Winsxs sxs

[OfficeAnimal]

Watching MalwareBytes at work yesterday made me aware of the huge number of files, many GB of them, in C:\WINDOWS\WINSXS (I am using Windows 7).

Looking in that folder it seems to me that most of these files are automatically generated by some software or other. I suspect that most of them are redundant, having been created, used, then forgotten and not deleted. WOULD THIS BE RIGHT?

Is there some way to weed out the redundant files?

DEL /S /Q /F C:\WINDOWS\WINSXS\*.* springs to mind but sounds a little dangerous

"Truth will sooner come out from error than from confusion."
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

 

[xwb]

Wouldn't do that - Microsoft tells you how to do it properly in

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2795190

 

[OfficeAnimal]

Basically what I get from that is ...
"Leave c:\windows\winsxs\ alone!"

Thanks

"Truth will sooner come out from error than from confusion."
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

 

[kjv1611]

I've wondered the same thing in the past. Every article/discussion I've read on the topic also seems to point to "just leave it alone." I wish there were some way to clean it up, though. Would be nice when a drive is running low on space.

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57