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Any way to limit Windows\installer size?



 
 
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  #16  
Old July 13th 20, 04:44 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Paul[_32_]
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Posts: 11,873
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

Mayayana wrote:
"Paul" wrote

| Removing materials from there, at a guess, damages your
| "Add/Remove" capability. When you go to Programs and Features
| and select an item for "Remove", I believe for some program
| installations, there is a .msi stored on C: already. That's
| what might be used to support the remove operation, is some
| file in there. The .msi is opened up and parsed again,
| before the Remove starts.
|
| I don't particularly see a problem with cleaning it out,
| with that small caveat. If the user becomes ****ed because
| "Remove" or "Repair for Office" get zorched, then you
| have to manage that expectation.
|
That's my sense, too. Microsoft was trying to be
clever and plan for possibilities like very complex
programs with multiple "features" and "components",
in MSI lingo, so that you could, for instance, install
an office suite and then decide later that you want
French spellcheck. That could be accommodated by
the installer.

The problem is that such programs are very rare.
Most programs have few if any install options. So
the only likely cost would be that if you ever want
to uninstall it might be slightly messy.

The more relevant question to me is how anyone
could possibly have hundreds of GB of MSI backup.
That implies even more installed software. And it's
not even counting winsxs folder, system, etc. I'm
guessing that T has misunderstood something, or
typed a typo in his post. I've never heard of a 1 TB
C drive before there's any data.


There are people who managed to go past the 500 program
limit, so I'm guessing there are "hoarders" out there
with an appetite for installs.

I think I would combine my appetite for installs of
stuff, with the purchase of a large storage device. Like
if I know my habits, then tool up for them. You can't
"compress your way out of this" :-)

Paul

Ads
  #17  
Old July 13th 20, 05:42 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 10,881
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

Rene Lamontagne wrote:

Why do we call SSDs 2.5 inch drives when they are in fact 2.75 inches,
To be more precise they are 70mm x 100mm x 7 or 9 mm.


The measurement is the diameter of the HDD platter, not its case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...e_form_factors
3.5" form factor: 4" wide (101.85 mm)
2.5" form factor: 2.75" wide ( 69.85 mm)

Since [cased] SSDs have to fit in bays or cages designed for HDDs, they
have the same form factors. There are SSDs that have no case, so you
mount them elsewhere, and m.2 SSDs are fitted onto the mobo.
  #18  
Old July 13th 20, 06:03 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 10,881
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

Rene Lamontagne wrote:

Why do we Canadians call walleye, pickerel? :-)


https://gaviidaesails.com/wp-content...1920x580-1.jpg

Probably someone screwed up who was looked upon as a local expert, and
their misnaming stuck and spread to become tradition. Not everyone is a
ichthyologist to recognize fish families. In the USA, many fisherman
say "walleye pike" or just "pike". They don't even know it's a perch.
Most fisherman don't even qualify as piscatologists. For the vast
majority of fisherman you see on opener day, that's the only time they
go. Until I went Arctic grayling fishing around Hudson Bay, I'd never
saw one before. What's this? Dad told me.
  #19  
Old July 13th 20, 09:44 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
T
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Posts: 4,600
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

On 2020-07-12 16:00, Paul wrote:
IÂ*don'tÂ*particularlyÂ*seeÂ*aÂ*problemÂ*withÂ*cle aningÂ*itÂ*out,
withÂ*thatÂ*smallÂ*caveat.Â*IfÂ*theÂ*userÂ*becomes Â*****edÂ*because
"Remove"Â*orÂ*"RepairÂ*forÂ*Office"Â*getÂ*zorched, Â*thenÂ*you
haveÂ*toÂ*manageÂ*thatÂ*expectation.


150GB of trash (installer files)? And these a locked
down computers. The user is forbidden to add or
subtract anything.

  #20  
Old July 13th 20, 10:03 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 10,881
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

T wrote:

150GB of trash (installer files)? And these a locked down computers.
The user is forbidden to add or subtract anything.


This is not Windows XP or 7 where users controlled automatic updates.
This is Windows 10. Updates are forced on Home edition users.

You could try:

https://download.cnet.com/PatchClean...-76399133.html
Last update was back in 2016.
home page: https://www.homedev.com.au/Free/PatchCleaner

Be sure to save a backup image of the OS partition beforehand.
  #21  
Old July 13th 20, 10:39 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
Paul[_32_]
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Posts: 11,873
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

T wrote:
On 2020-07-12 16:00, Paul wrote:
I don't particularly see a problem with cleaning it out,
with that small caveat. If the user becomes ****ed because
"Remove" or "Repair for Office" get zorched, then you
have to manage that expectation.


150GB of trash (installer files)? And these a locked
down computers. The user is forbidden to add or
subtract anything.


This sounds like some sort of runaway behavior.

When you look at the file list, is there a pattern ?

The last time there was a runaway behavior, it was
something related to DoSvc (which is partially, a
replacement or parallel system to BITS).

Just to give some sizes here.

