C:\windows installer disk space reducing

[hindustnidude]

I am running Windows XP with Service Pack 3 on my pc and have installed only few programs therefore in the program files the space used is only 5gb but in my C:\WINDOWS\Installer folder it is above 20gb? So can anyone tell me how to reduce C:\windows installer disk space? Thank you

[JAMES_911]

There is a program to directly remove all the unwanted space in Windows Installer folder:
Download Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

• Select one or more programs that were installed by Windows Installer from the Windows Installer CleanUp dialog box.

To do this, select the programs that you want in the Installed Products list in the Windows Installer CleanUp dialog box. After you make this selection, the utility removes only Windows Installer configuration information that is related to those programs.

• Remove all Windows Installer information associated with the selected programs. This includes the entries for the programs in the Add Or Remove Programs item in Control Panel. Be aware that only the Installer information for that particular program is removed, not the files.

More information here.

[EINSTEIN_007]

You can add space to your disk or partition by using the command linkd (Windows Resource Kit) :
C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools>linkd

Links an NTFS directory to a target valid object name in Windows 2000.

LINKD Source [/D] Destination

Source - Displays the Windows 2000 name targeted by Source

Source Destination - Links source directory to Destination directory or a
Windows 2000 device or any valid Windows 2000 name

Source /D - Deletes Source, regardless of whether a link exists at
source

/? - Prints this help message


LINKD grafts (links) the target name directly into the name space at Source, so that Source subsequently acts as a name space junction. The Source directory must reside on a disk formatted with NTFS in Windows 2000. The destination (the target of the link) can be any valid directory name or device name or valid object name in Windows 2000. When the target name does not resolve to a directory or a device, open calls fail.

Source: social.msdn.microsoft.com

[nitesh mehta]

Try this free software which is called Sequoia View an which will also give you every information about the hard drive that you select. It will show files by colors and by size of blocks indicating the size of the file compared to the total drive.