Duplicate File Finders

[BC_Programmer]

But I have to know what each file is to know if I have the original media.  All I can recall having on disk is Office, Works, my printer, and my phone tools,, and I'm not sure my games, the only things I remember downloading and having keys for, would run if I tried to re-install them, because I didn't know, when I first got them, to make a folder that was obvious to me, to keep the keys in, so they would be hard to find.

If you right click the msi files, it should show in the details tab what product they are for.

The installers are unrelated to the product keys for any of them. Deleting them won't uninstall the respective programs.


Don't delete them via Windows Explorer, however, use the cleanup utility, since there are other bits of information in the registry that need to be changed so windows doesn't go looking for those installers and complain.

[Starwind51]

I've been wandering around my computer and found this in Performance and Maintenance --> Scheduled Tasks.

Are they the same thing?  Can I delete 3 of them?  All 4?

By the way, since I mentioned my other laptop - it's a small screen Asus, and the little screen drives me crazy, so I really need to get my Toshiba under control.  I disconnected the G drive from the Toshiba so I can access my most-often used files on the Asus, but it is a hardship doing that.



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[Starwind51]

The installers are unrelated to the product keys for any of them. Deleting them won't uninstall the respective programs.

I edited that post a few times and something got lost.  I have Office, Works, my printer, and my phone tools on disk.  In the past I didn't know it would be a good idea to have one folder, 1 page of Word even, to store all the game keys and whatever other keys I might have, in.  So the product keys are hither and tither and before I try to install a game on the G drive I would be happier finding the key first.  Otherwise I might burst into tears because I've been doing this meshugana thing for so many hours, and clearly the games aren't taking up much space anyway.   

Happily, I did find a folder for one of my games still on the C drive and I examined it very closely and it was exactly the same as what I had installed on the G drive, so I was able to delete the file from the C.  That gave me a teensy amount more of hard drive space.

Modified to add:

I really am beginning to lose my mind a little from thinking about this for so many hours, so forgive my absurdly great joy at discovering registry errors that when removed add a few more MB's!  I'm up to 223 now!   

[BC_Programmer]

Is this product key stuff at all related to the discussion regarding the Installer folder? Or is this just a separate thing you tried?

[Allan]

I have an external hard drive that has lots and lots of room - but before I back up my entire C drive, at your best guess, would this be something that happens quickly or is more likely to take hours?

Two reason I need to know:

1.  I have to charge my other laptop so I don't have to be alone for a moment (alone meaning without internet or with just my cell phone internet, lol)

2.  Old Bessie here tends to overheat when information is exchanged rapidly.  I tend to overheat when old Bessie snaps off in the middle of me doing something. 

Imaging your drive to a second hard drive using an app such as Acronis True Image or Macrium Reflect should not take a very long time. It depends on the size of the drive you are imaging and whether or not you are verifying the image (which you should). It can take anywhere from 5 minutes for a small drive or partition to an hour or more for a larger one. Regardless, the image is created in the background so your system will remain usable during the process.

[patio]

Personally i walk away from the PC whenever creating an image and go do something else...

[Starwind51]

Is this product key stuff at all related to the discussion regarding the Installer folder? Or is this just a separate thing you tried?

The product keys are for games I downloaded to my C drive, when a C drive was all I had.  As is seen by the Tree shot, the games don't take up a lot of room on the C, but I'm desperate to move anything I can.  But if I install the game on the G drive, I might need to use the product key to open the game.  In the past I didn't understand where they key was being saved to.  Now, before I download something, I make my own destination folder and give it a name that makes sense to me.  I keep a separate folder for storing the keys in.  Once I know a game is working on the G drive, I go back and uninstall or delete anything on the C that has to do with it.  Or at least I think I uninstall/delete.  Long later I sometimes come across related files and I delete them from the C.  When I posted that comment I was just giddy from having found something I could delete.

[Starwind51]

Imaging your drive to a second hard drive using an app such as Acronis True Image or Macrium Reflect should not take a very long time... Regardless, the image is created in the background so your system will remain usable during the process.

I don't know what imaging is.

[Allan]

Disk Imaging software takes a "snapshot" of your drive as it exists at the time you create the image. You can then restore the entire image or any file(s) or folder(s) you choose. It is a virtually foolproof way of backing up your system and providing a safe haven in the event of a catastrophe that requires you to blow away your system partition and restore it to a previous state. It also allows you to "test" various software and be confident that you have a the ability to return to the prior state any time you choose.

 
I use Acronis True Image. It is the best of breed, but it isn't free. The best free alternative is Macrium Reflect.


1) I create an image of my system partition once a week to a second hard drive and keep the 2 or 3 most recent images. I also image my other partitions about once a month. I always enable "verify image" in the options. It takes a little longer, but insures a valid image.

2) I also create an image before performing any drive level function (ie, changing the size of a partition) or making any significant change to the OS (installing a service pack, upgrading IE, etc). Also sometimes before installing new software.

3) Images may be created on any medium (cd, dvd, external drive, etc). For obvious reasons they should not be stored on the same drive you are imaging. The best option is a second internal hd if you have one.

