Operating systems of the Windows family by many users are almost perceived as a standard of “mildness” and a tendency to gradually litter with unnecessary files. Unfortunately, there is some truth to such beliefs.
That is why the popularity of all sorts of optimizer programs that can keep the stock of this garbage under relative control does not decrease. That's just for some users their functionality is not enough, but because they decide to take everything into their own hands. The results are simply disastrous.
For example, they often delete the WinSxS directory. What kind of folder is this, why can deleting it affect the performance of your system in far from the best way? Let's find the answer to this question in our article.
What it is?
To understand why this folder is so important, at first it would be nice to find out its purpose. First you need to go a little past, telling about the history of Windows. The fact is that the release of the notorious Windows XP became a truly significant event: the line of 9x systems was completely closed, after which NT varieties became the main ones.
But the problem is that many of the functions that were in demand in old versions, for one reason or another, are needed in new systems. As a rule, this is due to compatibility issues, for which old bugs from older versions were carefully transferred to the same Internet Explorer.
So, the WinSxS directory has become the repository of such ancient elements. What is this folder? Is it really just a system dump? No, it's not that simple.
Editing Description Files
When Windows Vista came out, profound changes took place in the kernel of the system that did not seem to manifest themselves at all. So, before all the components were described by INF-files, while in “Vista” the practice of “binary file + XML” was first introduced. This bundle contains almost all the information about the system: from registry keys to system settings.
All these bundles are stored in WinSxS. What kind of folder is this, to put it more simply? It can be called an important system storage, which contains all the information about the system. In fact, this directory is an OS in miniature. Now it’s clear what consequences its removal will cause?
Most often, after such a barbaric step, the system will not work at all. And if by some miracle some part of its functions is preserved, then it will still be impossible to fully work on it.
Can it be cleaned?
Oddly enough, but such an operation is quite acceptable. Over time, the size of this folder begins to grow rapidly. This is due to the fact that new connections arise between system components, and some of them are already outdated.
Do not forget also that the system is constantly changing and improving: for example, when you install updates, not only new but also old versions of system files appear in the folder. This is done to enable rollback to the old look of the system.
Simply put, as a result of maintenance and settings, the volume of this catalog will constantly increase until one day it exceeds all reasonable limits. But before you clear WinSxS, you should remember a few simple rules.
Firstly, for its "reorganization" only system utilities from Microsoft itself should be used. Secondly, manual modification of its components is unacceptable, since the consequences of such "creativity" will be unpredictable. Thirdly, if you do not understand the meaning of this cleaning, and the size of the system disk allows it, it is better to completely abandon such an idea. You definitely won’t increase the speed, but you can earn excess problems.
How is cleaning done?
We have already said that before clearing WinSxS, you need to use the services of a special utility. It is hidden in the bowels of the system, and therefore ordinary users do not even suspect its existence. It is called DISM, currently its eighth version is already included in Windows.
For the utility to start, you need a command line with administrator rights. To start it in this mode, perform the following operations: click on the "Start" button, and in the menu that opens, find the search bar. Enter the word “CMD” into it, press the “Enter” button.
A list of found elements will appear in the right part of the window, among which there will be a file of the same name. Right-click on it, and in the pop-up context menu select "Run as Administrator".
First we find out if a cleaning operation is necessary at a particular moment. To do this, use the following command: "Dism.exe / Online / Cleanup-Image / AnalyzeComponentStore".
After this, several obscure lines will appear, the meaning of which we will now explain. So, after the line "Component Store <WinSxS> information", you should be interested in the very first value. At the end, there is some meaning in Gb. This is the size of the WinSxS directory. What kind of folder is this? We already told you, and the decision to clean it should be made by you just after familiarizing yourself with its size.
The second line shows the actual size of all components, which should be guided by. Finally, the most recent value is the number of those system files that have been replaced with new ones, and therefore they can be safely removed.
First way
It is the most simple and effective. So, to make the WinSxS Windows 7 folder smaller, run the command line in administrative mode. Enter the following command in it: "Dism.exe / Online / Cleanup-Image / StartComponentCleanup". A little time will pass, after which the system will inform you about the operation.
Attention! If you performed the operation using the first method, then all other actions can be omitted, as there will be no sense in them.
Second way
Run the command line emulator again in Administrator mode. Enter the command “cleanmgr” into it, then press the “Enter” key. The Disk Cleanup utility starts. In the latest versions of Windows, it can even determine the volume of old system update files that can be safely removed from the OS.
Third way
This method is designed to remove all old versions of components that are no longer needed. It is extremely useful for owners of computers that have been running the same version of Windows for several years.
Important! If you use our advice, you will not be able to roll back the update. The warning is all the more important because most recently, Windows 7 users suffered a series of system crashes associated with the failed patch KB2859537. However, if everything is fine with your OS, then the WinSxS folder (how to reduce it, we tell) can be revised.
This operation is performed by the command "Dism.exe / Online / Cleanup-Image / StartComponentCleanup / ResetBase". The gain in the amount of free disk space will directly depend on the total number of updates that you have installed since the installation of the system itself. It happens that the size of the freed space is measured in gigabytes.
Is it worth it to clean
So, after all of the above, you may well be in some difficulty. And this is understandable: on the one hand, the gain in the amount of freed up space is attractive, but on the other ... What will you do if some update file turned out to be problematic?
If there is a corresponding WinSxS file, then there is nothing to worry about. But when it is not there, in some cases only reinstalling the system can help. So before this operation, we strongly advise you to decide whether this fraction of free space is really necessary for you. Moreover, as you know, in Windows 8 WinSxS is partially optimized by system tools, so you should not worry much about it.