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Move c:\windows\installer

Anonymous
2013-09-18T17:18:48+00:00

Windows 8

With a 64Gb SSD C Drive and space left at 5.5Gb I want to move the folders and files of C:\Windows\Installer –> D:\C_DRIVE\Windows\Installer.

There is a how to guide for Windows 7 at

http://www.kavoir.com/2012/07/how-to-free-up-c-drive-disk-space-in-windows-7-easy.html

It uses the mklink or symbolic link method to point to D drive:

mklink /D C:\Windows\Installer D:\C_DRIVE\Windows\Installer

Once the folders are copied over to D the files the folders on C can be deleted. To obtain the higher SYSTEM privileges, above Administrator, it first used, in W7, a bat file:

sc Create SysCMD binPath="cmd /K start" type=own type=interact

sc start SysCMD

and file removal by:

rmdir /s /q C:\Windows\Installer

 This bat file just flashes in W8.

How can I change the bat file to get the correct rights to remove the c:\windows\installer folders?

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

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-07-18T15:48:24+00:00

    I'm curious why you used mklink /d instead of mklink /j. The web tells me the former creates a symbolic link to a directory while the latter creates a directory junction. The web is less helpful in explaining when and why I might use one rather than the other. Would mklink /j accomplish the same thing you did with mklink /d? I.e. would both methods allow me to place the C:\Windows\Installer folder on a different drive while Windows 7 "thinks" it's still on the C drive? Would I notice any difference in the end result? If so, what? If not, what would be different "under the hood"?

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-01-30T15:02:54+00:00

    The fundamental problem is that Windows wastes way too much space. It's full of bloat and trash (and lately spyware - telemetry services).

    I have a Windows 8 To Go on a 32 GB USB, it's useful in a pinch. 64 GB should be more than enough for an OS! (And apart from games and a few special software like Xilinx, it should also be enough for most of your apps.)

    Even when you install Win 7 it's bigger than i would like it to be (Windows XP used less space and the new features I need from Win7 - like TRIM support - does not warrant the increase in size). But in time it will consume everything... ok, maybe not everything but a lot of space. And until I can afford a 1 TB+ SSD I need that fast storage space for other stuff and not dead code.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-09-26T16:50:58+00:00

    > The**fundamental problem is that Windows wastes way too much space.

    Exactly, SzikraIstvan.

    One comes here when all other recommendations (such as uninstalling programs and emptying Recycle Bin) are exhausted. I don't care that some things may get broken in Windows (more often than not they don't, BTW). I basically have no choice other than throwing away my SSD drive.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-02-20T00:44:52+00:00

    The link you provided successfully launched CMD as a system user in Windows 10.

    Establishing a system directory link to an additional drive using the CMD as administrator gave the message the link was created; however it did not work, Creating the same link as a system user did work. 

    About six months ago I had purchased an inexpensive Windows Tablet having only 32 GB of disc space for Windows 10. With nothing else on the tablet, this was not enough space to upgrade to Windows 10th Anniversary Edition (Version 1607). Moving the Windows Installer Folder to an installed SD card solved that problem, and has probably extended the life of my tablet, from three months to probably more than three years. Thank you!!!

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  5. Anonymous
    2017-10-03T13:32:54+00:00

    I used PatchCleaner to move about 10GB of Installer files onto an external USB drive.

    PatchCleaner

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