Winsxs folder is HUGE!?

[x-Shadow-x]

So I was testing my edited windows on a virtual machine, and I gave it 10GB of hard drive space. Well next thing I new it, it was full. I dug around and I found it was the winsxs folder in the windows folder. The folder is almost 6GB's!! I dont know why its so big, its never happened before to me. Any suggestions?

Shadow

Edited July 21, 2008 by x-Shadow-x

[CoffeeFiend]

The folder is almost 6GB's!! I dont know why its so big

That's perfectly normal. Mine's even bigger (closer to 7)

[x-Shadow-x]

Wow really? Mine is about 2 gig. Thanks crahak.

[CoffeeFiend]

The more apps you install, the more assemblies (ad different version of it) get installed, the bigger that directory is going to grow.

[x-Shadow-x]

The thing is, I havent install ANY programs yet.

[techtype]

The thing is, I havent install ANY programs yet.

Sounds like you changed to Vista 64?

[x-Shadow-x]

Nope, its 32, and a clean install.

[cluberti]

I've found that using vLite to strip out all languages but the actual one you're going to use reduces the SXS folder size to a more manageable ~1.8GB after x64 install (not sure about x86). I've actually got everything installed on this box (including VS 2008) and I'm only at ~4.5GB, which is smaller than a base x64 OS without stripping languages was (about 6GB after install).

[x-Shadow-x]

Well I havent striped out anything yet, so im used to the "small" folder of my striped out version.

[M4ngr0v3]

mines around the 12GB mark on vista x64

[alman84]

I've found that using vLite to strip out all languages but the actual one you're going to use reduces the SXS folder size to a more manageable ~1.8GB after x64 install (not sure about x86). I've actually got everything installed on this box (including VS 2008) and I'm only at ~4.5GB, which is smaller than a base x64 OS without stripping languages was (about 6GB after install).

I can verify this. I was running out of HD space on some older machines that I put Vista on and stripping the languages works wonders.

[meowing]

I've found that using vLite to strip out all languages but the actual one you're going to use reduces the SXS folder size to a more manageable ~1.8GB after x64 install (not sure about x86). I've actually got everything installed on this box (including VS 2008) and I'm only at ~4.5GB, which is smaller than a base x64 OS without stripping languages was (about 6GB after install).

I can verify this. I was running out of HD space on some older machines that I put Vista on and stripping the languages works wonders.

Is there an easy way to strip out those languages post install? I mean really, this is an absurd way of keeping backups. No wonder Vista is so hated by everybody I know. That folder alone is taking up more space than the total room required by ALL software I ever used plus Windows XP x64.

[x-Shadow-x]

Search the forums for "vlite".

[meowing]

Search the forums for "vlite".

I wrote "post install", not "pre install".

[x-Shadow-x]

With vlite you REMOVE the languages you don't want with vlite.