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Can I delete the file C:\Windows\winsxs\ManifestCache to increase disk space?

Anonymous
2010-09-15T20:24:24+00:00

Original title: problem with hard drive memory reducing rapidlyH

i there

My Laptop Hard Drive has a 60GB memory and since about March this year it has been filling up.In march I had used only 18GB of the Hard Drive now I have used 50GB plus.I have found a file on my hard drive that takes up 30GB and it is C:\Windows\winsxs\ManifestCache.What I would like to know is can this file be deleted or reduced somehow.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-09-16T10:16:49+00:00

    Hi,

    All the necessary files for specific additions, roles, applications will be contained in the %windir%\Winsxs directory. The %windir%\winsxs folder (also referred to as the component store) is used to store all the installation source files that are needed for Windows to service itself and its optional components, which takes the place of the traditional flat from media.

    To achieve saving some space there is a workaround – to manually delete some folders from WINSXS. Take great care what folders you can delete, because you may break the functionality of your Windows installation and render your product unsupported.

    a. Click on start and type cmd in the search bar and right click on cmd.exe in the search pane and click Run as administrator.

    n. Navigate to folder C:\Windows\Winsxs

    c. Run this command:

       Net stop trustedinstaller

    NOTE: Wait for this service to stop and ensure it stops successfully. If you are unable to stop the service, you must restart your machine. Do not attempt the next step if you are unable to stop the trustedinstaller service.

    d. Then execute these commands:

       Takeown /f %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\*

    e. You should now have available, some more free disk space.Hope this helps.   Del /q %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\*   Icacls %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\ /GRANT administrators:F*

    Thanks and Regards:

    Shekhar S - Microsoft Support. Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

    If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.

    100+ people found this answer helpful.
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  1. Anonymous
    2012-05-05T01:02:56+00:00

    Hope this helps.

    Del /q %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\*   Icacls %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\ /GRANT administrators:F*

     This bit is not clear and figured it out eventually, it is 2 commands and they are in the wrong order, copy paste human error at a guess.  Should be cacls %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\ /GRANT administrators:F* and then Del /q %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\* or just via explorer

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2015-09-10T13:46:48+00:00

    For All those interested, there is a flaw in the sequence of command presented. I wonder why no one noticed in 3+ years. Here is the corrected sequence/answer:

    ====================================================================

    a. Click on start and type cmd in the search bar and right click on cmd.exe in the search pane and click Run as administrator.

    b.. Run this command:

    Net stop trustedinstaller

    (NOTE: Wait for this service to stop and ensure it stops successfully. If you are unable to stop the service, you must restart your machine. Do not attempt the next step if you are unable to stop the trustedinstaller service. The service may not be running, in which case you will get a message like (you can proceed to step c in this case) :

    ==============

    C:\Users\YourUsername>Net stop trustedinstaller

    The Windows Modules Installer service is not started.

    More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 3521.

    ==============

    c. Navigate to folder C:\Windows\Winsxs

    d. Then execute these commands (separately):

    Takeown /f %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\*

    ============================

    SUCCESS: The file (or folder): "C:\Windows\winsxs\ManifestCache\SomeAlphaNumericName_blobs.bin" now owned by user "Computer\Your Username".

    =========================

    Icacls %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\ /GRANT administrators:F*

    =========================

    processed file: C:\Windows\winsxs\ManifestCache\SomeAlphaNumericName_blobs.bin

    Successfully processed 1 files; Failed processing 0 files

    =============================

    Del /q %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\*

    ===========

    No response (/quiet mode) and the control/cursor will come back to the command prompt.

    ===========  

    e. You should now have available, some more free disk space.

    Hope this helps.

    ==============================================================

    Thanks

    Inderjeet S Sodhi

    IT/Security Consultant, Web Developer and Beta-Tester

    8 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2015-09-10T13:51:29+00:00

    For All those interested, there is a flaw in the sequence of command presented. I wonder why no one noticed in 3+ years. Here is the corrected sequence/answer:

    ====================================================================

    a. Click on start and type cmd in the search bar and right click on cmd.exe in the search pane and click Run as administrator.

    b.. Run this command:

    Net stop trustedinstaller

    (NOTE: Wait for this service to stop and ensure it stops successfully. If you are unable to stop the service, you must restart your machine. Do not attempt the next step if you are unable to stop the trustedinstaller service. The service may not be running, in which case you will get a message like (you can proceed to step c in this case) :

    ==============

    C:\Users\YourUsername>Net stop trustedinstaller

    The Windows Modules Installer service is not started.

    More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 3521.

    ==============

    c. Navigate to folder C:\Windows\Winsxs

    d. Then execute these commands (separately):

    Takeown /f %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\*

    ============================

    SUCCESS: The file (or folder): "C:\Windows\winsxs\ManifestCache\SomeAlphaNumericName_blobs.bin" now owned by user "Computer\Your Username".

    =========================

    Icacls %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\ /GRANT administrators:F*

    =========================

    processed file: C:\Windows\winsxs\ManifestCache\SomeAlphaNumericName_blobs.bin

    Successfully processed 1 files; Failed processing 0 files

    =============================

    Del /q %windir%\winsxs\ManifestCache\*

    ===========

    No response (/quiet mode) and the control/cursor will come back to the command prompt.

    ===========  

    e. You should now have available, some more free disk space.

    Hope this helps.

    ==============================================================

    Thanks

    Inderjeet S Sodhi

    IT/Security Consultant, Web Developer and Beta-Tester

    3 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2011-11-28T22:33:50+00:00

    Were you able to stop the trusted installer service using Net stop trustedinstaller?try taking control of the file for your user.Here is a handy way to put the take control command in your right click context menuPaste the following text int a .txt file and save it. Rename it and save it as a .reg file. Run the file once it is done and accept the prompts. This will allow you to right click to take ownership of a file let me know if this helps.Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\shell\runas]@="Take Ownership""NoWorkingDirectory"=""[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\shell\runas\command]@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f "%1" && icacls "%1" /grant administrators:F""IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f "%1" && icacls "%1" /grant administrators:F"[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas]@="Take Ownership""NoWorkingDirectory"=""[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas\command]@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f "%1" /r /d y && icacls "%1" /grant administrators:F /t""IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f "%1" /r /d y && icacls "%1" /grant administrators:F /t"

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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