Re: C:/Windows/Installer file bloated to over 38GB
Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301
It was created to fix software installations that failed during the
install process and thus leaving a bunch of files on your hard drive.
(including a file name that ends with a .msi extension)
(.msi = MicroSoft Installer).
For example a failed MS Office installation (note that I said "Failed").
See:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA011185721033.aspx
Windows Installer Cleanup Utility's GUI interface has the ability to
stop an application from repeatedly trying to re-install itself as
a result of botched or incomplete install. In other words you want
to kill the application's repeated install process.
The Cleanup Utility GUI will cure the problem by removing the file the
application uses to install itself. You do this by running the Windows
Installer
Cleanup Utility and from the list of displayed applications selecting the
offending application. Cleanup will then remove the components required
to install the problem application.
Note: Cleanup will not remove any other files that are part of the
application that already has been installed on your hard drive.
Cleanup only removes the components required to install the
problem application.
Warning: An unfortunate side effect of the Cleanup tool GUI is when you
select and remove software that is functioning properly you then will
no longer be able to install that software as it will not be in the
Add/Remove programs list.
You WILL NOT be using the GUI (Windows Graphical Interface)
You WILL be using a command line utility named msizap
Now as to why there are there so many files in C:\Windows\Installer:
You will find a good number of these .MSI files belong to software such as
Java, AV Software, Norton Ghost, Microsoft's .NET Framework, File downloaded
during a Windows Update session and so on. It would appear that some
software applications clean up after itself and deletes the files that were
in the C:\Windows\Installer folder. A failed Windows Update will create and
leave folders and files behind each time you try to install the update and
therefore you could end up with a lot of files taking up disk space.
There also could be a lot of orphaned (no longer needed) files located in
the C:\Windows\Installer folder.
Using the msizap command (msizap g) that is part of the Windows Installer
Cleanup tool removes any cached Windows Installer data files that have been
orphaned.
So download the Windows Installer Cleanup utility and the msizap utility
that is part of the cleanup utility:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301
Warning: Do not use the GUI version of the Installer Cleanup Utility,
you will instead use the command line tool named msizap.exe
to remove the wasted space in C:\Windows\Installer
Open a command prompt
navigate to the folder where the cleanup utility is installed
and enter: msizap g! > cleanup.txt
This removes all orphaned files and generate a text file (cleanup.txt) that
contains a list of which file where deleted.
JS
http://www.pagestart.com
"schurmann" <schurmann@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F10CAC74-347A-4EF0-B056-48CE36090583@microsoft.com...
> My computer, using WinXP Home, warned me I was short on space on Drive C.
> Investigation showed the normally hidden file Windows/Installer was 38.4GB
> with nearly 100 folders similar to this:
> {0EFDF2F9-836D-4EB7-A32D-038BD3F1FB2A} and several hundred
> msp, msi and mst files like: 1c43380.msp or 3fb10042.mst
> Can anyone tell me where these have come from and can I delete them?
> With thanks for any help,
> Eric Schurmann 