I'm dealing with a storage crunch because one of my users is using 270 GB just in the C:windowsinstaller directory. I've checked with WinDirStat and confirmed that they don't have a lot of other data on their computer, and they're using only 477 GB of their 800 GB total. I already ran Disk Cleanup, enabled Storage Sense, and uninstalled Adobe Acrobat (which freed up 2 GB), but I haven't seen this issue on other machines in our network that use the same management tools. I'm worried that using a tool like PatchCleaner might delete crucial files and mess things up, and a clean install, while effective, seems like overkill. Any insights on how to tackle this issue would be appreciated!
5 Answers
A simpler approach could be just to delete all the duplicate .msp and .msi files related to Adobe, keeping the latest ones. It should free up a lot of space without the need for extra software.
Since you mentioned Adobe, here's a suggestion:
1. Uninstall Acrobat.
2. Open C:windowsinstaller (you’ll need to show hidden folders).
3. Search for .msp files and delete all of them. You might need to force-close Windows Explorer once in a while, but storage should improve.
Those .msp files pile up due to bad updates, and Adobe keeps them around even after uninstalling.
Actually, Adobe also has a removal tool that can do a cleaner job without risking files.
We've seen this happen with Adobe on several machines. Uninstall it first, then try using PatchCleaner, making sure you don’t exclude Adobe files in the settings. It will delete remnants that are unnecessary. After that, you can reinstall Adobe. Here's the link: [PatchCleaner](https://www.homedev.com.au/free/patchcleaner). Just be cautious since some leftover files may still be in use by other programs.
Honestly, I think everybody agrees Adobe can be a pain. But I mean, I love using tools like WinDirStat and WizTree to track down these space hogs!
The WinSxS folder is notorious for ballooning in size due to auto cleanup failures. You can use tools from Sysinternals. Try running these commands to check and clean up:
1. `du -v C:WindowsWinSxS`
2. `dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth`
3. `dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore`
4. `dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup`
5. Use `ResetBase` if you really need to force cleanup.
That's some risky advice! What happens to other software with .msp files?