What would happen if I force-deleted the entire winsxs directory? Before I show you that, click on the Installed Updates link at the top where it tells you how to remove an update. In the command prompt, type the following command: net start wuauserv and press Enter. It includes old Windows Update cleaning. I assume that you have access to an Admin account? If you delete this folder, it will automatically be recreated next time Windows Updates check for updates. Tip Try waiting a few moments and then deleting the file again.
Afterward, stop the service of Windows updates. The only difference is that the operating system ends up saving all of the work you have open to your hard drive. Most of the time, files you can't delete are being used by a program or a service; you can start your computer in Safe Mode to prevent the largest possible number of programs and services from running to address this issue. The only caveat with this process is that the SoftwareDistribution folder also includes the Windows Update history information, which means that emptying up the folder will result in loss of this data. All of these programs are free and integrate into your Windows interface. A list will be displayed showing all of the programs that are currently accessing the file. However, it is a place where lots of junk is stored.
The Recycle Bin Folder Location — shell: RecycleBinFolder Yes, we know that the recycle bin is not really a folder. But this doesn't make sense to me, because it's been a few months since I've last run the cleaner and my winsxs directory has grown substantially since then doubled. The DataStore folder contains the database with the full Windows update history for the computer. No need to google, we are here to make your life easier. Administrative privilege optional Run Command Prompt 5.
My winsxs folder is growing out of control. Then take ownership of the folder and delete it. The below-given solutions may help you out by providing the idea of leaving or resuming an update! To do this, long press the power button until your system completely shut down then press it again to start manually. If you choose to use Unlocker, be wary when navigating their website because there are numerous tricky ads that may lead to malware on your computer. As read-only, the file or folder is essentially write-protected, meaning it cannot be edited or deleted. Now that you've repaired any issues with your hard drive, you should be able to delete any files which were locked due to hard drive issues. That should fix all the Windows Update error 0xca00a000.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use. Select all the files by pressing Ctrl + A and then press Shift + Del in order to permanently delete the files. Usually, when Windows 10 update stuck, you must check the error codes first. So, for example, if you can recognize yourself say Excel , then hunt for the locked file or process in the Task Manager window and right-click on it. Hi All, I am unable to delete the SoftwareDistribution folder in the C drive windows directory , I want it to be deleted for the purpose of reporting to wsus , The system is running Windows 7.
The whole process remained at 0% and was unable to move on. If I drag the file to a new location it doesn't delete the original which of course still cant be deleted. Mostly, the troubleshooter is succeeded in removing a stuck update so try to rerun the Windows update. Moreover, the next time you run Windows Update, it will result in a longer detection time. Restart in Safe Mode and run the following from an Administrative Command Prompt. Hi Sunil Meti, The method provided by antwesor could work, we don't need to delete SoftwareDistribution, just delete the contents in the folder, before deleting them, run net stop wuauserv, when we run net start wuauserv, the default folders under SoftwareDistribution will appear. In Windows Vista, I cannot delete a file from the desktop.
Is there a easier way? I've never had reason to uninstall an update. This post will show you how to fix the Windows update error 0xca00a000 which you can encounter during the installation of Windows updates. . Once they are installed, the updates are removed within 10 days. The Software Distribution folder is one of these files. I understand that the winsxs directory is full of hardlinked files, but my disk space has been vanishing nonetheless.
Perhaps I'll need to reformat the drive and install a version of Windows with all updates slipstreamed so that I don't have doubles of them populating my Windows directory. Thirdly, you should only delete the DataStore folder if something is really wrong with Windows Update like not showing any new updates for several months, etc. To delete them, type Disk Cleanup into the Start Menu and launch the tool. This not only gives you an idea of running apps and services at any time on your computer, you can also use it to kill services that might be stopping you from deleting certain files. Users are local admins on their own box. Even if you have administrator access.