C:\Windows\winsxs\ ???

[ChrisGreaves]

... and while we're at it:
64-bit Windows 7 Home premium,

Please and Thank You: C:\Windows\winsxs\ Who invited it to the party, and why?
I have scads of space and am not inclined to delete it, but it came to my attention during an analysis-only look at fragmentation using Ye Olde Defraggler.

winsxs.png

[HansV]

The WinSxS folder is the "real" location of the operating system. It contains all versions of all components of the OS, making it possible for programs that expect different versions of these components to work correctly (SxS stands for Side by Side).
Some articles that you may find useful:

What is the WINSXS directory in Windows 2008 and Windows Vista and why is it so large? - applies to Windows 7 too.
Should you delete files in the \WinSXS directory? (the answer is NO).

[ChrisGreaves]

The WinSxS folder is the "real" location of the operating system.

Thanks Hans, and yes, I *was* tempted to delete it, just for about two seconds, then I remembered that the days of the 8MB disk drives are long gone ....