Solved WinSxS 'Size' and 'Size on disk' large disparity


wiganken

wiganken

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On my new GMKtec device running Win 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.7171

I was checking the size of the WinSxS folder as I have done many times and I usually see the two 'sizes' close together in size. Maybe only 0.1 or 0.2 GB difference.
First time I have seen such a large 5.58 GB disparity. Is it a 'normal' size difference? Has anyone else seen this behaviour?
I wondered if Windows was mis-reporting the sizes so I tried a second time and got the same result.

WinSxS Size disparity.webp
 

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    ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED 14" Laptop - UX3405CA-QL192W
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    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
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    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
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    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
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    1920 x 1200 (16:10 WUXGA resolution) OLED Touchscreen
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    1TB SSD
That's perfectly normal for WinSxS. It uses links when some files in a set have been updated, and some haven't, and it keeps older versions for some time. So, as size counts every file by name, and size on disk does exactly what it says you get this discrepancy.
 

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@Skeptic Mike - Thanks. So it is the 'Size on disk' that is the actual storage taken up?
I can ignore the 'Size' figure?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    GMKtec K11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
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    Benq 2250HM
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    1920 x 1080
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    1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
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    Windows 11 Home
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    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED 14" Laptop - UX3405CA-QL192W
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    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 (16:10 WUXGA resolution) OLED Touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD
wiganken said:
On my new GMKtec device running Win 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.7171

I was checking the size of the WinSxS folder as I have done many times and I usually see the two 'sizes' close together in size. Maybe only 0.1 or 0.2 GB difference.
First time I have seen such a large 5.58 GB disparity. Is it a 'normal' size difference? Has anyone else seen this behaviour?
I wondered if Windows was mis-reporting the sizes so I tried a second time and got the same result.

View attachment 154768
Click to expand...
Whenever you update Windows, you can run the command below, which is a Windows XSS cleaner.

dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase
 

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    Windows 11 Iot Enterprise 21h2 22000.3260
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    rampage iv extreme
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maur0 said:
dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase
Click to expand...
Thank you but I am aware of that and other DISM commands. My query was only about the difference in the two 'Size' figures.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    GMKtec K11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 2250HM
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED 14" Laptop - UX3405CA-QL192W
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 (16:10 WUXGA resolution) OLED Touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD
wiganken said:
Thank you but I am aware of that and other DISM commands. My query was only about the difference in the two 'Size' figures.
Click to expand...



If you run that command in post #4, the sizes will be almost exactly the same.
For example...

Image1.webp


I run that same command about twice a year.
I like to think of it as... dusting. :-)
 

My Computers

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8457 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
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    PC/Desktop
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    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
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    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
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    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
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    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
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    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
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    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
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    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
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    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
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    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
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    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
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    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
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    Onboard
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    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
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    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
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    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
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    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
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    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
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    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
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    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
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    300/300
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    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
  • Like
Reactions: OAT
This is mine, I've not done a /resetbase
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot 2025-11-29 154710.webp
    Screenshot 2025-11-29 154710.webp
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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (RP channel)
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wiganken said:
I was checking the size of the WinSxS folder
Click to expand...

WinSxS contains a lot of hard links [sort-of-redirection-points].
The size of their target files is counted in the size of the WinSxS folder but that size is not real and the size on disk reading does not count their size.
There's some degree of explanation in Determine the actual size of the WinSxS folder - MSLearn

I hardly ever clean out my Component store so I also see an apparently large size difference.

WinSxS sizes.webp
If I cleaned it up, I'd expect the difference to be less.
Analyze and Clean Up Component Store (WinSxS folder) - ElevenForumTutorials


Denis
 
Last edited:

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200.8037
Try3 said:
I hardly ever clean out my Component store
Click to expand...
Yes, I am also going to stop doing it unless I find it neccessary. I find it can corrupt the Component Store: -
  1. I ran sfc /scannow followed by DISM...Scanhealth and everything was fine but, because WinSxS was very large I restarted my Dell device.
  2. Ater a restart I ran the DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup command, which completed successfully.
  3. I restarted my Dell and then ran DISM...Scanhealth again and it resulted in 'The component store is repairable'.
  4. I had to run dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth to fix it again.
I'll just accept WinSxS size whatever it is in future. As long as everything is okay I'll leave it alone. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Lesson learned.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
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    GMKtec K11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 2250HM
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED 14" Laptop - UX3405CA-QL192W
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 (16:10 WUXGA resolution) OLED Touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD
wiganken said:
and it resulted in 'The component store is repairable'.
Click to expand...


Unless, you get radical, it will always say: repairable.
There will be two reclaimable packages. Those I leave alone.
This command will "analyze" the component store... Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore

Like this...

Image1.webp



This command: Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase

Will remove all the extraneous packages EXCEPT those last two.
That command will NOT corrupt your WinSxS folder. :-)
 

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8457 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
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    PC/Desktop
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    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
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    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
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    300/300
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    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
I do not know if it is safe, but I thought I saw a batch file on these forums that removed all the empty folders from the WinSxS hierarchy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (26200.8457)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Pre-built
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
    Motherboard
    MSI Pro B650-VC WiFi
    Memory
    32gb Team Group (T-Force) DDR5-6000
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    Zotac nVidia GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER - 12gb
    Sound Card
    Sound BlasterX G6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Koorui G2421V and ViewSonic VX2453
    Screen Resolution
    P:2560x1440 S:1920x1080
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    WD Blue SN5000 - 500gb NVME
    WD Blue SN580 - 2TB NVME
    Seagate 4TB HDD - ST4000VN008-2DR166
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    Mountain Everest
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    Logitech G502 Hero
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    Elgato Streamdeck
Taliseian said:
I do not know if it is safe, but I thought I saw a batch file on these forums that removed all the empty folders from the WinSxS hierarchy.
Click to expand...


For some, it worked fine. For others, it broke Windows Update.

If you want to remove ALL the reclaimable packages, here's how to do it.
I don't recommend it. I tried it, and it broke my Windows Update. :(

24H2 - how to remove the two (un)reclaimable that always show in DISM

In 24H2 the command Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore always shows that there are 2 reclaimable packages, and that a cleanup is recommended. But they remain there after the cleanup command Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup They are even present in a clean...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com

In that topic, I did it in post #2.



I'm not sure if anyone actually wrote a batch file for this, but there are many on here that could.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8457 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
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