WinSxS Folder (Component Store) - Analyze in Windows 8.1

How to Determine Size and if you should Clean Up Component Store (WinSxS folder) in Windows 8.1


information   Information
The WinSxS folder is located in the Windows folder, for example c:\Windows\WinSxS. It’s the location for Windows Component Store files. The Windows Component Store is used to support the functions needed for the customization and updating of Windows. Here are some examples of how the Windows Component Store files are used:

  • Using Windows Update to install new component versions. This keeps systems secure and up-to-date.
  • Enabling or disabling Windows features.
  • Adding roles or features using Server Manager.
  • Moving systems between different Windows Editions.
  • System recovery from corruption or boot failures.
  • Uninstalling problematic updates.
  • Running programs using side-by-side assemblies.

Why is the WinSxS folder so big? The short answer to this commonly asked question is that the component store (WinSxS folder) contains all the components that make-up Windows to allow you operate your system. These components are kept to rollback any problematic change or to repair a file that becomes corrupted.

The WinSxS folder isn’t as large as it may appear at first glance because size calculations can include Windows binaries located elsewhere which makes the WinSxS folder seem larger than it really is.

For more information about the component store, see:


This tutorial will help show you how to determine the actual size of the component store (WinSxS folder) and if you should clean it up in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.




Here's How:

1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
AnalyzeComponentStore_command.png
Note   Note
The information returned is:

Note   Note


Title

Description

Windows Explorer Reported Size of Component Store

This value the size of the WinSxS folder if computed by Windows Explorer. This value doesn’t factor in the use of hard links within the WinSxS folder.

Actual Size of Component Store

This value factors in hard links within the WinSxS folder. It doesn’t exclude files that are shared with Windows by using hard links.

Shared with Windows

This value provides the size of files that are hard linked so that they appear both in the component store and in other locations (for the normal operation of Windows). This is included in the actual size, but shouldn’t be considered part of the component store overhead.

Backups and Disabled Features

This is the size of the components that are being kept to respond to failures in newer components or to provide the option of enabling more functionality. It also includes the size of component store metadata and side-by-side components.
This is included in the actual size and is part of the component store overhead.

Cache and Temporary Data

This is the size of files that are used internally by the component store to make component servicing operations faster. This is included in the actual size and is part of the component store overhead.

Date of Last Cleanup

This is the date of the most recently completed component store cleanup.

Number of Reclaimable Packages

This is the number of superseded packages on the system that component cleanup can remove.

Component Store Cleanup Recommended

This is a component store cleanup recommendation. Cleanup is recommended when performing a cleanup process may reduce the size of the component store overhead.



3. Based on the analysis above you can determine the overhead of the WinSxS folder by taking the sum of the backups and disabled features size with the cache and temporary data size.
In this example, the WinSxS folder appears to be 7.23 GB, but the actual overhead (the sum of the size of "backups and disabled features" and the size of "cache and temporary data") is 276.81 MB.​
The actual size of Component Store in this example is 6.76 GB.​

4. If Component Store Cleanup Recommended says No, then there is nothing else that needs to be done.

5. If Component Store Cleanup Recommended says Yes, then you can follow the steps in the tutorial below if you like to cleanup and reduce the size of the component store (WinSxS folder) to free up hard disk space.



That's it,
Shawn


 

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Thanks for the very helpful tutorials!

Any idea why windows would create many duplicate "oem#.inf" drivers? I've got 60+ copies of my realtek drivers, as well as some other duplicates, and yet DISM says no need for cleanup.

Screenshot of DriverStore Explorer output http://i.imgur.com/PR4UVJf.jpg

If I look in device manager, it says that "oem81.inf" is the one currently loaded.
 

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Hello Berban, and welcome to Eight Forums.

They're just part of the driver package.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hm, I'm still suspicious that something must be up because all the RealTek audio driver duplicates sum up to 7gb when the original driver download was only 300mb. But thanks for your help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
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    System Manufacturer/Model
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