Put your Win-11 HDD on a diet! Remove the fat!

TM21 · Aug 28, 2023

Earlier this year, I wrote a little program in DOS Batch language, to remove the junk files off of my HD (SSD).
But till today I didn't really attack the BLOAT of useless apps included in Win-11 by Microsoft. The subject came up in another thread, where it was suggested to use Revo Uninstaller to get rid of the unwanted apps.
So I decided to give it a try. WOW, I didn't realize just how much bloat is included in Windows 11.

The only reference point I had available was my Cleanup batch file that I ran on Cinco de Mayo. The number of files on my SSD (C: drive) that day was 1,773,181.
Today after I cleaned out a bunch of unwanted apps, I ran the file count again and it was down to just 505,674. Bottom line, I had removed 1,267,507 files.
That takes a huge load off of my SSD and my file control system.
My PC may even boot up faster, and scans and backups will be faster.

Cheers Mates! Happy Computing!
TM

ZERO269 · Aug 29, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
The subject came up in another thread, where it was suggested to use Revo Uninstaller to get rid of the unwanted apps.

I've heard of the program but never used it. I deploy my own Windows systems using MDT/WDS so I cleanup my images beforehand... a lot easier now using the OSDBuilder PowerShell Module.

After reading your remarks, it seemed like something worth taking a look it. I was pleased to find they offered a portable version (free) and tested it out to see if I bloated my system over the last year.

The only thing that caught my eye was that Microsoft Pay package. I was familiar with the term Wallet because it's in my list of Packages for removal for my offline updates and custom builds. According to this guy here, Pay is the new Wallet. Ironically he recommended "the free version of Revo Uninstaller".

I like how there were no ads or hurdles to use the free version. Although I can't say for sure that I would ever buy it, I would likely recommend it to others less tech savy once I become more familiar with it.

One nice feature is how you can right-click on any program and get the Install Location and Registry Key for the program. That's very useful! :thumbsup:

This is what it provided regarding MS Pay:

Install Location:	C:\PROGRAM FILES\WINDOWSAPPS\MICROSOFT.WALLET_2.4.18324.0_X64__8WEKYB3D8BBWE
Registry Key:	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\Repository\Packages\Microsoft.Wallet_2.4.18324.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\UserData\UninstallTimes
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\PackageRepository\Packages\Microsoft.Wallet_2.4.18324.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\PackageRepository\Packages\Microsoft.Wallet_2.4.18324.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe

Ghot · Aug 29, 2023

@ZERO269

In REVO's Options... you can set it to check mark ALL the boxes for any leftovers that it finds.

I've been using REVO for over 15 years... I've never seen it make any mistakes, when scanning for leftovers.
Occasionally, I've seen the scan for leftovers miss one or two items, but it's never removed things that caused problems.

IanMosley · Aug 29, 2023

Ghot said:
In REVO's Options... you can set it to check mark ALL the boxes for any leftovers that it finds.

@ZERO269
. . . . or if you use the full version

TM21 · Aug 30, 2023

Even though Revo is my GO TO program for getting rid of unwanted software (and apps), I still run a Registry Cleaner (Windows Utilities) anyway for a general cleanup. If Revo misses something, WinUtils will find and remove it.*

I was given a sample of WinUtils years ago, and I liked the simplicity and thoroughness of the program, so much, I bought a Lifetime key.
And I'm not known for Buying software of any kind. It does give me periodic updates.

* When it comes to the registry, MS Windows is a very poor housekeeper. Hardly a day goes by that it doesn't leave a dead entry in the System Registry. If not removed, dead entries will, in time, cause severe Bloat in the Registry.

Years ago, after doing an UN-Install of Office 2007, I ran a trusted registry cleaner and it got rid of 30 MB of left over junk. That was 1/3 the size of the registry.

You can't really have a clean computer if you don't have a clean registry.

Cheers Mate,
TM

rezpower · Aug 30, 2023

it would be nice if you guys shared the programs you uninstalled. Firstly to know which ones are safe to remove without braking something and also to have an idea what others remove.

TM21 · Aug 30, 2023

It's a personal choice! Keep what you want to use, and remove the rest.
I can't imagine that there is any set number of apps to delete. Out of all the apps that MS loads into Windows, I only keep three, and delete the rest.
So open the apps folder, and look them over, and then decide what you want to keep.
I don't see how that can be confusing. ???

TM

flashh4 · Aug 30, 2023

If i or any of my thousands of clients want a clean registry i have them run a program designed by us Malware Removal Specialist ! It's called FARBAR (frst) ! And you better know what you are doing with it or you can mess up a computer ! It is used by all the Malware Removal forums ! I do not need a program by anyone who is not trained in Malware removal !! If all i wanted to remove is a installed program i'd use Revo as many have mentioned !

Ghot · Aug 30, 2023

flashh4 said:
It's called FABAR (frst) !

Isn't FABAR an elephant?

Just kidding, ofc.

TraderGary · Aug 30, 2023

I like to do a clean install several times a year. That way I know that I'm starting with an absolutely clean malware free system with a fresh new unadulterated registry.

f14tomcat · Aug 30, 2023

flashh4 said:
If i or any of my thousands of clients want a clean registry i have them run a program designed by us Malware Removal Specialist ! It's called FABAR (frst) ! And you better know what you are doing with it or you can mess up a computer ! It is used by all the Malware Removal forums ! I do not need a program by anyone who is not trained in Malware removal !! If all i wanted to remove is a installed program i'd use Revo as many have mentioned !

Do you mean FARBAR?

Wisewiz · Aug 30, 2023

rezpower said:
it would be nice if you guys shared the programs you uninstalled. Firstly to know which ones are safe to remove without braking something and also to have an idea what others remove.

Here's the lot of MS pre-installs REVO can find on my boxes today. Everything else is history, as of months and years ago. I haven't ~~braked~~ broken anything at all by removing all that other trash.

flashh4 · Aug 30, 2023

@f14tomcat , thanks for catching that ! Appreciated ! @Ghot ....... you could be right, haven't watched cartoons or read books in ages !

Ghot · Aug 30, 2023

f14tomcat said:
Do you mean FARBAR?

No.

Babar the Elephant - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

TM21 · Sep 1, 2023

FARBAR sounds like it could actually be FUBAR!

Put your Win-11 HDD on a diet! Remove the fat!

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