Is it safe to delete C:windowsinstall on Windows 10?












1














Is it safe to delete C:windowsinstall on Windows 10?



installer










share|improve this question




















  • 3




    No; Those files should not be deleted
    – Ramhound
    3 hours ago
















1














Is it safe to delete C:windowsinstall on Windows 10?



installer










share|improve this question




















  • 3




    No; Those files should not be deleted
    – Ramhound
    3 hours ago














1












1








1







Is it safe to delete C:windowsinstall on Windows 10?



installer










share|improve this question















Is it safe to delete C:windowsinstall on Windows 10?



installer







windows-10






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 43 mins ago









Pimp Juice IT

23.2k113969




23.2k113969










asked 3 hours ago









Christian BurgosChristian Burgos

1093




1093








  • 3




    No; Those files should not be deleted
    – Ramhound
    3 hours ago














  • 3




    No; Those files should not be deleted
    – Ramhound
    3 hours ago








3




3




No; Those files should not be deleted
– Ramhound
3 hours ago




No; Those files should not be deleted
– Ramhound
3 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















3














According to Microsoft employee joscon in the Microsoft Technet post "Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?", it is not safe to delete C:windowsinstall or any files within it, and the post explains why as well.



I've referenced and quoted the portions of the post that relate to your question and helped make it more clear and concise for the specific subject matter of your inquiry.




Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?



The answer is flatly: "No".



Let's talk about why this is a bad idea:




  1. First, it is not supported. If you remove files from this directory
    and have issues, you may need to reinstall the application to get
    back to a good state.



  2. This particular directory's job is to act as a cache location for Windows installer based applications. It holds stripped down versions
    of the Windows installer data files. During application install,
    update of the application or application removal, this directory is
    used by the application to confirm the existence of previously
    installed items to determine the next steps the installer needs to
    take.




    • The files are different from machine to machine, so if you
      expect to delete the files in the directory and then copy them over
      from another machine, that would be incorrect. Removing items from
      here could cause you to have application crashes, or worse, require
      the re-installation and patching of the application.




The overall idea that you really should not remove items in the
Windows directory. We build and test our software based on the
existence of specific files and directories. When those files and
directories don't exist, bad things can and will happen. However, that
is a generalization that usually upsets many people so let's be more
specific.



The proper way to alleviate space pressure in this directory is to uninstall any unneeded applications.



source







share|improve this answer































    0














    The C:WindowsInstaller folder is where some but not all applications uninstall files and folders are stored.



    If you want to remove applications, use the Control Panel Programs and Features to uninstall them. It is also possible to run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) in elevated mode to help free up space.






    share|improve this answer





















    • That is not the location OP is asking about.
      – music2myear
      21 mins ago











    Your Answer








    StackExchange.ready(function() {
    var channelOptions = {
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "3"
    };
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
    createEditor();
    });
    }
    else {
    createEditor();
    }
    });

    function createEditor() {
    StackExchange.prepareEditor({
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: true,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: 10,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader: {
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    },
    onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    });


    }
    });














    draft saved

    draft discarded


















    StackExchange.ready(
    function () {
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsuperuser.com%2fquestions%2f1392087%2fis-it-safe-to-delete-c-windows-install-on-windows-10%23new-answer', 'question_page');
    }
    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown

























    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes








    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    3














    According to Microsoft employee joscon in the Microsoft Technet post "Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?", it is not safe to delete C:windowsinstall or any files within it, and the post explains why as well.



    I've referenced and quoted the portions of the post that relate to your question and helped make it more clear and concise for the specific subject matter of your inquiry.




    Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?



    The answer is flatly: "No".



    Let's talk about why this is a bad idea:




    1. First, it is not supported. If you remove files from this directory
      and have issues, you may need to reinstall the application to get
      back to a good state.



    2. This particular directory's job is to act as a cache location for Windows installer based applications. It holds stripped down versions
      of the Windows installer data files. During application install,
      update of the application or application removal, this directory is
      used by the application to confirm the existence of previously
      installed items to determine the next steps the installer needs to
      take.




      • The files are different from machine to machine, so if you
        expect to delete the files in the directory and then copy them over
        from another machine, that would be incorrect. Removing items from
        here could cause you to have application crashes, or worse, require
        the re-installation and patching of the application.




    The overall idea that you really should not remove items in the
    Windows directory. We build and test our software based on the
    existence of specific files and directories. When those files and
    directories don't exist, bad things can and will happen. However, that
    is a generalization that usually upsets many people so let's be more
    specific.



    The proper way to alleviate space pressure in this directory is to uninstall any unneeded applications.



    source







    share|improve this answer




























      3














      According to Microsoft employee joscon in the Microsoft Technet post "Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?", it is not safe to delete C:windowsinstall or any files within it, and the post explains why as well.



      I've referenced and quoted the portions of the post that relate to your question and helped make it more clear and concise for the specific subject matter of your inquiry.




      Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?



      The answer is flatly: "No".



      Let's talk about why this is a bad idea:




      1. First, it is not supported. If you remove files from this directory
        and have issues, you may need to reinstall the application to get
        back to a good state.



      2. This particular directory's job is to act as a cache location for Windows installer based applications. It holds stripped down versions
        of the Windows installer data files. During application install,
        update of the application or application removal, this directory is
        used by the application to confirm the existence of previously
        installed items to determine the next steps the installer needs to
        take.




