What is WINSXS for?

[mm]

I found a WINSXS folder in my winxp home Windows folder. It has lots
of subfolders though they are not very big.

Everything I've found so far ties winsxs to Vista, but this isn't
Vista.

The latest folder has 3 .dll's is from 3 days ago, and before that
there are about 30 from 5 scattered dates in 2009. They all have
various numbers of .dll's in them.

What is this for?

Should I/can I delete all this stuff?

If I delete too much of it, will the system recreate the essential
parts?

Can I at least delete it from the clone I want to make for the new
computer?

[mm]

I found some more links that explain it, so still interested but I
guess I can't delete it.



On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:25:05 -0400, mm <NOPSAMmm2005@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

>I found a WINSXS folder in my winxp home Windows folder. It has lots
>of subfolders though they are not very big.
>
>Everything I've found so far ties winsxs to Vista, but this isn't
>Vista.
>
>The latest folder has 3 .dll's is from 3 days ago, and before that
>there are about 30 from 5 scattered dates in 2009. They all have
>various numbers of .dll's in them.
>
>What is this for?
>
>Should I/can I delete all this stuff?
>
>If I delete too much of it, will the system recreate the essential
>parts?
>
>Can I at least delete it from the clone I want to make for the new
>computer?
>
>

[daave]

mm wrote:
> I found a WINSXS folder in my winxp home Windows folder. It has lots
> of subfolders though they are not very big.
>
> Everything I've found so far ties winsxs to Vista, but this isn't
> Vista.
>
> The latest folder has 3 .dll's is from 3 days ago, and before that
> there are about 30 from 5 scattered dates in 2009. They all have
> various numbers of .dll's in them.
>
> What is this for?
>
> Should I/can I delete all this stuff?
>
> If I delete too much of it, will the system recreate the essential
> parts?
>
> Can I at least delete it from the clone I want to make for the new
> computer?

See:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sour ... =&gs_rfai=

I don't think you should delete this!

[mm]

On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:55:48 -0400, "Daave" <daave@example.com> wrote:

>mm wrote:
>> I found a WINSXS folder in my winxp home Windows folder. It has lots
>> of subfolders though they are not very big.
>>
>> Everything I've found so far ties winsxs to Vista, but this isn't
>> Vista.
>>
>> The latest folder has 3 .dll's is from 3 days ago, and before that
>> there are about 30 from 5 scattered dates in 2009. They all have
>> various numbers of .dll's in them.
>>
>> What is this for?
>>
>> Should I/can I delete all this stuff?
>>
>> If I delete too much of it, will the system recreate the essential
>> parts?
>>
>> Can I at least delete it from the clone I want to make for the new
>> computer?
>
>See:
>
>http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sour ... =&gs_rfai=
>
>I don't think you should delete this!

Okay. I am chastened.

Thanks.
>

[tester]

Let me give you one trick you should always try:

1) If you want to delete any folders from your system, then the best
thing to do isto follow a two way process:
a) First always rename those folders to something else: e.g. WINSXS
BECOMES WINSXS_OLD;

b) Keep those folders renamed for about a week to see if you experience
any problems with the system

c) After about one week, if you saw no adverse effect to the system then
you know that those folders are completely useless and can safely be
deleted.

As far as I know, WINSXS plays no part in modern computers and operating
systems unless you have computers of pentium 4 or before. I don't have
these folders on my system.

Hope this helps.


On 28/08/2010 20:25, mm wrote:
> I found a WINSXS folder in my winxp home Windows folder. It has lots
> of subfolders though they are not very big.
>
> Everything I've found so far ties winsxs to Vista, but this isn't
> Vista.
>
> The latest folder has 3 .dll's is from 3 days ago, and before that
> there are about 30 from 5 scattered dates in 2009. They all have
> various numbers of .dll's in them.
>
> What is this for?
>
> Should I/can I delete all this stuff?
>
> If I delete too much of it, will the system recreate the essential
> parts?
>
> Can I at least delete it from the clone I want to make for the new
> computer?
>
>

[mm]

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:56:11 +0100, Tester <testing@msnews.com> wrote:

>Let me give you one trick you should always try:
>
>1) If you want to delete any folders from your system, then the best
>thing to do isto follow a two way process:
>a) First always rename those folders to something else: e.g. WINSXS
>BECOMES WINSXS_OLD;
>
>b) Keep those folders renamed for about a week to see if you experience
>any problems with the system
>
>c) After about one week, if you saw no adverse effect to the system then
>you know that those folders are completely useless and can safely be
>deleted.
>
>As far as I know, WINSXS plays no part in modern computers and operating
>systems unless you have computers of pentium 4 or before. I don't have
>these folders on my system.
>
>Hope this helps.

Yes, good ideas. Thanks.
>
>
>On 28/08/2010 20:25, mm wrote:
>> I found a WINSXS folder in my winxp home Windows folder. It has lots
>> of subfolders though they are not very big.
>>
>> Everything I've found so far ties winsxs to Vista, but this isn't
>> Vista.
>>
>> The latest folder has 3 .dll's is from 3 days ago, and before that
>> there are about 30 from 5 scattered dates in 2009. They all have
>> various numbers of .dll's in them.
>>
>> What is this for?
>>
>> Should I/can I delete all this stuff?
>>
>> If I delete too much of it, will the system recreate the essential
>> parts?
>>
>> Can I at least delete it from the clone I want to make for the new
>> computer?
>>
>>

[bill in co]

mm wrote:
> I found a WINSXS folder in my winxp home Windows folder. It has lots
> of subfolders though they are not very big.

Same here.

> Everything I've found so far ties winsxs to Vista, but this isn't
> Vista.

Right - again, same here (I'm on XP Home).

> The latest folder has 3 .dll's is from 3 days ago, and before that
> there are about 30 from 5 scattered dates in 2009. They all have
> various numbers of .dll's in them.
>
> What is this for?

It contains the SideBySide DLL-related assemblies we've been talking about
in another thread (or at least I was, at one point). You can Google for
what "SideBySide" is all about, and how it helps to prevent DLL hell.

> Should I/can I delete all this stuff?

I sure wouldn't!

> If I delete too much of it, will the system recreate the essential
> parts?

I doubt it.
I believe it is installed when a Visual C++ redistributable exe is installed
(which is needed by some certain applications, and is installed at that
time). And when you install some specific applications, they may add some
stuff to it.

> Can I at least delete it from the clone I want to make for the new
> computer?

I'd suggest you leave it in.