Removing Windows 8 Bloat

Overheal

For this topic I'm preferring to lean on more technically-minded people than myself. Truthfully I spend very little time playing with registry values and drivers and dynamic libraries that I just don't know enough to comfortably go around deleting entire swaths of data without a bit of research.

Basically, all my machines run Windows 8, and they all run SSDs ranging from 64GB to 256GB. As one might imagine, the OS is a little cramped on some of these machines, and can be stand to be chopped down a peg or two. I'd like to know the best ways how. It looks like the System 32 folder obviously has the crown for the most space accumulation but I don't know what if anything is safe to delete. Obviously on a Surface RT/Pro I get the sense that half of the baked-in drivers are completely unnecessary.

Torqay

1. Get WindReducer and tweak the sh*t out of your installation medium, get rid of anything you don't need (drivers, speech and language packs, etc) and install a lean and clean OS from scratch. Don't even bother with manual removal or "decrapifying".

2. Regularly clean up the WinSXS folder (should become obsolete with 8.1)

Overheal

Well that certainly won't work for the RT and I have to figure out what my license is on the surface pro.

Torqay

Overheal wrote: »

Well that certainly won't work for the RT

No, but you were asking about Windows 8.

Overheal wrote: »

I have to figure out what my license is on the surface pro.

How to backup and restore Windows 8 activation.

Fysh

Take a drive image before taking an axe to WinSxS, it'll save you time and tedium if you fumble some of the cleanup/purging work.

Personally, I view the solution to the problem of Win8 being cramped on a 64GB SSD to be "buy a new >=128GB SSD and use that instead". I've no idea why MS bothered to offer devices with that kind of storage, or why anyone would inflict it on themselves....

Torqay

Fysh wrote: »

why anyone would inflict it on themselves....

Ah now, I once had Windows 7 installed on my wee Eee PC 701... and it only has a 3.71 GB SSD. No paging and hibernation, leaving appr 1.2 GB for additional software (SD card for storage).

I'm pretty sure, Windows 8 can be stripped in a similar fashion.

Overheal

It's baked into the Surface Pro, and I really don't like the idea of swapping out the drive in it. Plus its under a 2yr ADH plan

Fysh

Torqay wrote: »

Ah now, I once had Windows 7 installed on my wee Eee PC 701... and it only has a 3.71 GB SSD. No paging and hibernation, leaving appr 1.2 GB for additional software (SD card for storage).

I'm pretty sure, Windows 8 can be stripped in a similar fashion.

Yes, it very probably can be, but beyond the technical challenge I just don't see the point, myself - because getting a larger SSD will have more benefits than cutting down the OS size. (Though in the case of the EEE where one of the hardware models made it all-but-impossible to replace the SSD without taking a soldering iron to the motherboard, I can understand the appeal...)

Overheal wrote: »

It's baked into the Surface Pro, and I really don't like the idea of swapping out the drive in it. Plus its under a 2yr ADH plan

The lion's share of blame for this goes to MS for offering the Surface Pro with such a piddly SSD, but there's still some left over for anyone who actually buys a Pro with said piddly SSD. Especially someone who should know better. I know, I know, that's not really helping....nonetheless, this is a lesson hard-learned over time; always front-load your expenditure on storage if you can't upgrade later, it saves on ballache down the line.

Overheal

Hey! The employee accomodation was only for the 64GB model, and to be fair, that accomodation was 50% off the Employee Purchase Price (which was only about 4-5% less anyway). Plus, I purchased it on a tax-free holiday, so I got the unit for about $450 with protection and everything. I am not complaining :pac: Just if I can salvage some space sure why not

Torqay

Overheal wrote: »

Just if I can salvage some space sure why not

Even if you strip a Windows 7 DVD only moderately (without the risk of "breaking" it's functionality) the initial installation size can easily be reduced by ~3 GB. The same should go for Windows 8.

In Windows 7, I have also done away with WinSXS and SoftwareDistribution, reducing the installation size to appr 1.3 GB (ex pagefile and hiberfil), but this I would not recommend as "good practice" for everyone because the OS is no longer "updateable". Mind you, the heavens did not fall, the laptop did not go up in smoke and everything was working fine.

I'm also a fan of "portable" software, and by this I mean truly "stealthy", virtualised with VMWare ThinApp. Another way to keep a Windows OS lean and clean.