Do Window 7 Updates Eat System Drive ?

Under XP I had to periodically clean out the backup folders generated by
each system update or, eventually, the System drive would run out of
space.

Is there an analogous process happening under 7?

Where I'm going is that I *used* to have 30+ gigs available on my System
drive and now I am down to 7.... Spent some time with WinDirStat, but
cannot pin down any user-generated offenders.

I *did* add 8 gigs of memory awhile back and PageFile.sys has grown
accordingly.... but that still leaves 15 gigs unaccounted for.

It is starting to seem like I should not have chinced out on the 100-gig
SDD size.... -)
--
Pete Cresswell

On 9/28/2015 11:16 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Under XP I had to periodically clean out the backup folders generated by
each system update or, eventually, the System drive would run out of
space.

Is there an analogous process happening under 7?

Where I'm going is that I *used* to have 30+ gigs available on my System
drive and now I am down to 7.... Spent some time with WinDirStat, but
cannot pin down any user-generated offenders.

I *did* add 8 gigs of memory awhile back and PageFile.sys has grown
accordingly.... but that still leaves 15 gigs unaccounted for.

It is starting to seem like I should not have chinced out on the 100-gig
SDD size.... -)

Look at C:\Users\...\AppData\Local\Temp

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Under XP I had to periodically clean out the backup folders generated by
each system update or, eventually, the System drive would run out of
space.

Is there an analogous process happening under 7?

Where I'm going is that I *used* to have 30+ gigs available on my System
drive and now I am down to 7.... Spent some time with WinDirStat, but
cannot pin down any user-generated offenders.

I *did* add 8 gigs of memory awhile back and PageFile.sys has grown
accordingly.... but that still leaves 15 gigs unaccounted for.

It is starting to seem like I should not have chinced out on the 100-gig
SDD size.... -)

Adjust the amount of space (max) allocated to System Restore.

Rather than a percentage of the drive, dialing it to 3GB should
be enough to maintain a short System Restore history.

That's for undoing Windows Updates if you have to. SR points contain
a copy of the Registry, and that to me is their main value. I try not
to leave SR enabled on any partition other than C: .

You could also turn it off entirely if you want.

Certain parts of the disk are "Access Denied", so it's understandable
if WinDirStat doesn't list everything. Even my favorite utility "nfi.exe"
apparently cannot see four items (their file numbers are missing).

Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) can recover some space. As could using
CCleaner, but without touching the Registry. (Ccleaner has Registry
options as well.)

Paul

On Mon, 28 Sep 2015 11:16:50 -0400, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

Under XP I had to periodically clean out the backup folders generated by
each system update or, eventually, the System drive would run out of
space.

Is there an analogous process happening under 7?

Try using Disk Cleanup (Start Run Disk Cleanup). It'll probably take
a couple of gigabytes off of the winsxs folder located at

C:\Windows\winsxs

Do *not* delete any files in that folder! Here's an explanation:
http://www.howtogeek.com/174705/how-to-reduce-the-size-of-your-winsxs-folder-on-windows-7-or-8/?PageSpeed=noscript

You can also use CCleaner to do some cleaning...

--
s|b

Per Paul:
Adjust the amount of space (max) allocated to System Restore.

Rather than a percentage of the drive, dialing it to 3GB should
be enough to maintain a short System Restore history.

We have a winner.

Going in: 6.89 gigs free.

MyComputer | Properties | Change Settings | System Properties | System
Protection | (select C | Configure | (found Current Usage = 23.11 GB,
Max Usage = 49.8 GB) | (reduced Max Usage to 2.00 GB)

Coming out: 28.7 gigs free.

I can breathe again....

Thanks !!!
--
Pete Cresswell

Per (PeteCresswell):
...(reduced Max Usage to 2.00 GB)

Oops! SHB 2.99 GB.
--
Pete Cresswell

Per (PeteCresswell):

Oops! SHB 2.99 GB.

