunch. :)

From shen:

*cut and pasted from another forum i moderate*

here's what i wipe out (but keep backed up on cd):

c:\windows\cursors\

c:\windows\downloaded installations\

c:\windows\driver cache\i386\

c:\windows\help\

c:\windows\inf\

c:\windows\installer\

c:\windows\media\

c:\windows\registeredpackages\

c:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386\

c:\windows\system32\dllcache\

c:\windows\system32\reinstallbackups\

c:\windows\system32\restore\

c:\windows\system32\usmt\

c:\program files\msn

c:\program files\netmeeting\

c:\windows\$Uninstall----$

the $uninstall----$ folders are used whenever you want to uninstall a windows update. i don't see any point in keeping them.

also, go through the start menu and find things you don't want (stuff in the Accessories folder) - find the programs those shortcuts link to and delete as necessary.

notes:

1) keep the directories - just delete/move the files inside

2) do this after you've installed *all* hardware, including webcams and virtual cd-rom drives, and updated all service packs/ updates.

i find little things here and there, but that's normally the stuff i go through and wipe out right after a fresh install.

I have deleted all that, and my computer is as stable as ever :p

All of this also applys to 2k if the folders exist ;)

nickg78, i would not delete those folders. it is true that they CAN be deleted, and windows will work just fine, but without the inf folder, you can't add any hardware to the computer, even some USB devices. the media folder contains all those sounds you hear in windows. and the cursors folder holds all the different cursors you can use. you could simply delete the ones you never use, but they are very small files and will yield little disk space when deleted.

From shen:
*cut and pasted from another forum i moderate*

here's what i wipe out (but keep backed up on cd):

c:\windows\cursors\

c:\windows\downloaded installations\

c:\windows\driver cache\i386\

c:\windows\help\

c:\windows\inf\

c:\windows\installer\

c:\windows\media\

c:\windows\registeredpackages\

c:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386\

c:\windows\system32\dllcache\

c:\windows\system32\reinstallbackups\

c:\windows\system32\restore\

c:\windows\system32\usmt\

c:\program files\msn

c:\program files\netmeeting\

c:\windows\$Uninstall----$

the $uninstall----$ folders are used whenever you want to uninstall a windows update. i don't see any point in keeping them.

also, go through the start menu and find things you don't want (stuff in the Accessories folder) - find the programs those shortcuts link to and delete as necessary.

notes:

1) keep the directories - just delete/move the files inside

2) do this after you've installed *all* hardware, including webcams and virtual cd-rom drives, and updated all service packs/ updates.

i find little things here and there, but that's normally the stuff i go through and wipe out right after a fresh install.

I have deleted all that, and my computer is as stable as ever :p

All of this also applys to 2k if the folders exist ;)

or you can just simply use add/remove programs!

  • 3 weeks later...
nickg78, i would not delete those folders. it is true that they CAN be deleted, and windows will work just fine, but without the inf folder, you can't add any hardware to the computer, even some USB devices. the media folder contains all those sounds you hear in windows. and the cursors folder holds all the different cursors you can use. you could simply delete the ones you never use, but they are very small files and will yield little disk space when deleted.

If you delete the inf folder, you can still install any new hardware and USB devices, you will just need to locate the divers manualy :p

Personal, I just delete all the mdm*.* (modem dirvers, about 27mb) because I know I am never going to be installing a modem in my computer, and if I did I would use the drivers it came with :p

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • I bought one of these last year. I really hope I won't have to deal with this crap. My drive is in good condition at the moment.
    • Umm, read my answer again! If you have something to add or contribute, feel free. Otherwise my point was that you apparently dont want faster updates... so you want slower updates by process of elimination. If you have something to contribute, meaningful answers are better.
    • These features described above are good, but far from what developers will like the most. The main feature that developers will care and love the most it's called "Bring Your Own Models". It gives us the ability to connect to LOCAL AI models running on Ollama. The feature it's located on GitHub Copilot tab -> On the model picker where you can select "manage models" instead of paid models and then it will show you the "Bring your own models" window where you can now select Ollama and the endpoint of your local server. So if you have a beefy spec machine you can now use your own model 100% local inside Visual Studio 2026 18.7.0
    • Microsoft Teams is getting a controversial location tracking feature that users may hate by Usama Jawad Image generated with Microsoft Copilot Earlier this year, Microsoft planned to roll out a controversial location tracking feature in Teams, but following customer feedback, it decided to delay its release. The bad news is that the company has decided to launch it later this year, but it's based on roughly the same design that was shared earlier, which means that many users still have good reason to worry. Basically, Microsoft Places and Teams have received workplace check-ins via Wi-Fi. The idea is that if an employee arrives at the office and connects to their enterprise network, their profile status indicator will show them as being present in the office. For example, if you arrive at work, open Teams on your PC, and connect to the "Studio B" company Wi-Fi network, your Teams profile will indicate that you are present in "Studio B", as shown below: Microsoft says that this feature is basically a replacement for physical workplace check-in peripherals, it reduces the need to manually update your status, and it also enables co-workers to know that you're at work so that they can coordinate in-person meetings with you. IT admins can enable this workplace check-in capability at a tenant level, and users have the ability to control whether they want to enable it or not. Of course, all of that sounds great on paper, but naturally, many Teams customers may still have concerns, as they did before. This is because it enables your reporting manager and other members of the organization to track if you are at the office, when you arrive at the office, and where you are right now. This could be problematic for people who work in what they consider to be flexible work environments or hybrid setups, and this kind of location tracking could be considered an invasion of privacy. Microsoft has tried to alleviate some of these concerns by letting users know that they can manually set their location easily, which essentially overrides workplace check-in if they feel uncomfortable with it. However, that doesn't really solve the problem because your organization could enforce a workplace policy that mandates that this feature remains enabled. The Redmond tech giant has also assured users that this capability does not store historical data and is only a real-time indicator of location. Finally, it only generates a signal when you connect to a corporate network, which means that if you are working from home and connect your PC to your personal Wi-Fi, it won't broadcast your location to your employer; you will simply be shown as "Remote". Microsoft has encouraged IT admins to prepare for this change and begin informing users so they know what to expect once it begins rolling out later this year.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Very Popular
      AndrewSteel earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Veteran
      Taliseian went up a rank
      Veteran
    • One Month Later
      Clizby earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      Timaximus earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Timaximus earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      516
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      162
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      157
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      82
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      81
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!