Windows 10: How do I clean up excessively large system files, such as those in the WinSxS folder?

I have a second hand HP Stream netbook that I want to send to my niece. The previous owner didn’t factory reset it, and I didn’t know their password, so I couldn’t reset it myself. So instead, I did a clean reinstallation of the OS from a disk. I set up a profile in my name to make sure it was working, now I want to factory reset it so she can set up her own website profile. But it says that there is not enough free disk space to download the OS for the reset. Only 5gb is available from a 32gb SSD.This makes no sense, it’s fresh off a clean reinstall, so there should be no excessive files. I’v

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excessively large size of winsxs and Installer folders

• Does your Windows 7 Disk Cleanup have the Windows Update Cleanup installed which is a separate component ?

If not may i suggest you download the correct version for your Windows 7 ( 64 or 32 bit ) and install it.

Disk Cleanup Wizard addon lets users delete outdated Windows updates on Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 - Microsoft Support

Once installed reboot the computer.

Run Disk Cleanup ( 1st pass ).

When it reopens select the Clean Up Systems File Tab and Ok ( 2nd pass ).

Once that has run and re-opened, ...... CHECK the box called Windows Update Cleanup and then click the OK Tab.

This will begin the cleanup.

When finished.

Do a re-start to flush the system.

When the computer has re-booted have a re-check of the WinSxS folder to see if it has reduced its size.

 

WinSxS file too large on Windows 10 device

Hi, I have a Windows 10 tablet (Dell Venue 11 Pro) and the WinSxS folder is occupying a significant portion of the disk space. I visited

this page and tried to:

• Run Disk Cleanup, which did nothing
• Run the Task Scheduler, which reduced the size by a couple of gigabytes but the file is still way too large (exceeding 10GB)

I did not try the DISM solution as I find the command prompt difficult to use on the tablet and don't have an external keyboard.

The WinSxS file seems to be primarily occupied by amd64 files.

Is there any other way for me to reduce the size of this folder? Is there no specific Windows update that I missed, or third party tool, that deals with this issue? Or is the DISM approach that I skipped stronger than the other two and the only solution?

I'd really rather not do a clean install of Windows but at this point I'm tempted to start deleting large chunks of the folder and reformatting if I break something...

Thanks in advance

 

Why is Winsxs folder 30gb? Too large, come on...

Hi, I am an Independent Advisor.

Let me help you with this concern.

Please read an excerp from Microsoft Support about this Winsxs folder.

"Don't delete the WinSxS folder, you can instead reduce the size of the WinSxS folder using tools built into Windows. For more information about the WinSxS folder, see Manage the Component Store.

The operating system automatically reduces the size of the WinSxS folder by using methods similar to the ones described in this topic. Windows also uses internal processes to reduce the size of the WinSxS folder, such as uninstalling and deleting packages with components that have been replaced by other components with newer versions. Previous versions of some components are kept on the system for a period of time, allowing you to rollback if necessary. After a period of time, these older components are automatically removed from the installation.

You can also reduce the size of a Windows image using some of the same techniques, as discussed in Reduce the Size of the Component Store in an Offline Windows Image.

To learn about finding the size of your WinSxS folder, see Determine the actual size of the WinSxS folder.

Warning

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.

You have a number of ways to start the cleanup of the component store, which use a combination of package deletion and component compression to clean up the WinSxS folder:"

Source link https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardw...

Please follow the steps on the same link to manage the space in this folder.