Program Files, Program Files (x86) 16GB total

Installers 4GB total

If you had 170GB of Installer files, then you'd
have 700GB of Program Files, using ratios. It's unlikely
that both Program Files together would be smaller than Installers.

You could hit such a lofty height, with some of
the modern game installs maybe. In my example above,
is a Visual Studio Community Edition install.

Paul
  #22  
Old July 13th 20, 10:55 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
T
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Posts: 4,600
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

On 2020-07-13 02:03, VanguardLH wrote:
T wrote:

150GB of trash (installer files)? And these a locked down computers.
The user is forbidden to add or subtract anything.


This is not Windows XP or 7 where users controlled automatic updates.
This is Windows 10. Updates are forced on Home edition users.

You could try:

https://download.cnet.com/PatchClean...-76399133.html
Last update was back in 2016.
home page: https://www.homedev.com.au/Free/PatchCleaner

Be sure to save a backup image of the OS partition beforehand.


This is Pro 2020
  #23  
Old July 13th 20, 10:57 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
T
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,600
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

On 2020-07-13 02:39, Paul wrote:
T wrote:
On 2020-07-12 16:00, Paul wrote:
I don't particularly see a problem with cleaning it out,
with that small caveat. If the user becomes ****ed because
"Remove" or "Repair for Office" get zorched, then you
have to manage that expectation.


150GB of trash (installer files)?Â* And these a locked
down computers.Â* The user is forbidden to add or
subtract anything.


This sounds like some sort of runaway behavior.

When you look at the file list, is there a pattern ?

The last time there was a runaway behavior, it was
something related to DoSvc (which is partially, a
replacement or parallel system to BITS).

Just to give some sizes here.

Â*Â* Program Files, Program Files (x86)Â*Â*Â* 16GB total

Â*Â* InstallersÂ*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* 4GB total

If you had 170GB of Installer files, then you'd
have 700GB of Program Files, using ratios. It's unlikely
that both Program Files together would be smaller than Installers.

You could hit such a lofty height, with some of
the modern game installs maybe. In my example above,
is a Visual Studio Community Edition install.

Â*Â* Paul


Since it is happening on three machines at their
facility, I will look for a pattern.

I wonder if it is their Point of Sale software
doing it. It is updating all the time

Thank you!

  #24  
Old July 13th 20, 11:41 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 10,881
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

T wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

T wrote:

150GB of trash (installer files)? And these a locked down computers.
The user is forbidden to add or subtract anything.


This is not Windows XP or 7 where users controlled automatic updates.
This is Windows 10. Updates are forced on Home edition users.

You could try:

https://download.cnet.com/PatchClean...-76399133.html
Last update was back in 2016.
home page: https://www.homedev.com.au/Free/PatchCleaner

Be sure to save a backup image of the OS partition beforehand.



This is Pro 2020


I take it that implies you installed the admin template and set the
policy to block updates.

Even you know uninstalls are too often "dirty". They leave all sorts of
registry and file remnants. Looks like \Windows\Installer is one of
those places that can accumulate leftover filth from uninstalls whether
it be for programs, their updates, or OS updates (which are superceded
by later updates).

I'd do an image backup, and then test PatchCleaner to see if it can
significantly reduce the size of \Windows\Installer. For me, that
folder is only 1 GB in size, so no impetus to clean it up. I'll just
add it to my Downloads folder in case I want to use it later. With the
folder consuming 150 GB, yep, there would be far more impetus to see if
it can get cleaned up to remove remnants.
  #25  
Old July 14th 20, 01:47 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10
T
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,600
Default Any way to limit Windows\installer size?

On 2020-07-13 15:41, VanguardLH wrote:
T wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

T wrote:

150GB of trash (installer files)? And these a locked down computers.
The user is forbidden to add or subtract anything.

This is not Windows XP or 7 where users controlled automatic updates.
This is Windows 10. Updates are forced on Home edition users.

You could try:

https://download.cnet.com/PatchClean...-76399133.html
Last update was back in 2016.
home page: https://www.homedev.com.au/Free/PatchCleaner

Be sure to save a backup image of the OS partition beforehand.



This is Pro 2020


I take it that implies you installed the admin template and set the
policy to block updates.


Not on these. They are under PCI-DSS SAQ-C and MSUT
be updated.


Even you know uninstalls are too often "dirty". They leave all sorts of
registry and file remnants. Looks like \Windows\Installer is one of
those places that can accumulate leftover filth from uninstalls whether
it be for programs, their updates, or OS updates (which are superceded
by later updates).

I'd do an image backup, and then test PatchCleaner to see if it can
significantly reduce the size of \Windows\Installer. For me, that
folder is only 1 GB in size, so no impetus to clean it up. I'll just
add it to my Downloads folder in case I want to use it later. With the
folder consuming 150 GB, yep, there would be far more impetus to see if
it can get cleaned up to remove remnants.


I have been using

http://www.homedev.com.au/free/patchcleaner

Clean up tons of trash. Lately, I just delete with WE.

Patch Cleaner is a sweet tool




 




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