FWIW, I suspect I could have made it zero - because I rely on system
images for my System backups/restores.
--
Pete Cresswell

En el artículo ,
(PeteCresswell) escribió:

I can breathe again....

Hold that breath a moment.

Microsoft is automatically downloading Windows 10 install files to
Windows 7 user's machines without their knowledge or consent. Those are
saved in two hidden directories and total about 5GB.

c:\$windows.~bt
c:\$windows.~ws

Explorer, open c:\, Tools, Folder Options, View, tick "Show hidden
folders, files and drives" and see if the above directories exist.

You can blow them away if you don't want Windows 10.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/.../microsoft-is-
downloading-windows-10-to-your-machine-just-in-case

or http://tinyurl.com/pd3ck9v

--
(\_/)
(='.'=) Bunny says: Windows 10? Nein danke!
(")_(")

Per Mike Tomlinson:
Microsoft is automatically downloading Windows 10 install files to
Windows 7 user's machines without their knowledge or consent. Those are
saved in two hidden directories and total about 5GB.

Looks like I am not yet one of the luck ones... but now I know where to
look if I see a sudden 5-gig increase....

Relevant, IMHO, even for people who *think* they have Windows Update
turned off because my experience has been that somebody, somewhere
quietly flips it back on at unpredictable intervals.
--
Pete Cresswell

On Mon, 28 Sep 2015 19:37:07 -0400, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

FWIW, I suspect I could have made it zero - because I rely on system
images for my System backups/restores.

Just do it; you don't need that crappy System Restore! ;-)

--
s|b

On Tue, 29 Sep 2015 08:00:06 +0100, Mike Tomlinson wrote:

Microsoft is automatically downloading Windows 10 install files to
Windows 7 user's machines without their knowledge or consent. Those are
saved in two hidden directories and total about 5GB.

c:\$windows.~bt
c:\$windows.~ws

Doesn't happen if you block and hide KB3035583.

--
s|b

En el artículo , s|b
escribió:

Doesn't happen if you block and hide KB3035583.

I did that and the download still happened. I think you underestimate
just how sneaky M$ are. They're about as trustworthy as Volkswagen.

"Ve haff vays of making you install Vindows 10!"

--
(\_/)
(='.'=) Bunny says: Windows 10? Nein danke!
(")_(")

On Mon, 28 Sep 2015 22:33:42 +0200, "s|b" wrotG:

On Mon, 28 Sep 2015 11:16:50 -0400, (PeteCresswell) wrote:

Under XP I had to periodically clean out the backup folders generated by
each system update or, eventually, the System drive would run out of
space.

Is there an analogous process happening under 7?

Try using Disk Cleanup (Start Run Disk Cleanup). It'll probably take
a couple of gigabytes off of the winsxs folder located at

C:\Windows\winsxs

Do *not* delete any files in that folder! Here's an explanation:
http://www.howtogeek.com/174705/how-to-reduce-the-size-of-your-winsxs-folder-on-windows-7-or-8/?PageSpeed=noscript

You can also use CCleaner to do some cleaning...

Use CCleaner and DiskMax. Also, the windows cleaner will delete a lot
of the update backup files. And in C:\Windows|Installer you can
delete the *.msp files which are service pack backups.

Per Mike Tomlinson:
I did that and the download still happened. I think you underestimate
just how sneaky M$ are. They're about as trustworthy as Volkswagen.

I am glad to hear one more reason for relying on my own system images
instead of MS's recovery facility..... -)
--
Pete Cresswell

On Wed, 30 Sep 2015 10:45:28 +0100, Mike Tomlinson wrote:

Doesn't happen if you block and hide KB3035583.

I did that and the download still happened. I think you underestimate
just how sneaky M$ are.

I think you overestimate them. There's no W10 on my W7. My mother has
automated Windows Updates on her W7 and when I checked she had a
$WINDOWS.~BT folder. I uninstalled (and hid) KB3035583 and not only was
the W10 icon in the Taskbar gone, the BT folder disappeared as well.

--
s|b