4.81 GB for Intel Network drivers?


B

Birk

Well-known member
Member
VIP
Local time
7:25 PM
Posts
323
OS
Win11 Pro
My PC has One Intel 1219-V Ethernet device on it's ASUS B660-M motherboard. But my boot drive has 4.81 GB of space devoted to "Intel Network Connection Drivers". The latest download of Intel network drivers (from the Sticky list above) says it is for a whole bunch of different driver models, one of which is mine. So is there a way to install just the driver I need and get back all the disk space sucked up by the drivers I don't use or need?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Win11 ProAMD Ryzen 5 5500U16 GBRadeon 2100
OS
Win11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
BeeLink SER Mini
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
Motherboard
BeeLink SER
Memory
16 GB
Graphics Card(s)
Radeon 2100
Sound Card
none
Monitor(s) Displays
Primary: Phillips 4K; Secondary: LG 4K
Screen Resolution
Both 3860 x 2160
Hard Drives
C: NVme 500 GB Windows only
D: 128 GB NVme User data + Windows Temp via Junction Link
PSU
External
Case
Mini
Cooling
Internal fan
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless Lighted
Mouse
Kensington ExpertMouse wireless trackball
Internet Speed
500/500
Browser
Brave
Antivirus
Windows Defender
You could uninstall the network connection driver package then install the package found (Drivers Only) within this page.

[DRIVERS] Intel Ethernet/WiFi/Bluetooth

Hi everyone, - Intel Ethernet Drivers (Drivers Only) : Drivers - I225/I226 - Windows 11 : 2.1.5.10 WHQL [29/12/2025] | Download : Link Drivers - I225/I226 - Windows 10 : 1.1.4.45 WHQL [02/03/2025] | Download : Link Drivers - I219 (≥ Rev. 18) - Windows 11 : 20.0.3.28 WHQL [05/02/2026] | Download...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 26200 7462Intel XEON E5-2699 v364GB Teamgroup UD4-3600NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
    OS
    Windows 11 Enterprise 25H2 26200 7462
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel XEON E5-2699 v3
    Motherboard
    ASUS X99-A
    Memory
    64GB Teamgroup UD4-3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER X34 Predator
    Screen Resolution
    3440 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT1000P 3P SSD8 1TB
    Crucial CT1000 BX500 SSD 1TB
    PSU
    GameMax Pro
    Case
    Fractal Design
    Cooling
    Corsair H110iGT + 6 140mm Fans
    Keyboard
    Corsair K4
    Mouse
    G-Skill G502
    Internet Speed
    300MBs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    OEM
    Other Info
    ASUS RT-AC87U Router

  • At a glance

    25H2 26200.50748GB
    Operating System
    25H2 26200.5074
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS X555LA
    Memory
    8GB
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    OEM
Looks good - thanks. I'll try that right after my next Macrium backup.

(But assuming it does work OK I'll have to make another backup to save even more space on my backup disk.)
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Win11 ProAMD Ryzen 5 5500U16 GBRadeon 2100
OS
Win11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
BeeLink SER Mini
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
Motherboard
BeeLink SER
Memory
16 GB
Graphics Card(s)
Radeon 2100
Sound Card
none
Monitor(s) Displays
Primary: Phillips 4K; Secondary: LG 4K
Screen Resolution
Both 3860 x 2160
Hard Drives
C: NVme 500 GB Windows only
D: 128 GB NVme User data + Windows Temp via Junction Link
PSU
External
Case
Mini
Cooling
Internal fan
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless Lighted
Mouse
Kensington ExpertMouse wireless trackball
Internet Speed
500/500
Browser
Brave
Antivirus
Windows Defender
you could place the Intel driver package on to a USB stick and then update with the required drivers that you need.
that way the drivers are separately stored on the USB and take no disk space.

just a thought, best of luck, Steve ..
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Debian 13 KDE .. Windows 11 HomeRyzen 7 5825u64GB DDR4 3200Ryzen 7 5825u
    OS
    Debian 13 KDE .. Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP 24" AiO
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5825u
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    64GB DDR4 3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Ryzen 7 5825u
    Sound Card
    RealTek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" HP AiO
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    1TB WD Blue SN580 M2 SSD Partitioned.
    2x 1TB USB HDD External Backup/Storage.
    PSU
    90W external power brick
    Case
    24" All in One
    Cooling
    Default Air Cooling
    Keyboard
    HP WiFi UK extended
    Mouse
    HP WiFi 3 Button
    Internet Speed
    1GB full fibre
    Browser
    Edge & Firefox
    Antivirus
    AVG Internet Security/Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Mainly Open Source Software

  • At a glance

    Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTSi5 7200u16GB DDR4Intel
    Operating System
    Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 13" Latitude 2017
    CPU
    i5 7200u
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel
    Sound Card
    Intel
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13" Dell Laptop
    Hard Drives
    250GB Crucial 2.5" SSD
    Mouse
    Generic WiFi 3 button
    Internet Speed
    WiFi only
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    ClamAV TK
    Other Info
    Mainly Open Source Software
When you say 4.81 GB of space devoted to "Intel Network Connection Drivers", I'm not sure where exactly you are seeing this space.
If what you are asking is how to clear out old outdated drivers in driverstore folder, I use driverstore explorer. Much of the time, especially with Intel , when a new driver is installed, either the user or an automatic update of Intel graphics and networking adapters will not check the box for a clean install of the new driver, thereby leaving the old drivers in driverstore. Over time, these old drivers do add up. The last time I used Driverstore Explorer I cleaned off 10 old wireless drivers.
Driverstore Explorer is a standalone app. Just click on RAPR.exe and run as administrator. Within the app click "select old drivers" and old drivers will be highlighted. You can see screenshots on download page. Be very careful using it. Also know that once an old driver is removed you can no longer rollback to that driver.

github.com

GitHub - lostindark/DriverStoreExplorer: Driver Store Explorer [RAPR]

Driver Store Explorer [RAPR]. Contribute to lostindark/DriverStoreExplorer development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com github.com
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
Well, this was an interesting one. I did manage to delete "Intel Network Connection Drivers", but it wasn't exactly easy to do. I did download the new set of network drivers from the file mentioned by Rollback_Jockey. And that did install one driver module from an INF file. But doing this was not easy either. The net result was a saving of about 2,5 GB of boot drive space. I never did a Macrium backup (talk about living dangerously at 1 AM), but I did create a new Restore point before I started. Here are some interesting tidbits about the whole process.

