A Deeper Look at Disk Space Usage in Windows 7 (and Windows Vista)
Posted 11/25/08 at 04:51:24 PM | by Mark Edward Soper
A recent posting to the Engineering Windows 7 blog (one of our favorite sites for Windows 7 news, by the way) has some very useful information about the mysterious WinSxS directory in Windows 7 (and Vista), and how Microsoft is trying to curb Windows' appetite for disk space in Windows 7.
The C:\Windows\WinSxS folder (first introduced in Vista) looks as if it is a huge gobbler of disk space, (it uses 3.5GB of disk space on a new system, and can use 10GB or more as a system is used) but what does it do, and is that space really being "used up?"
As it turns out, both Windows Vista and Windows 7 use the WinSxS folder to point to files that are actually found elsewhere in Windows; in other words, the amount of space that the WinSxS properties sheet says is in use isn't accurate. So, what's the folder for?
By using the WinSxS folder to store what the blog calls the "installation and servicing state" of all system components, Microsoft makes it easier to roll out Vista installations with imaging technology and to patch the image offline (Windows XP and earlier versions aren't image-friendly, and require third-party tools and clunky workarounds to permit image-based deployment). Also, if you get rid of the WinSxS folder, you make it difficult to keep Windows running reliably. So, the word on the street is, "keep the WinSxS folder." To remove old files replaced by Windows Vista SP1, the blog entry provides a link to information about the command-line VSP1CLN.exe tool.
So, if the WinSxS folder is going to get bigger over time as a logical consequence of installing updates and patches, is there any way to save space in Windows 7? Some of the approaches being considered include:
- Reducing the number of drivers installed in a standard installation (Windows Vista installs around 1GB of driver files)
- Automatically removing Windows components that have been replaced by a Service Pack or hotfix
- Reducing the size of the hibernation file (hiberfil.sys)
- Providing user configuration of the number of system restore snapshots stored by Windows
Although hard disks have never been cheaper on a cost per GB basis, Microsoft is working very hard to make sure that the disk space you paid for is used as efficiently as possible in Windows 7, especially on systems that have limited disk space.
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Two versions! TWO!
Submitted by bloodgain on Wed, 2008-11-26 09:24
I hope they do make it more streamlined. Don' t install the whole disk -- leave the extra drivers off and let my internet connection get them as needed. People without internet connections can keep their disk nearby. That's a fair trade for reduced bloat. Also -- let me NOT install options I don't want and will never use.
Echoing sentiments below, though, I'd be that much happier if they offered only 2 versions. And I don't mean 2 for home and 2 for business. I mean 2 and only 2. Home/Premium/What-have-you and Enterprise. That's it. A home version that, like Ultimate, has all the features you could want at home (not just the "home users never build a real network" crap), and the high-priced Enterprise version that comes with support and extra features that no normal individual would use at home.
Little fixes don't make a good OS....
Submitted by ghot on Thu, 2008-11-27 08:32
Its just more hype....MS needs to start over...simple as that and create an OS that actually does what they say it will, doesn't require hardware upgrades, boots fast, and isn't full of crap like Windows Tour. The MS OS's are so bloated that there are entire gruops of coders, stripping away the bloat and then placing the truly functional versions on torrent sites. There MUST be a reason they go to all this trouble.
In short, people want an OS thats fast, intuitive (to NON coders) and doesn't require 3 years to work out all the bugs that MS should have worked out in the first place.
If I bought a car that worked like the latest Windows OS's, I'd be back at the dealer with my hands around his throat.
The thought that Windows 7
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Tue, 2008-11-25 16:47
The thought that Windows 7 is just Vista SE isn't necessarily a bad one thing. Win98SE wasn't a bad idea and was an excellent OS. It was extremely stable and I know people that still curse WinXP claiming instability and the possible destruction of their data as reasons for not even trying WinXP. These same people have Vista that much more. Funny that these people that I know don't really have any sensitive important data on their computers. Just home pc's. I've taken to just laughing in their faces and telling them they don't know what they are talking about. They always tell me they have computer expert friends that know better. As if I don't know enough myself. Oh well..
I think Windows 7 will be a great second edition to Windows Vista and Windows 7 is really shaping up to be a very fast gaming operating system. From what I hear it's supposed to use very few resorces and it's centered around providing the most resorces possible towards the applications like games. So instead of Pirating Windows7 I'm going to actually purchase a Copy..
Does anyone know if Microsoft is going to sell just two versions or is there going to be a bunch of different versions to choose from?
Submitted by winmaster on Tue, 2008-11-25 19:11
What do said people run, Mac OS 9? Even Vista haters should be fine with XP.
Also, I hope Microsoft only has 2 versions of Windows 7. This "home basic", "home premium", "business" and "ultimate" is bull shit.
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