        • The files are different from machine to machine, so if you
          expect to delete the files in the directory and then copy them over
          from another machine, that would be incorrect. Removing items from
          here could cause you to have application crashes, or worse, require
          the re-installation and patching of the application.




      The overall idea that you really should not remove items in the
      Windows directory. We build and test our software based on the
      existence of specific files and directories. When those files and
      directories don't exist, bad things can and will happen. However, that
      is a generalization that usually upsets many people so let's be more
      specific.



      The proper way to alleviate space pressure in this directory is to uninstall any unneeded applications.



      source







      share|improve this answer


























        3












        3








        3






        According to Microsoft employee joscon in the Microsoft Technet post "Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?", it is not safe to delete C:windowsinstall or any files within it, and the post explains why as well.



        I've referenced and quoted the portions of the post that relate to your question and helped make it more clear and concise for the specific subject matter of your inquiry.




        Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?



        The answer is flatly: "No".



        Let's talk about why this is a bad idea:




        1. First, it is not supported. If you remove files from this directory
          and have issues, you may need to reinstall the application to get
          back to a good state.



        2. This particular directory's job is to act as a cache location for Windows installer based applications. It holds stripped down versions
          of the Windows installer data files. During application install,
          update of the application or application removal, this directory is
          used by the application to confirm the existence of previously
          installed items to determine the next steps the installer needs to
          take.




          • The files are different from machine to machine, so if you
            expect to delete the files in the directory and then copy them over
            from another machine, that would be incorrect. Removing items from
            here could cause you to have application crashes, or worse, require
            the re-installation and patching of the application.




        The overall idea that you really should not remove items in the
        Windows directory. We build and test our software based on the
        existence of specific files and directories. When those files and
        directories don't exist, bad things can and will happen. However, that
        is a generalization that usually upsets many people so let's be more
        specific.



        The proper way to alleviate space pressure in this directory is to uninstall any unneeded applications.



        source







        share|improve this answer














        According to Microsoft employee joscon in the Microsoft Technet post "Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?", it is not safe to delete C:windowsinstall or any files within it, and the post explains why as well.



        I've referenced and quoted the portions of the post that relate to your question and helped make it more clear and concise for the specific subject matter of your inquiry.




        Can you safely delete files in the %windir%Installer directory?



        The answer is flatly: "No".



        Let's talk about why this is a bad idea:




        1. First, it is not supported. If you remove files from this directory
          and have issues, you may need to reinstall the application to get
          back to a good state.



        2. This particular directory's job is to act as a cache location for Windows installer based applications. It holds stripped down versions
          of the Windows installer data files. During application install,
          update of the application or application removal, this directory is
          used by the application to confirm the existence of previously
          installed items to determine the next steps the installer needs to
          take.




          • The files are different from machine to machine, so if you
            expect to delete the files in the directory and then copy them over
            from another machine, that would be incorrect. Removing items from
            here could cause you to have application crashes, or worse, require
            the re-installation and patching of the application.




        The overall idea that you really should not remove items in the
        Windows directory. We build and test our software based on the
        existence of specific files and directories. When those files and
        directories don't exist, bad things can and will happen. However, that
        is a generalization that usually upsets many people so let's be more
        specific.



        The proper way to alleviate space pressure in this directory is to uninstall any unneeded applications.



        source








        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 40 mins ago

























        answered 50 mins ago









        Pimp Juice ITPimp Juice IT

        23.2k113969




        23.2k113969

























            0














            The C:WindowsInstaller folder is where some but not all applications uninstall files and folders are stored.



            If you want to remove applications, use the Control Panel Programs and Features to uninstall them. It is also possible to run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) in elevated mode to help free up space.






            share|improve this answer





















            • That is not the location OP is asking about.
              – music2myear
              21 mins ago
















            0














            The C:WindowsInstaller folder is where some but not all applications uninstall files and folders are stored.



            If you want to remove applications, use the Control Panel Programs and Features to uninstall them. It is also possible to run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) in elevated mode to help free up space.






            share|improve this answer





















            • That is not the location OP is asking about.
              – music2myear
              21 mins ago














            0












            0








            0






            The C:WindowsInstaller folder is where some but not all applications uninstall files and folders are stored.



            If you want to remove applications, use the Control Panel Programs and Features to uninstall them. It is also possible to run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) in elevated mode to help free up space.






            share|improve this answer












            The C:WindowsInstaller folder is where some but not all applications uninstall files and folders are stored.



            If you want to remove applications, use the Control Panel Programs and Features to uninstall them. It is also possible to run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) in elevated mode to help free up space.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 1 hour ago









            qi SONGqi SONG

            592




            592












            • That is not the location OP is asking about.
              – music2myear
              21 mins ago


















            • That is not the location OP is asking about.
              – music2myear
              21 mins ago
















            That is not the location OP is asking about.
            – music2myear
            21 mins ago




            That is not the location OP is asking about.
            – music2myear
            21 mins ago


















            draft saved

            draft discarded




















































            Thanks for contributing an answer to Super User!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.





            Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.


            Please pay close attention to the following guidance:


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fsuperuser.com%2fquestions%2f1392087%2fis-it-safe-to-delete-c-windows-install-on-windows-10%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown







            Popular posts from this blog

            數位音樂下載

            When can things happen in Etherscan, such as the picture below?

            格利澤436b