Windows folder WAY too big...

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gabriele94

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Aug 6, 2012
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Okay so I've been having some space problems with my computer for a while now, it was acceptable at first but then it got worse up to the point of having the "Windows" folder saying its contents take up 447 GB of space...Now I'm no genius but I'm pretty sure that's a bit too much. I've tried the basic stuff - cleaning up space and stuff like that but none of that really worked that much.
Additional information:
System: Windows 7 Ultimate (Around 2 and a half years old now)
i5 3470 Processor; 8GB or RAM; HD 7850 Graphics (not really sure how this would be helpful but still.) Something else...I don't have divided hard drives or something like that (not sure about the right terminology) - I only have a "C" drive and that is all.
Any ideas on how to fix this IF it's not all that normal would be lovely.
If there is any other information required - please do ask away and I'll do my best - I know that it's kind of an amateur thread so bear with me, please :D
 
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gabriele94

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Aug 6, 2012
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@Hawkeye22, windirstat showed me that the problem comes from a folder named Installer in the Windows directory and most of the files there are patch installation files (.msp) - I was thinking - aren't those old patch files that have already been installed on the computer ? And Windows just downloads and stores the files there and I have to manually delete them ? I haven't done anything yet - I'll wait for your opinion.
Also - disk cleanup doesn't do much - it only deletes like 3-4 GB each time if I run it once a week for example. I didn't quite get what you were trying to say with deleting all but the last restore point...sorry :/
EDIT: Nevermind the restore point option - I found it and tried it - I think nothing happened...the screen froze for a couple of seconds and that was it - disk space was the same - gonna try dialing down that amount of disk space you spoke of - also - I can't find the "Installer" folder in Windows - why is that ? o.o I thought it might be hidden but it's not, lol... Any ideas ?
 
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Hawkeye22

Hawkeye22

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Feb 10, 2006
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Installer is a hidden system folder. You shouldn't delete files in there as it may prevent some of your programs from running properly. Some files may get orphaned in there after removing a program. If you believe that it is an orphaned file, you could try temporarily moving it and see how the system behaves before finally deleting it.

There are some 3rd party programs that will actually scan the Installer folder for orphaned files and remove them for you, but I've never used them since my Installer folders remain relatively small, so use them at your own risk.
 
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SBMfromLA

SBMfromLA

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Nov 11, 2011
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Not sure if you've ever been told this or not... but to keep Windows running smoothly and reduce the probability of file errors... you should perform a fresh reinstall of Windows every six months. The thing is... no matter what you do.. junk will just accumulate over time. Even programs you uninstall will more than likely leave traces of code hidden on your computer.. Case in point: Trial Software. To prevent people from just uninstalling and reinstalling their programs.. lots of companies install stuff that's hard to remove...

Someone might suggest a registry cleaner... but I advice to stay away from those.. they cause more problems. I think you should consider what I just suggested.. Just start backing up what you want to keep... then boot up your Windows DVD... format your drive and reinstall Windows..

 
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gabriele94

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Aug 6, 2012
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@SBMfromLA, actually I was just discussing that option with some friends of mine that have had this issue before and it turned out to be the best way to get rid of all this unused stuff. However - is there any way that after I reinstall Windows I might be able to eliminate or at least minimize the possibilities of Updates taking up so much space on my hard drive ?
As for the topic - I believe I am indeed going to reinstall it because there aren't that many other options - tried everything overall and nothing worked, so yeah...that's my final question and then you can call it a case closed :) Thanks for the support.
 
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SBMfromLA

SBMfromLA

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Nov 11, 2011
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It's weird that Windows is taking up so much of your space. I just checked my computer, which is fully loaded, and it a little under 25GB. However, I do have three separate hard drives and I split up my data between them. One Drive C I have Windows, my drivers, hardware software, media players, browser and Office... On Drive D.. I install all my games... and on Drive E I have the following folders relocated to it: Downloads, Music, Videos... and I keep all my backups and misc. stuff... doing it that way... my image backups take less than 5 min. and it keeps my C drive small and tidy.
 
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Hawkeye22

Hawkeye22

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Feb 10, 2006
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Under normal circumstances, the Installer folder isn't insanely large. I think something went amiss and it didn't clean up after itself. I haven't reinstalled my OS in years and my installer folder is only a small percentage of the space in use.

A clean install will definately take care of that problem.
 
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