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How big is Vista on your hard disk?

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VHG | 23:54 Fri 26th Jun 2009 | Computers
13 Answers
I have just done a re-install of Vista Home Premium (from OEM disk) on my desktop.

I formatted the drive during install so it was empty when the Vista install started.

I have done the install, and downloaded ALL the Windows updates (this was loads of files, and hundreds of megabytes, and included SP1, SP2 and NetFramework which were all large). It did this in five or six goes, not all at once.

I have not installed ANY other programs (except flash and shockwave and quicktime in the web browser).

I now find my software is taking up 20Gb of my disk.

My Windows folder alone is 17Gb (18,089,560,900) and 85,926 files and 18,364 folders.

How big are other peoples Windows folder?

(Go into Computer, double click on C drive, right click on the Windows folder, and select Properties from the menu. Give it a few minutes as it takes time to add up all the files and folders. It can stop and start a few times so wait till it has finished).
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Question Author
Just found that Vista Service Pack 2 includes a program called compcln.exe which "cleans" out old unwanted files.

Ran this and it got rid of over 5,000 files and now Vista takes up about 14.5 Gb of disk space
(15,564,295,251).

SP2 may run this after install so if you have SP2 on you may find it has already run so wont save you any space.
is large isn't it!

that seems about right though!

you can slim the installation down a bit if you want though

http://www.vlite.net/
so where is my post - ???
this might also thin things down as you rebuild
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301
that's better - I originaly posted this at 8 ish
-- answer removed --
Question Author
>this might also thin things down as you rebuild
>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

Thanks AC.

But I notice from that (at the bottom) it seems it only applies to MS Office, but I have not even put MS Office on yet.

As I said, I have only installed Windows.
Question Author
There is a guy on a Microsoft forum here (see link below, third append) who seems to know what he is talking about and says he has a Windows folder of 14.2Gb (and this was middle of last year).

http://tinyurl.com/r7v8fu

So it seems it is not that unusual.

Looks like the winsxs folder is the culprit, mine is 8Gb.

The guy who does the first append on the link above says his Vista folder is 30Gb, with a 14Gb winsxs folder.
Mine was pre-installed on laptop - including SP1 & SP2 ITS 18.3 GB .Can't find 'compcln.exe' but have plenty of space anyway
windows properties

read only

size on disc 14-2 GB

68,991 files



::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mine is 14.5 Gb
64,280 Files
12,022 Folders
Everything is up to date Up-Date wise
if you have time - it would be a bit of a project to see how small you can go

just installing office takes twice the disc space thanks to the "just in case" folder
when you run the upgrades - it will UG ie7 and then install ie8 - but all the kb files are left there

Just as a matter of interest, is Office Home and Student 2007 which I have installed, included in Windows Folder ??
Question Author
No Office does NOT go in the Windows folder.

Under XP it goes in Program Files / Microsoft Office folder.

Have not got Vista to hand, but think it goes in Programs folder, and an "office" folder under that.

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