Windows
has many virtual files and folders that the average user should not touch or
tamper with. The more you leave it alone, the more problems you will avoid and
will not damage the operating system.
Windows
definitely takes up a lot of storage space, and with a bit of searching you
will be able to find some folders and files that you can get rid of to recover
free space.
But
be careful when dealing with some folders, because any deletion of their contents
will cause the system to work incorrectly, and it may eventually lead to the
collapse of Windows, and your only option will be to reset the Windows system
from the beginning.
The
problem is not specifically in the collapse of Windows (even if it is for
some), but the real problem is if Windows collapses and you are unable to skip
the stage of booting Windows and enter the system interface, then, you may lose
many important data that you did not have time to keep in a place Safe away
from C sector.
Although
there are several solutions to this problem, all of them will cost time and
effort, and this is what we try to avoid and not be exposed to. So, always
remember to take care of creating a Restore Point, and remember to keep your
precious C sector files on the cloud.
Page File
The
file is located in C:/ Pagefile.sys, and this file does not appear by default
unless you unhide the files from the View tab in File Explorer.
When
you start running some programs such as Microsoft Word or running some games, the
processes are stored in the random access memory (RAM) until the processor
needs these files again, so it is able to request them a second time from
memory and deal with them in a quick period of time.
But
if the system finds that the memory is full, it has no choice but to store the
processes on the disk in the C-sector. If you have a large RAM, say 32 GB, it
is very rare for you to notice an activity, activity, or change in the
pagefile. sys file because Windows does not need it.
But
less than that, and depending on your type of business, the system may be
forced to store a Pagefile on the hard drive, which is clearly causing the
system to slow down - but this problem is inevitable with modest and old
computers.
If
you decide to delete this file it will list a lot of free space, but be
prepared that you may encounter a crash in most of your business programs while
working on it. Windows allows you to manage virtual memory if you have to, but
in fact, it is always best to let Windows manage it on its own. If you are
facing a shortage of RAM space, you can rely on the flash drive in the
manufacture of RAMDisk during your work, and some tricks help you free up space
for RAM. But the main principle in solving this problem is to increase the
capacity of the RAM.
Program Files and X86 Program Files
These
files are C:/Program Files and C:/Program Files (x86) when you install or
install any program through EXE format. The application automatically takes
care of creating virtual files inside the Program Files folder, which is
necessary for any program to function properly.
Thus,
if you now head to the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folder, inside it
you will find all the programs and applications that you have installed
yourself. Apps outside of either of these paths are rarely installed.
Therefore,
it is essential not to touch the program files and folders within these folders
at all, if you try to tamper with these files, you may then find yourself
having to reinstall the programs you tampered with again.
In
the event that you want to remove any program from the computer, you can do so
by going to Settings, then Apps, then Apps & Features, then uninstalling
programs from there.
You
can also do this through the Control Panel window, which helps you to delete programs
better. In this way, the programs are deleted from the computer, but they may
leave a small trace inside the Program Files folders, which may contain some of
the personalizations and settings that you prefer to configure the programs.
If
you want to get rid of them for good, you can delete them too, but with
caution. In fact, programs leave a trail of some of their logs and
configuration files throughout the C sector.
But
they are very small files and may not exceed 10KB, so you do not need to search
and delete them manually so as not to make any unintentional errors unless you
are confident in what you are dealing with.
System file 32 System
All
the contents of the Windows folder in Partition C are very important and
necessary and it is better not to touch them, but the System 32 folder, in
particular, is an exceptional case and deserves all the attention. This folder
contains the DLL files that are responsible for the proper functioning of the
computer and the proper management of major system processes.
If
you ever think about how the computer sound works, this folder is responsible
for the sound working properly, how the system can complete the boot phase, how
the fonts appear as they are, and many other necessary operations all happen
from within the System 32 folder.
In
addition, it contains some of the resources needed to implement the running of
virtual Windows programs such as Paint or calculator program and others.
Whatever you do, no matter how many tips or tricks you hear on the internet that
urge you to delete this folder to reclaim free space on your hard disk, be
assured that they are all false and not built on any foundation.
System Volume Information
This
folder is located in the C:/ System Volume Information sector but is hidden by
default as long as the Hide protected operating system files command box is
enabled.
It
is just a large file and you will not understand what it is when you look at it
or examine its contents, but it is a very important folder for managing many
tasks in the Windows system. Cause any serious system problems.
This
folder is where the System Restore Point resides that Windows is interested in
creating so that you can go back to it if you encounter problems with Windows.
To reduce the size of this file, you can click on Restore Point from the start
menu and then choose Configure.
Then
you can move the Max Usage value pointer to a certain amount to reduce the
amount of space that the restore point takes up, but be careful because it
reduces the chance of many things being restored if you consider relying on it
in the future.
WinSxS
Its
location path is C:/ Windows/ WinSxS which stands for Windows Side by Side. It
was intended to remedy the old problems that made Windows 9x difficult to work
with. Microsoft created this folder to compile multiple versions of DLL files
and load them when the system is required to run a program. As a result, this
folder leads to more compatibility and system stability.
Of
course, the longer you use Windows, the larger this folder will be. Although
some users are able to pick out some large files from within it and delete them
to reclaim some space, we see it as a risk not worth taking, and in any case,
it is a bad idea for the average user. Microsoft is always careful to warn
users not to approach this folder or even go to its path, instead you can use
the Disk Cleanup feature built into Windows as a routine to delete unwanted
files.
D3DS Cache
The
path of this folder is located in sector C:/ Users/ username profile/ AppData/
Local and may not be as important as the previous folders. It is not
responsible for managing any important Windows tasks or processes, but it
contains cached information for Microsoft's own Direct3D API library.
It is just part of the DirectX programming needed to render graphics within games and many other processes and intensive programs. Fortunately, these files don't take up much space, and you probably won't need to touch them, unless you're having unfamiliar problems while playing games, perhaps deleting temporary files can help you solve those problems.