Task Scheduler offers a preconfigured task that may help you clean out additional files from the WinSxS folder. This walk-through shows you how it works. In last week's article, How to clean up winsxs folder cleanup tool download free files with the Windows 10 Disk Cleanup toolI told you about the WinSxS folder and how it can accumulate a lot of extraneous files.
I then showed you how to enable and use the Cleanup System Files feature in the Disk Cleanup tool to remove unnecessary files from the WinSxS folder as well as from other locations on your hard disk. As a result, you may find that a lot of files have been removed from your system--or that very few files have been removed from your system.
It all depends on how many files Windows deems are necessary. Before I get started, I need to provide you with a warning. After the last article winsxs folder cleanup tool download free published, I received a couple of emails from readers asking why you winsxs folder cleanup tool download free just open the WinSxS folder and delete everything in sight.
That may sound like a good idea, but it's not. I should have included this warning in the first article. The purpose of the WinSxS folder is to store all the files that the operating system may need to keep functioning stably during and after various update procedures.
If you were to delete everything in the WinSxS folder, Windows would become winsxs folder cleanup tool download free unstable and could even be winsxs folder cleanup tool download free so badly the system might not boot. And even if the system were able to boot, it would be impossible to update.
So it's best to stick with the prescribed methods of cleaning up the WinSxS folder. While Task Scheduler will automatically run the StartComponentCleanup task on a regular basis, you can winsxs folder cleanup tool download free run it manually at any time.
Let's take a closer look. To continue, click OK. Unfortunately, even though the StartComponentCleanup task runs on a regular basis, you really can't find out much about how and why it runs or even when it will run next. As you can see, the Triggers column is blank, as is the Next Run Time column. You'll also notice that the History option is disabled. All you can see for sure are the date and time in the Last Run Time column.
In most cases, the Last Run Result shows "The operation completed successfully. As far as I've been able to determine, it translates to "session object updated, must recreate session. To manually launch the StartComponentCleanup task, right click it and select Run from the context menu. The Status column will then read Running. When the StartComponentCleanup task runs, it analyzes the contents of the WinSxS folder and looks for files that are identified as being safe to remove and that have been in the folder for at least 30 days after the updated component has been installed.
Keep in mind that running the StartComponentCleanup task will take a long time--and there isn't a gauge, like the one in Disk Cleanup, to keep you informed of the progress of the operation.
Also note that when you run the StartComponentCleanup task manually, it's configured to automatically stop the task if it runs longer than one hour. Have you used the StartComponentCleanup task in Windows 10? If so, what kind of disk space savings did you encounter? Share your advice and experiences with fellow TechRepublic members.
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Greg Shultz is a freelance Technical Writer. Previously, he has worked as Documentation Specialist in the software industry, a Technical Support Specialist in educational industry, and a Technical Journalist in the computer publishing industry. Image: iStockphoto. Microsoft Weekly Newsletter Be your company's Microsoft insider by reading these Windows and Office tips, tricks, and cheat sheets. Delivered Mondays and Wednesdays Sign up today. Editor's Picks. The best programming languages to learn in Apple's 3 biggest losses of Check for Log4j vulnerabilities with this simple-to-use script.
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