Solved Realtek Update via Windows Update used nearly 10gb space.

Mooly · Apr 4, 2015

An update for Realtek Audio was offered as an optional update a few days ago.

I went ahead and installed this with the install taking almost 10 minutes to complete. Before the install my free space was around 55gb. Following the update it is nearer 47.6gb. I have run a full disk clean (including system file clean up). Nothing has been freed up.

Looking in the Windows driver store shows file after file after file all with the date I installed the update. Each of these files is between 60mb to 250mb in size. And there are dozens and dozens of them.

And more,

And more,

I'm tempted at this point to simply undo all these changes via a disk image and to simply hide this update. I also haven't been able to find anything out about this update. The MS link for further information that always accompanies updates says the further info feature is not available for this one. Device manager shows no 'roll back' option for any of the Realtek Audio.

So just what has this update done ?

Clint · Apr 4, 2015

Glad I saw this. I haven't installed it yet.

JohnBurns · Apr 4, 2015

I installed this update, but only had a total of about 63 files (see attached screenshots - the entries on 03/29/2015) and no noticeable decrease in disk space. I can't imagine what your problem might be.

This update significantly upgraded my Audio Manager with "bells and whistles". Kind of fun to use now.

I am running HP Pavilion p6230F with Windows 8.1 x64 (upgraded from Windows 7 originally)

Mooly · Apr 4, 2015

John, do you mean you are seeing something like this for the audio manager ?

I can't recall ever opening this before.

The free space issue is weird but its actually something I see to a greater or lesser extent with most updates. For example a Flash Player update knocked perhaps 1gb off the free space. The really strange thing is that it comes back after a few days. I've even commented on this before. Post #13 here.

http://www.eightforums.com/windows-...pdate-ie-11-today-kb3025390-2.html#post458878

This time I made a disk image after the Realtek update and my Acronis file size has jumped from around 15gb to 17.5gb which suggests the usage is real. I might wait then and see if the free space alters.

Mooly · Apr 5, 2015

After sleeping on it I decided to restore back and hide the update. There is no way that a 66Mb update should take this much space, goodness me, the whole OS plus quite a few programs plus user data only takes 25Gb. To have 7.5Gb consumed by one update is ridiculous.

Free space back up at 55Gb (from 47Gb following installing this update). Compare this to the image in post #1

Mark Phelps · Apr 5, 2015

Gigabyte stopped producing RealTek audio HD driver updates for my motherboard years ago, so I started getting them directly from RealTek. Then, I stumbled upon the station-drivers site -- which offers driver downloads for free. I have since been using that site and regularly update the RealTek drivers without any problems. Since my drivers are then always the latest, I don't get offered updates through Windows Update.

Gort · Apr 5, 2015

I've just registered on this forum after coming up with the same problem as the OP's.

I had a few static pops in my audio now and then, so decided to go with the optional update of the realtek audio drivers via Windows Update to see if they got cleared up. I noted before the install my HD space, then noticed afterwards that over 7Gb of space had been consumed since the update (checked right after). Unlike the OP, I was able to roll back the driver when logged in as my admin via Device Manager, which worked (it's back to the previous version). However, the space has still not returned. Hopefully the poster who says that this might sort itself out in a few days is correct, because it's ridiculous that a 66Mb update can expand to over 7Gb...

TairikuOkami · Apr 5, 2015

Mark Phelps said:
Gigabyte stopped producing RealTek audio HD driver updates for my motherboard years ago, so I started getting them directly from RealTek. Then, I stumbled upon the station-drivers site -- which offers driver downloads for free. I have since been using that site and regularly update the RealTek drivers without any problems. Since my drivers are then always the latest, I don't get offered updates through Windows Update.

Indeed, better to update manually, leaving it to WU is as bad as using 3rd party driver updater.

Gort said:
Hopefully the poster who says that this might sort itself out in a few days is correct

Probably a scheduled cleanup did the trick, it can be done manually as well.
Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase

Mooly · Apr 5, 2015

That's interesting to hear Gort. For me the plot thickens (although because everything works OK I'm not going to pursue this).

It turns out that I can't even locate any Realtek control panel, either on the restored version or the updated one. All I have in device manager is 'Dell Audio' which is a surprise because when I installed W8.1 I did it as a clean install but I did get some drivers and so on from the Dell site. I installed all those first before ever firing up Windows Update. I'm wondering if the Dell versions are modified files... how else would it know in control panel that this was a Dell... and that maybe the Realtek update contains files for a whole host of possible versions. Just thinking aloud there.

A web search for 'no Realtek control panel' shows its a common issue though. All does work well as it stands though and so I'm going to go by the old adage of 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.

