Windows Cleanup

A single-file PowerShell tool that reclaims disk space on Windows. Its core removes orphaned .msi/.msp packages from C:\Windows\Installer, and it also runs a few standard cleanup tasks (WinSxS, Windows Update cache, temp folders, Delivery Optimization).

Inspired by the excellent free utility PatchCleaner by HomeDev. This is an independent PowerShell implementation of the same publicly documented idea, run in aggressive mode: it applies no exclude filters, so Adobe/Acrobat orphans are removed too.

This script can free up 60+ GB in the worst-case scenario.

⚠️ Deletion under C:\Windows\Installer is irreversible. Always run with $DryRun = $true first and review the output.

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What it does

C:\Windows\Installer caches the .msi/.msp packages Windows Installer needs to repair, modify or uninstall software. Over time it accumulates packages that no installed product references any more (orphans), which can grow to many GB. This script finds and deletes those orphans, then runs additional cleanup tasks.

Step	What it cleans	How
Installer store	Orphaned .msi/.msp in C:\Windows\Installer	see below
WinSxS	Component store / superseded updates	DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup [/ResetBase]
Windows Update cache	C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download	stops wuauserv+bits, clears, restarts
Temp	%TEMP% and C:\Windows\Temp	deletes contents (in-use items are skipped)
Delivery Optimization	DO download cache	Delete-DeliveryOptimizationCache

Each run prints initial/final free space and a per-step summary.

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How the installer-store cleanup works

The technique for safely removing unused packages from the Windows Installer folder is well documented (see, e.g., raymond.cc). This script implements it as follows:

1. List candidates — enumerate C:\Windows\Installer\*.msp and *.msi (non-recursive, hidden files included).

2. Determine what's in use — query installed products and their applied patches through the Windows Installer automation interface:

   • WindowsInstaller.Installer.Products → ProductInfo(code, "LocalPackage")
   • Installer.Patches(product) → PatchInfo(code, "LocalPackage")

   This enumeration is run through a small helper VBScript executed with cscript, which writes the referenced package paths to text files that the script reads back. The script keeps the file names of all in-use packages.

   Why VBScript instead of in-process COM? Enumerating Installer.Products directly from PowerShell is unreliable (it can return zero products depending on host/bitness). Driving it through cscript is consistent and robust.

3. Find orphans — a store file is an orphan when its file name is referenced by no in-use package. Matching is by file name, case-insensitive — all packages live in the same folder, so the name is unique, and this avoids path-format pitfalls (8.3/long/case).

4. Delete — clears ReadOnly/Hidden attributes and, on an access-denied error, takes ownership (takeown) and grants Everyone:F (icacls) before retrying the delete.

Safety behavior

• If the in-use set cannot be determined (broken VBScript engine, no output), the step aborts and deletes nothing. There is no fall-back to registry guessing, which would either keep far too much or, if empty, risk deleting everything.
• Per-product MSI quirks (e.g. error 80004005 on ProductInfo for a package whose attributes aren't readable) are tolerated: that product is skipped and the rest proceed.

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Adobe / exclude filters

Stock PatchCleaner ships with an "Acrobat" exclude filter and therefore keeps Adobe orphans. This script applies no exclude filters, so Adobe/Acrobat packages are deleted like any other orphan. If you want to protect a vendor, you can filter orphans by MSI metadata (Author/Title/Subject/digital-signature OU) before deletion.

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Requirements

• Windows with Windows PowerShell 5.1
• Administrator rights (the script auto-elevates)
• cscript.exe (always present on Windows)

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Usage

1. Dry run first — edit the script and set:

   $DryRun = $true

   Run it and review Required files and ORPHANED files to delete (count + size).

2. Live run — set $DryRun = $false and run:

   powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Clean-System.ps1

   (or right-click → Run with PowerShell; it will prompt for elevation).

Configuration flags (top of the script)

$DryRun                    = $false  # simulate only, delete nothing
$CleanWinSxS               = $true   # DISM component store cleanup
$WinSxSResetBase           = $true   # add /ResetBase (auto-retries without it on failure)
$CleanWindowsUpdateCache   = $true   # clear SoftwareDistribution\Download
$CleanTempFiles            = $true   # clear %TEMP% and C:\Windows\Temp
$CleanDeliveryOptimization = $true   # clear Delivery Optimization cache

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Notes & caveats

• Irreversible: deleted .msi/.msp files are gone. Future repair, modify or uninstall of an affected product may then ask for the original media. This is inherent to removing installer-cache orphans.
• DISM /ResetBase can fail with exit code 1168 ("Element not found") on some systems; the script automatically retries plain StartComponentCleanup. Set $WinSxSResetBase = $false to skip it entirely.

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Credits & disclaimer

Inspired by PatchCleaner (HomeDev) — a great, free tool; go support it. This project is an independent implementation and is not affiliated with or endorsed by HomeDev.

Provided as-is, without warranty. You are responsible for what you delete on your own system. Test with $DryRun = $true before any live run.

License

GPL v3