1. I never was able to actually find the "Intel Network Connection Drivers" on my boot drive. I looked all over for it too. I'm guessing it was set to be a Hidden file, and I never bothered to make Hidden files visible.

2, After getting the driver download file and unzipping it, because of #1, I wasn't sure where to put it. But since "Intel Network Connection Drivers" was listed as a program file in Settngs/Apps I put it in a new directory under Program Files. I thought it was odd that Settngs/Apps listed it, but did not show a size for it.

3. Installing the new driver was tricky - I had to do it by going through the manual "I have a local driver file" and pointing it at the new directory from #2. When I did this it listed only one INF file, but appeared to be happy with it. I rebooted just fine after installing the new driver and it worked OK.

4. At that point i went back and deleted "Intel Network Connection Drivers". I still have no idea where it got deleted from, but it is definitely gone. I should have looked in the C: Recycle bin, but at 1 AM i just didn't think to do that.

This whole process started when I used the Uninstall Manager piece of the Glary Utilities app. I've been experimenting with Glary for a little while and it seems to be quite effective. The Uninstall Manager piece shows all installed programs/apps sorted by decreasing size, and "Intel Network Connection Drivers" was right at the top. That's what got me interested in this whole process. At any rate, it's gone now and I did get a bunch of free space back.

Thanks to glasskuter for the link to RAPR - I've seen mention of that before but never tried it. That might be an easier way of dealing with issues like this one.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Win11 ProAMD Ryzen 5 5500U16 GBRadeon 2100
OS
Win11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
BeeLink SER Mini
CPU
AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
Motherboard
BeeLink SER
Memory
16 GB
Graphics Card(s)
Radeon 2100
Sound Card
none
Monitor(s) Displays
Primary: Phillips 4K; Secondary: LG 4K
Screen Resolution
Both 3860 x 2160
Hard Drives
C: NVme 500 GB Windows only
D: 128 GB NVme User data + Windows Temp via Junction Link
PSU
External
Case
Mini
Cooling
Internal fan
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless Lighted
Mouse
Kensington ExpertMouse wireless trackball
Internet Speed
500/500
Browser
Brave
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Birk said:
Well, this was an interesting one. I did manage to delete "Intel Network Connection Drivers", but it wasn't exactly easy to do. I did download the new set of network drivers from the file mentioned by Rollback_Jockey. And that did install one driver module from an INF file. But doing this was not easy either. The net result was a saving of about 2,5 GB of boot drive space. I never did a Macrium backup (talk about living dangerously at 1 AM), but I did create a new Restore point before I started. Here are some interesting tidbits about the whole process.

1. I never was able to actually find the "Intel Network Connection Drivers" on my boot drive. I looked all over for it too. I'm guessing it was set to be a Hidden file, and I never bothered to make Hidden files visible.

2, After getting the driver download file and unzipping it, because of #1, I wasn't sure where to put it. But since "Intel Network Connection Drivers" was listed as a program file in Settngs/Apps I put it in a new directory under Program Files. I thought it was odd that Settngs/Apps listed it, but did not show a size for it.

3. Installing the new driver was tricky - I had to do it by going through the manual "I have a local driver file" and pointing it at the new directory from #2. When I did this it listed only one INF file, but appeared to be happy with it. I rebooted just fine after installing the new driver and it worked OK.

4. At that point i went back and deleted "Intel Network Connection Drivers". I still have no idea where it got deleted from, but it is definitely gone. I should have looked in the C: Recycle bin, but at 1 AM i just didn't think to do that.

This whole process started when I used the Uninstall Manager piece of the Glary Utilities app. I've been experimenting with Glary for a little while and it seems to be quite effective. The Uninstall Manager piece shows all installed programs/apps sorted by decreasing size, and "Intel Network Connection Drivers" was right at the top. That's what got me interested in this whole process. At any rate, it's gone now and I did get a bunch of free space back.

Thanks to glasskuter for the link to RAPR - I've seen mention of that before but never tried it. That might be an easier way of dealing with issues like this one.
Click to expand...
Intel graphic drivers weigh in around 1.9GB each on my pc. With RAPR, I delete old versions to minimise storage. Most other old drivers are a tiny fraction of the Intel Graphics Driver.

I usually download the drivers direct from Intel and store the integrated installer on an external drive just in case, I ever need to revert.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
OS
Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS Zenbook 14
CPU
I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
Motherboard
Yep, Laptop has one.
Memory
16 GB soldered
Graphics Card(s)
Integrated Intel Iris XE
Sound Card
Realtek built in
Monitor(s) Displays
laptop OLED screen
Screen Resolution
2880x1800 touchscreen
Hard Drives
1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
PSU
Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
Case
Yep, got one
Cooling
Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
Keyboard
Built in UK keybd
Mouse
Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
Internet Speed
900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Defender
Other Info
TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

Macrium Reflect Home V8
Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Support Threads

Latest Tutorials

Back
Top Bottom