Can I erase c:\Windows\Installer?

[Todd]

Hi All,

What is the function of the c:\Windows\Installer directory
and can I erase its contents?

Many thanks,
-T

 

[Paul]

Careful. Be sure each one is not what you have installed before deleting
them (put them somewhere temporary just in case). If unsure, then leave
them alone.

Mine has about 271MB of stuff in it, and I'd never consider wasting
the time "cleaning out" that directory.

But apparently, some people experience a problem, where Windows Update
goes nuts, and while attempting to install the same patch over and over
again, puts hundreds of copies of the same install attempt in there,
until gigabytes of space are gone and the OS disk is getting full.
They recommend MSIZAP as a solution here (a way to clean house
and remove duplicates, leaving some base stuff behind), as a way
to temporarily solve the storage problem. So some people have a real
problem, and do need a means to clean it out. But as one poster
reports, MSIZAP isn't without side-effects, which is why it was
removed from downloads long ago. You can apparently still get it
though.

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en/sqltools/thread/07db294a-79e5-4a5a-916c-6a51e44a5aa4

Windows Installer CleanUp Utility 7.2

http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4459

And the Majorgeeks description for that download, mentions this link
as a possible solution to install issues. This doesn't say specifically
it'll clean house though. The Fixit seems to be more of a consistency
check.

http://support.microsoft.com/mats/Program_Install_and_Uninstall

Paul

 

[JJ]

Hi All,

What is the function of the c:\Windows\Installer directory
and can I erase its contents?

Many thanks,
-T

It's used for software or software component uninstallation process. For
softwares that support "on-demand feature installation" like Office, use
the files in that folder to check the installation integrity as the
software is being run and used.

Without the files, softwares won't be able to be uninstalled in automatic
manner and cleanly. For softwares that support "on-demand feature
installation", they may prompt you to specify an MSI file when you run
them or use a specific feature.

It's recommended to leave the files alone. Or you may tick the
"Compressed" attribute on the "Installer" folder (and its subfolders) to
gain about 30% of free space of the total size of the Installer folder.