Winsxs is HUGE - thanks win_vista

ticktock123 · May 18, 2007

Hello everyone, long time now talk. I am having a problem here.

My winsxs folder is 3.5Gb
about 20K files and 5K folders. I have only had this computer for about month, and haven't done much with it, each folder has 1-4 files in it and they are about 1mb each.

If anyone knows what this is then that would rock.

redduc900 · May 19, 2007

XP / Vista can store old DLLs and other OS library components in the WinSxS (Windows Side by Side) folder. If an application relies on an old DLL but a newer version is part of the OS, XP / Vista will spot this and divert DLL calls as appropriate to the old version while leaving the new version in place for other software. So if you have lot of applications installed, that folder can grow to be quite large.

DanFraser · May 19, 2007

But it's great for proper functionality. And I believe a good amount of dx9 files get put in there. Mine is about the same.

nightelph · Aug 16, 2008

Thread revival. My WINSXS directory is 12.5gb, containing +70,000 files. The first 5gb begin with 'amd64...". The only amd product in my machine is a video card. I thought of removing the amd64 files but vista requires I need permission or admin rights, which I should have. Has anyone come up with a safe way to clean this up?

petteyg359 · Aug 16, 2008

I would suggest you _DON'T_ clean that up. You're running 64-bit Vista. Your 64-bit CPU uses amd64 / EM64T / x86_64 (all the same thing by different names). Since AMD came up with it first, many thing refer to it as amd64, regardless of whether you're running an AMD CPU.

johnz · Aug 16, 2008

nightelph said:
Thread revival. My WINSXS directory is 12.5gb, containing +70,000 files. The first 5gb begin with 'amd64...". The only amd product in my machine is a video card. I thought of removing the amd64 files but vista requires I need permission or admin rights, which I should have. Has anyone come up with a safe way to clean this up?

I wouldn't worry about it. Every O/S requires more space than it's predecessors for proper operation. 12.5gb is about $1.70 at current HD prices. That's cheap insurance to insure compatibility.

Mr.Guvernment · Aug 16, 2008

5.58G here with 31,481 files - Server 2008 standard though

johnz · Aug 16, 2008

I just looked at mine. It's 11.9gb in Vista64 Business.

nightelph · Aug 16, 2008

petteyg359 said:
Your 64-bit CPU uses amd64 / EM64T / x86_64 (all the same thing by different names). Since AMD came up with it first, many thing refer to it as amd64, regardless of whether you're running an AMD CPU.

Thats starting to ring a bell..

Just can't help that itch to optimize everything.

johnz said:
12.5gb is about $1.70 at current HD prices. That's cheap insurance to insure compatibility.

Not for a 10K raptor.

-------------------------------------------

I'm not overly worried about the space, I was doing a big cleanup to get ready for the gaming season.

I've got a 150gb raptor for OS and games, now with 70gb free. And I just ordered a WD6400AAKS for other media.

Thanks for the help, y'all.

Mpegger · Aug 16, 2008

32.94MiB only here on my XP.

If Vista is gonna save that much just for compatibility sake, it sould just have and run XP as a virtual machine. Sould take up much less hard drive space that way.

nightelph · Aug 16, 2008

I have a feeling that this folder will continue to grow, like a tumor, the more I use the OS. I doubt the files in there are removed when I remove the program that required them.

redduc900 · Aug 16, 2008

Here's a more thorough explanation of what the SxS directory is used for...

Overview of Windows Side by Side technology
https://thinstall.com/help/index.php?side_by_side(sxs).htm

nightelph · Aug 16, 2008

Thanks, thats a better description than what I'd found.

Mr.Guvernment · Aug 17, 2008

Mpegger said:
32.94MiB only here on my XP.

If Vista is gonna save that much just for compatibility sake, it sould just have and run XP as a virtual machine. Sould take up much less hard drive space that way.

its not that easy, since you dont know what programs you install in vista, may be using any one of those files.

Blazing fire · Aug 17, 2008

nightelph said:
Thread revival. My WINSXS directory is 12.5gb, containing +70,000 files. The first 5gb begin with 'amd64...". The only amd product in my machine is a video card. I thought of removing the amd64 files but vista requires I need permission or admin rights, which I should have. Has anyone come up with a safe way to clean this up?

Run "CMD". Type this "Net user administrator /active:yes"

nightelph · Aug 17, 2008

^ Thanks.

Gunlance · Aug 17, 2008

Looks like I'm the big boy in the bunch so far with a 17.2 gb folder.

MadMan007 · Aug 17, 2008

Mine isover 8GB on a very fresh Vista x64 install

That's like 1/2 of the install itself.

nightelph · Aug 18, 2008

Gunlance said:
Looks like I'm the big boy in the bunch so far with a 17.2 gb folder.

Big Boy = Teh über c0mpatsible 1nsta!!

petteyg359 · Aug 18, 2008

Anybody running 64-bit Vista ought to expect that folder to be large... it has to contain a 32-bit version of every 64-bit DLL file to be used by 32-bit apps.

Winsxs is HUGE - thanks win_vista

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