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

    • Lol I had one of these turn faulty in Jan, guess it wasn't just bad luck lol
    • I'm team Rossmann all the way. I have the exact same NVME, altough not in an array like him.
    • It had gone weeks ago. Although thinking about it I'm on the beta.
    • They thought value of their goods would forever only drop like it used to and didn't account for sudden increase in price because of all the Ai hype. Tough luck Samsung, don't try to weasel this one out. Also American customer protection laws are a**. In Europe, you need to be compensated for a functioning product of same or better characteristics (not same price point as when it was originally bought!) if it can't be repaired and when you receive a replacement product your warranty starts from scratch because you received a different item than you previously had and old warranty thus cannot apply to it anymore. If your actual item was successfully repaired, warranty gets extended for the period the item was in service. If item is repaired to a significant extent, warranty also starts over from scratch because major part of it was replaced. Americans need to fight to get this kind of consumer protections because they are constantly getting screwed over.
    • Microsoft releases new Windows 11 Media Creation Tool with the latest updates by Taras Buria Patch Tuesday updates arrive every month, bringing users new features and security updates. To make sure customers have access to the most recent images, Microsoft also releases updates to the Media Creation Tool app, its official utility for Windows 11 installation. Today, the company pushed new ISOs to Media Creation Tool, allowing you to create images with the June 2026 Patch Tuesday updates. With the latest update, the Media Creation Tool now downloads KB5094126. It is Windows 11 version 25H2, build 26200.8655, which is also available via Windows Update. Note that the app itself remains on the previous version, which you can check in Properties > Details. The only change is that it now downloads a more recent Windows 11 build, so the only way to check is to download an ISO. The June 2026 Patch Tuesday update is a special release for Windows 11, as it brings a new performance profile to make the operating system more responsive and snappier when rendering various user interface surfaces, including the Start menu, quick settings, and more. It does so by spiking processor speeds for a brief moment, resulting in higher loads for a second or two. The so-called “Low latency profile” is rolling out gradually, but you can force-enable it with the ViVeTool app. Other changes include webcam improvements, Task Manager updates, shared audio support, and more. You can download the Media Creation Tool app from the official Microsoft website using this link. Besides MCT, Microsoft lets you download Windows 11 ISO as a file directly from the official Windows 11 website. However, you will need a third-party app to write it to your USB drive. Check out this guide if you want to know how to do that.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      davidbazooked earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Jamswaz earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Jamswaz earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      Marzoid went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Community Regular
      coch went up a rank
      Community Regular
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      509
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      184
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      158
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      83
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      75
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!