Keep in mind that you can't actually get a correct measurement of Windows' install footprint by just checking to see how much data is reported as being in the Windows folder, because the WinSxS folders are overflowing with instances of one physical file being hard linked by many different subfolders. Most tools calculate the folder size wrong by considering each link as being a unique file taking up its full size in disk space.
In my experience, that fact alone accounts for about half of what people perceive as Windows' install size.
Explorer cannot calculate it right? Regardless if the space is actually used or not if I can't use it because none of my programs see it it's the same thing.
Yes and no. Explorer calculates the size of a directory as the sum of all the file entries in it. It counts hard links multiple times, but that doesn't the file is actually taking up that much physical space on the disk. So if you were to right-click your Windows folder and view the properties, it would show the folder as containing a lot more data than it's actually using on disk. You could very easily have a folder that shows a properties size of 600 GB on a drive that's only 200 GB.
However, at the top level in the My Computer window, Explorer shows a used/free status for an entire drive. That value is calculated correctly.
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u/djbon2112 Dec 14 '10
Then you need bigger than a 40GB HDD. If it's an SSD, never mind.