If your free space returns please come and update this thread

Gort · Apr 5, 2015

Currently doing a Disk Cleanup, which found that Windows Update and the Device driver packages were taking up nearly seven gigs (the latter taking up six gigs of the space). It's taking a long time to complete (seems expected on Win8.1), but already my space has returned to, more or less, what it was before. When I searched on the Net, I found Regain hard disk space by using Windows Update Cleanup in Windows 7 and 8.x, which explained a bit about the Disk Cleanup utility that's included in Win8.1.

@ TairikuOkami - Thanks for your suggestion, but I found the link I mentioned above before your post. I'll certainly keep it in mind if this happens again. Cheers.

JohnBurns · Apr 5, 2015

Mooly said:
John, do you mean you are seeing something like this for the audio manager ?.......................

Mooly, sorry for delay in answering - guess you have already sorted it out. What I was referring to is the taskbar icon for Realtek HD Audio Manager icon which appeared with the two selections below appearing when clicking on that icon. Sorry I wasn't more help.

Mooly · Apr 5, 2015

I'm reading TairikuOkami's link. Thanks

In fact I've just copied the page to Wordpad to keep as a reference. The bit about being able to remove stuff directly without it simply being flagged to delete after a certain time is interesting... in fact it answers something I have long noticed in W8.1... that free space returns unexpectedly some days after a clean up.

I tried the normal cleanup after installing this update (used the clean system files option) but it didn't gain me anything. I wonder if your gaining back the 6 or 7 gigs is from this update or perhaps other stuff from before (if you've never run a full cleanup in the past).

Mooly · Apr 5, 2015

No problem John

I've never seen that screen on this PC ( although my Vista PC has something similar, that's Realtek too)., So that's another mystery, as in where is it ? I've no audio (Realtek or otherwise) in the tray and just the previously mentioned Dell Audio icon in control panel. My installed programs show Realtek HD drivers installed when I did the clean install, but no application. Hmmm....

Gort · Apr 5, 2015

Mooly said:
I tried the normal cleanup after installing this update (used the clean system files option) but it didn't gain me anything. I wonder if your gaining back the 6 or 7 gigs is from this update or perhaps other stuff from before (if you've never run a full cleanup in the past).

Well, this is a brand new machine and I've only installed the important and recommended updates in the last few days, and this was the first time I installed an optional driver update (hence why I was checking up before and after). I suppose the other updates could have left behind the 7Gb of space and I'm now reclaiming that, but it does seem a bit of a coincidence that I'm now effectively back to where I was before the Realtek driver update, gaining back the same space that I lost. Still, yeah, it could have been what you say.

Mooly · Apr 5, 2015

There seems no way of knowing for sure on your free space.

Do you see a Realtek icon in your system tray or in control panel ? In other words can you get to the screen John shows ? I don't and can't although I do have the Realtek application file installed. Its 122Mb in size and I ticked it off as installed correctly when I did the install.

So all very odd.

Gort · Apr 5, 2015

No, not exactly. This is a Dell laptop which comes with Dell Audio.

Mooly · Apr 5, 2015

So you just see Dell Audio too ?

Mine is a Dell but I clean installed W8.1 from the retail Microsoft disc. My control panel just shows 'Dell Audio' which puzzles me because how does it know ? I formatted the HDD, it was 100% clean install with no trace of Dell anywhere. The only place it can have got that is via the driver files I obtained from the Dell site.

I'll have to leave it for today

Not sure whether I'll try anything more or not for this.

JohnBurns · Apr 5, 2015

For the record - I have a HP Pavilion p6230F running Windows 8.1 (up to date) X64. I bought it back in Dec 2013 with Windows 7 installed. It has Audio Adapter: ATI/AMD SB600 - High Definition Audio Controller.with High Definition Audio Codec: RealTek ALC888
which was all built-in to the pc.

Mooly · Apr 6, 2015

I've reached an executive decision over mine based on the following. It works perfectly with the initial set up from the clean install. The 122mb Realtek file from Dell that I initially installed must be a unique Dell file that includes both the Realtek drivers and the Dell control panel. Windows update is picking up on the Realtek driver part of the install and offering goodness knows what at 7.5gb in size. Outwardly nothing changes apart from the huge amount of space taken.

I have rolled back the disk image and tried Tairiku's link (the /ResetBase switch with StartComponentCleanup) and that has freed more space. I'm now at 55.5gb free space. Surprised it freed that much because I do regularly use the system file cleanup option.

So all is well. Just have to tidy things and run a command line defrag, do a restart and then make a new image.

I'll mark this as solved... we know the update is causing this space issue... but keep posting guys if you find anything out

axe0 · Apr 7, 2015

Thanks for the solution of using the /ResetBase switch with StartComponentCleanup, it saved me over 60GB

Solved Realtek Update via Windows Update used nearly 10gb space.

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