4) Images may be created "in the background" within the OS. If you need to restore the system partition, that will need to be done before the OS loads. You can start the process within the application in the OS and it will then tell you it needs to reboot to finish the process. Alternatively, you can boot to a "recovery disk" which you can create when you first install the software (or to the application disk itself if you have one). Other partitions can be restored without a reboot.

[Starwind51]

I haven't done the image yet, but I have a question about deleting just parts of Works Suite (Microsoft Works Suite 2006).  I have the original install disks and the product key.  There are 6 programs on 5 disks in the package.  I bought the Suite when I didn't really know what I was buying - I just needed the calendar, not the whole suite, so there were products included that I didn't need and didn't install.

Encarta (no longer on the C) has its own disk.

Streets & Trips, on two disks, has some updates installed on the C.  I don't use the program for actual travel, but I'd prefer not to lose the updates if I uninstall it, so I'd prefer to keep it on the C.  On the Add/Remove Program list, it is listed separately.  980 MB.

MS Money and MS Digital Image are on one disk.  I didn't install Money, and "Digital Image Update" is listed separately in Add/Remove Programs, but I don't know if that's the whole Digital Image, or just the update.  I'm not sure I've ever used the program, so if I lost the updates, or even the whole program, I don't think I'd cry.  I have software for getting images off my camera and off my phone, and the default picture editor seems to be Microsoft Office, not the Works Digital Image.  Do you think uninstalling Digital Image Update would remove the whole Digital Image program?  434 MB.

Word 2002 was an edition prior to the one I had so I didn't install it, and it's on a disk with other programs.  But Microsoft Works Suite Add-In for Microsoft Word is listed in Add/Remove Programs.  I'm guessing Microsoft Word is bundled within Microsoft Office Standard Edition 2003, so I'm also guessing it's entirely separate from MS Works Suite Add-In for MS Word - but what do you think?  79.78 MB.

On the same Suite disk as Word 2002 is the MS Works Suite Setup and MS Works 8.  That's where the calendar is, along with templates for things like making greeting cards, checklists for projects, and a version of Excel.  The only thing I need to keep is the calendar, but on Add/Remove it's all listed as one program.  Any idea on this one?  Works 244 MB, Works Setup Launcher 434 MB.
     

[BC_Programmer]

I'm a bit lost here.

All your screenshots showed that the Windows folder was taking up well over half the disk. Worst Case Scenario, since you didn't actually provide anything other than a small capture showing the windows folder, is that the Program Files folder is using up all of the rest of the space.

Even so, that's still a minority of the space. Most of it is being used in the Windows folder, and most of that space is from the contents of the installers folder.

I haven't done the image yet, but I have a question about deleting just parts of Works Suite (Microsoft Works Suite 2006).  I have the original install disks and the product key.  There are 6 programs on 5 disks in the package.  I bought the Suite when I didn't really know what I was buying - I just needed the calendar, not the whole suite, so there were products included that I didn't need and didn't install.

If you didn't install those products, what do you intend to delete?

[Starwind51]

I'm currently at 24 KB of free space.  CCleaner stopped creating backup points days ago.  I'll take anything off the C drive I can.  Nobody's telling me specifically what to delete, so I have to guess.  If the pictures are too small to be useful, tell me how to get the information here in a usable form.  I have no idea what the drivers are for.  I have no idea how to find a list of them, and if I find a list and the program names are a string instead of a word I still won't know what they are.  I'm not downloading or installing any programs, so I don't know where the drivers are coming from. 

[patio]

24KB of free space ? ?...

That has to be a misprint...Windows probably wouldn't even run...

[Starwind51]

I keep doing that, it's MB.  I guess I just like the letter K.  Anyway, the laptop with the issue just snapped off, and I'm on my tiny screen - stiff thumb bar Asus netbook now.

So, how do I find what all those drivers are that are driving me crazy?

[BC_Programmer]

You can use a tool such as the Windows Installer cleanup utility to clean-up that folder. Bear in mind that this will mean you need "original media" (either the disks or the original setup programs) for some programs to change them using add/remove in the control panel.

if you want space, do this.

Nobody is telling you specifically what to delete simply because there is nothing specific you can delete. If you don't use a program uninstall it. We don't know if you have documents or other files that use those applications.

You mentioned "hotfixes" earlier, But very little of what you said made any sense. A 'Hotfix' replaces and patches already existing files to fix issues. It wouldn't add new ones, so they will simply be applied to existent files.

Referring to the "treesize" output shown earlier, even if you uninstalled every single program on your PC, you probably wouldn't gain more than about 15% disk space.

The Installer folder is taking the bulk of space. Consider your original requirement to find duplicate files. These aren't duplicates per se, but they are installers for programs you currently have installed. Deleting them will <only> prevent you from using the Change option in add/remove for those programs to modify the installation.

Some other links re: the installer folder:

How to clean out the windows installer folder

Another Forum thread on the MS Forums: C:\Windows\Installer is out of control!