Is it smart to clean WinSxS Folder ?

Discussion in 'Windows 8' started by endbase, Mar 9, 2014.

  1. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

    Mar 8, 2010
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    #21 acyuta, Mar 10, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 10, 2014
    Thanks for this. I have no interest in uninstalling updates as I have rarely found any issues with them.
    Good to know that there are 2 cmd commands-one for 8 and one for 8.1.

    One more thing I have found in 8 and 8.1. The entire benefit may not come immediately.
    When I cleanup, I may get say 3 GB. Then I image and when I restore, I may get another 2 GB. Clearly it takes 1-2 images/restore to get the full benefit.
    Also I may see 200 GB free on C one day and after 2 days, it may be 202 GB and stay that way. What is going on?
     
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  2. Airbus

    Airbus MDL Member

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    Do you have system restore enabled?
     
  3. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

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    No. Never use system restore or system protection in windows. Use Acronis for imaging.
     
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  4. Airbus

    Airbus MDL Member

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    I personally use Norton Ghost.
     
  5. M0rriss0n

    M0rriss0n MDL Senior Member

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    I did too, for years!
    Until I came across Macrium Reflect recently.
    Give it a try, you will not be disappointed!
     
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  6. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

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    #26 acyuta, Mar 11, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2014
    I came into cleaning winsxs folder only recently with windows 8 (early 2013)
    I had previously a 120GB Intel SSD of which win 8 and softwares took up 35-37GB. So clearly, space was not an issue. With a 256GB SSD now, clearly even less of an issue.
    The benefits include (a) why keep unnecessary junk
    (b) reduce image size of Acronis. If you keep 2-3 images in 2-3 places, that can add up to quite something. With WinSxS cleaning, I usually save 4-5 GB on win 8/8.1 which translates into a 2-3 GB reduction in acronis image size.
     
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  7. murphy78

    murphy78 MDL DISM Enthusiast

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    I use sysprep images. :p
    Of course HD cloning programs are much better for saving install ID and such...
    I'm just a sucker for a clean install.
    I even made one of the WimBoot version of 17031 ProWMC, but I can't use it till I get a SSD heh...
     
  8. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

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    Any tool/workaround for cleaning up superseded office updates.
    On a clean install, I usually apply the x-none format. However, after that monthly updates apply on top of the initial updates.
    Is there a repository that lists superseded office 2010/13 updates. That way, on each monthly update, I can delete older ones.
     
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  9. murphy78

    murphy78 MDL DISM Enthusiast

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    I think you meant some question marks in there somewhere.
    But I totally agree with your curiosity.
    Does anyone know of an office equivalent of superseded updates removal?
     
  10. acyuta

    acyuta MDL Expert

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    One can do it manually but it is too much of a research. Example, you applied mso-x-none dated 18 Dec 2013 for office 2010. In March 2014, you got an update which extracts as mso-x-none. Although one can overwrite the older mso-x-none on local disk (for future usage), one still has to apply the march 2014 mso-x-none. Then one has to find what update no the Dec 2013 update referred to.

    I would hazard to say that office 2010 and especially office 2013 monthly updates bloat C: more than windows.
     
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