# c:\windows\assembly folder



## DaneBrooke

Can anyone tell me what tis is about? It appears to have an infinity of folders named download, each the child of the previous; none appear to contain anything else. Its read only... Don't suppose I could delete those subfolders?


----------



## nickster_uk

It's used to store .net assemblies which can be shared between applications. I wouldn't advise deleting it myself as it's likely to have knock on effects.

Are you running low on space?


----------



## DaneBrooke

Low on space... surprisingly, yes. (I have over 100 apps on my playbox, using 10GB; this XP laptop has a 100 GB c-drive, maybe 2 doz apps and its only got 9GB free) This directory is only using 170 MB, tho. At least, thats what I get from properties. Depending on how many 'download' directories there really are (if its not looping back on itself in a crosslink) that could burn a boatload of sectors. I am more concerned about c:\windows\installer whose properties say 47 GB being used. All the files are installer patches or packages, but they were all installed already (why didn't the installer delete these when finished?)


----------



## nickster_uk

It may need the files in order to repair/uninstall those applications.

If space is a problem, have a look in:
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

The contents of that folder are Windows Updates. They serve no purpose after installation and can safely be deleted. You could claim quite a bit of space by deleting those files.

Also in your Windows directory, you should lots of folders like:
$NtUninstallKB******$

These are Windows Updates uninstaller files. Removing these will mean you won't be able to uninstall the corresponding updates but if your system is running stable and you have no issues that may be related to a Windows Update, they can be deleted. As a precaution, you could backup the contents to a dvd/cd just incase you may need them in future.

Another option is to disable the hibernate feature if you don't use it as it could save a little space. Could also resize your pagefile on your system drive to accommodate any crash dump requirements and place another pagefile on a non-system partition.

Another good option is to delete all but your most recent system restore point. You would instantly lose the ability to restore your system back more than one point but if all is running well, it should be fine and you could gain a significant amount of disk space back.


----------



## DaneBrooke

Great ideas. Actually has an empty second drive. The laptop is on its 3rd OS, so I am sure the installer files that predate this OS are not needed (I'm moving them to d: and deleting) and I'll move the pagefile over there too, plus check the download you mentioned. Already got rid of NTUninstalls.


----------

