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Is it safe to delete files inside of C:\Windows\Installer

Anonymous
2017-06-26T16:06:00+00:00

Hi, inside the windows folder there is a folder called Installer. In this folder are installers for programs that have been installed on my computer. There are even some installers in there for programs that I removed years ago. This folder is over 700 MB in size and I want to know if I can safely delete the files in there to free up disk space.

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

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  1. @CmdrKeene 90,621 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-06-26T16:30:52+00:00

    In general, it's not a good idea to mess with anything inside there. If you did, and then later you wanted to add, change, update, or remove one of those programs - you'd no longer be able to do so.

    If the program no longer is installed at all, however, then the point is moot.  But you'd be hard pressed to figure out exactly which files in there belong to that program and not shared or used by other programs.

    You might try an actual cleanup tool like CCleaner, or even running the built-in "Cleanup Manager" that's part of Windows. To run that, type "cleanmgr" in your Start menu's search box.  When it opens, click the "clean up system files" button to make sure it is scanning the global folders like that one (and not just your personal account).

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  1. @CmdrKeene 90,621 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-06-26T21:05:05+00:00

    Your antivirus scan may take a while, but your general performance or speed will not improve by having less files.  Unless you're trying to open all those files at once, your computer doesn't care how many files are on your hard drive.  Some people have millions of songs and movies, hundreds of millions of pictures and videos, and more -- all without any impact.  

    Your hard drive is like a library.  It doesn't matter how many books you have, it only slows you down if you try to carry them all at once, lay them all out on a table, and read them all at the same time.

    What matters is how many files get loaded into memory (RAM) out of the hard drive all simultaneously.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-06-26T21:01:42+00:00

    I see, but what do you do if that folder ever grows to a size of several GB's? Also as for why I am concerned about the 907 MB's(I just checked again and found out it was 907 MB)is because my computer is not what you call "high performance". I mean it's ok, but there are better ones out there, and when my antivirus product runs a scan the scan takes a while to complete and if there are less files on my computer the scan will run faster, also the more files you have on your hard disk the more it can slow down, the less files you have the faster it will be. All I am doing is I am trying to keep my computer running as smooth as possible.

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  3. @CmdrKeene 90,621 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-06-26T16:43:13+00:00

    700 MB is actually quite small for the Windows\Installer directory.  If you're worried about disk space to the point where you think that gaining 700 MB is important, it's time to install a larger hard drive (or at least a secondary drive).

    100% agreed on that strategy

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  4. LemP 74,930 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-06-26T16:40:33+00:00

    The official Microsoft position on this is no, it is not safe to delete files in C:\Windows\Installer.

    See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2667628/missing-windows-installer-cache-files-will-require-a-computer-rebuild?sd=rss

    For Windows XP, there was a Microsoft utility called msizap.exe (included with the deprecated Microsoft Installer Cleanup Utility) that would search for and delete "orphaned" entries in C:\Windows\Installer.  Orphaned entries are files left over from failed installations, usually failed Windows Updates.  Unfortunately, msizap is not compatible with Windows 7.

    700 MB is actually quite small for the Windows\Installer directory.  If you're worried about disk space to the point where you think that gaining 700 MB is important, it's time to install a larger hard drive (or at least a secondary drive).

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