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Tips & Tricks Windows iso cleanup pointers and useful tips

Gorstak

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So, what makes windows big?
You can simply right click on every folder, check it's properties and see how much space the folder occupies.
It's not just apps that take up space, there is also stuff like Winsxs folder.
Winsxs folder some tend to delete, but I prefer cleaning it up.
Basically, NTFS file system, which you must use to install Windows on, supports something called links.
It may be a link to some folder elsewhere, a junction of multiple folders into one, or something similar.
Winsxs folder basically contains millions of these.
It's like a market where traders come from all parts of the world.
So, the real size isn't over 10 GB as is says, it actually occupies a lot less.
So what I like to do, is return it to it's natural size.
The best tool to do this with is winreducer IMHO.
You don't need to remove any system or so called bloatware apps, or criple your OS in any way, you can use winreducer for it's expert customizations only, which will make your 6 GB iso a 2.5 GB one, and everything will work.
Another "big" thing in windows iso is winre.wim.
It's basically recovery bootable OS, that you can use to restore windows if they crash.
That file is around 500 MB big, so if you do not need recovery, or feel a clean install would be faster anyway, you can remove that too in winreducer.
I personally like to remove all recovery connected stuff and in settings tab of winreducer, hide recovery from update window.
Once you winreduced winsxs folder and winre.wim you can boot, install and at country screen press ctrl + shift + F3.
This command is identical to running sysprep.exe and selecting to boot into audit mode.
Once computer reboots to audit mode, you can install apps you want, iconpacks, do updates, whatever you want.
Your syspreping can also fail, and the usual solution to solving this issue is running a powershell command to remove apps.
So, open ps as admin and type
Code:
get-appxpackage -allusers | remove-appxpackage
When this is complete, sysprep usually succeeds.
You may want to debloat your image, not just current user apps, and perhaps save calc and store for any new users you create (the current admin one you're doing sysprep in will be deleted regardless), so the command would be something like
Code:
Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -online | where-object {$_.packagename -notlike "*Microsoft.WindowsStore*"} | where-object {$_.packagename -notlike "*Microsoft.WindowsCalculator*"} | where-object {$_.packagename -notlike "*Microsoft.Windows.Photos*"} |Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -online
Once you're done, you need to select boot into oobe from the sysprep window, check generalize and opt to shutdown or restart.
Once your pc shuts down or restarts, press f12 or which key on your bios does it, to boot into windows usb key again.
At setup screen press shift + F10 to enter command prompt.
Then you can run diskpart list volume command to check which volume letter has your changed windowses, as it is not always c: and capture your c: into install.wim.
The command to do this is something like this:
Code:
dism /capture-image /capturedir:C:\  /imagefile: D:\mycaptured.wim /name:"My Captured OS" /description:none /compress:max
Don't forget to use the description switch or your captured wim will not work.
Once you captured a wim onto another drive, you can simply replace original install.wim or install.esd on your windows installation usb key with the wim you just captured.
That's it. Cheers!
 
Last edited:

Mr Grimbahir

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So comprehensive reduction tutorial. Thanks so much.
 

Kadyrov

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@Gorstak how to remove winsxs folder?
 

Jimmy Collaros

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@Gorstak how to remove winsxs folder?
This folder is a part of Windows and it cannot be removed.
 

Kadyrov

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This folder is a part of Windows and it cannot be removed.
what about windows lite? Winsxs folder size is smaller, what tools do they use?
 

Jimmy Collaros

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what about windows lite? Winsxs folder size is smaller, what tools do they use?
I don't know.. but i delete the Backup folder there. It is always about 6 or 7 GB. I don't know how to build Windows but i know how i can delete some useless and large folders.
 
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