What the ATI folder on the disk with. What is in the system folder "FileRepository" and how to clean it. Video - How to fully delete AMD Radeon drivers

Sometimes it is required to reinstall the video driver for various reasons. First of all, this is due to the normal desire to get better performance from the video card used.

Despite the fact that it will be on the example of AMD Catalyst (for ATI Radeon video cards), the actions algorithm is also fair for NVIDIA.

The entire process of reinstallation consists of 3 stages: Deleting an outdated video driver, downloading new from the manufacturer's official website, installing a new driver.

• Remove the old video driver. You can not install a new driver on top of the old one. First you need to remove the old one. To do this, we go to "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Programs and Components" and We are looking for AMD Catalyst Install Manager there.

Programs and Components: Find AMD Catalyst Install Manager

We highlight the mouse and click two times on this line. InstallShield Wizard will open, click "Next" and select "Quickly delete all components of AMD software". We delete.

But that's not all. After that, go to the "C" disk in Program Files and in Program Files (x86) and delete all the folders with the name "AMD" and "ATI Technologies". If the same folders are in the root of the disk "C", they also delete them. After that, in the "Start" - the search string is scored % APPDATA% And in the thumbnail window, we delete, if there is, the ATI folder.

After that, if desired, run CCleaner, go to the "Registry" tab and click "Search for Problems" and Fix "Fix". Also in the "Clearing" tab, press "Analyze" and click the "Run Cleaner" after checking.

Despite the fact that the removal of the video driver seems difficult, in fact, it is all easily and ranks for 3-5 minutes. After deleting the driver, you need to restart.

Attention. Delete the AMD Catalyst video driver is needed through the staff of Windows "Programs and Components", because, oddly enough, the excellent Revo Uninstaller program simply does not see AMD Catalyst Install Manager.

• The next step will be downloading the desired version of the video driver from the official site.

We go to the site aMD.com.We are looking for "Drivers and Support" and download the desired (as a rule, the newest) video driver for the topical version of Windows.

Attention. Always download drivers from the official sites of manufacturers and developers, otherwise you risk risks to viruses and other rubbish.

• Now install. Run the downloaded driver file from the hard disk. The file is unpackled in a temporary folder where you will specify (then you can delete it) and the installation will automatically start. At the very beginning, it will be proposed for choosing an automatic installation and manually.

In manual installation, you can select individual modules (for advanced users). If you do not understand anything, then put a quick installation.

Attention. Do not turn off the computer during the installation of the video driver. Installing AMD Catalyst may take 10 minutes or more; You should wait. After installing the computer, you will need to restart.

After installing and rebooting the driver is ready for operation. If desired, it can be configured for its needs. If necessary, all the factory settings can be returned, going to the AMD Catalyst Control Center interface (located in the tray) and selecting Factory Parameters in "parameters".

. How to configure, create, choose.

Hi friends. Users exploring a system disk with for searching for free options on it, sometimes encounter inflated "FileRepository" folder. Which is in this folder, it is possible to get rid of its contents, and if so, how to do it - about all this further.

"FileRepository": what the folder is

FILEREPOSITORY folder is a systemic windows folder, it is on the way:

C: \\ Windows \\ System32 \\ DriverStore \\ FileRepository

To see its contents, in the explorer or the command "Run" command (Win + R keys) fit it:

% Windir% \\ System32 \\ DriverStore \\ FileRepository

The "FileRepository" folder stores drivers that ever automatically or manually installed in wednesday Windows. Or updated. This is the driver installation file storage. This folder is not self-cleaning, its contents are not included in the list of the regions of the Utility "Disk Cleaning" (Cleanmgr.exe). This folder is also the tenth road bypass various types of cleaners optimizers. What is so valuable in this folder, if critical for work Windows drivers Are there in the distribution system itself, and those separate that we are manually installed, we usually know where they take them from?

Installers of all ever installed drivers are stored to provide existence different versions These drivers. So in the system, it is thought out in order to implement the possibility of kickbacking drivers to their previous versions and, if necessary, return back to the versions of the current. We all know well this functionality in Windows Device Manager.

Whether we used to install the drivers installers downloaded from the Internet, whether we worked with official DVDs, or even if we resorted to the services of managers automatic installation Drivers, their installers are always copied to the "FileRepository" system folder. And continue to exist there until possible demand. But, friends, possible demand. If we are gently and knowingly handle the operating system if microsoft. I will not "please" with any curve update, if manufacturers of component computers will not throw us some flawed alpha, the contents of the folder "FileRepository" may never be involved. And, accordingly, to fool the drive of C.

So, for example, in my case, the folder "FileRepository" weighs 2.8 GB. For a 120 GB SSD disk, which takes place in this case, this is a small loss of space. But for SSD to 60 GB, crashed, except the system, installation files third-party programsEven a busy volume of 2.8 GB could be an incomplete luxury. There are cases when this folder has grown to incredible volumes - up to 17 GB. What if "FileRepository" is really a lot of space? Is it possible to remove its content without negative consequences for Windows?

Is it safe to delete files from the "FileRepository" folder?

Critical consequences for Windows operability when deleting the contents of the FileRepository folder should not be. If only we did not delete this folder itself. Yes, and we will not delete the whole folder, nor its separate contents with the usual way - the DEL key or the "Delete" option in the context menu of the conductor. When trying to do this, we will get it from the system to send to receive the rights from "Administrators" (TrustInstaller).

But even if we get these rights or clean the folder to the barbaric way, resorting to LiveDisk help, nothing terrible will occur. The "FileRepository" folder will start self-set and immediately pull out the installers of some running drivers.

What is the worst can happen? If we delete all the contents of the "FileRepository", we will not be able then, if necessary, resort to the system functions of rollback drivers. But will such a need come, who knows him. If and delete the entire contents of the folder, then it is necessary to do it only after any of these measures (to choose):

But it is still better to deal with the driver stored in the folder "FileRepository" and remove only unnecessary. Consider both options.

How to delete the contents of the FILEREPOSITORY folder

To completely delete the contents of the folder "FileRepository", as mentioned in two ways. The first is inside the working Windows. You need to get the right to change system files. How to do it, . And then delete files in the "FileRepository" folder in conventional method via conductor or file manager.

The second way is LiveDisk. In there is a link to the ready-made image of emergency LiveDisk created by aomei programs PE Builder. Download the image, write on the USB flash drive, load from this flash drive. Inside the LiveDisk environment, you start the conductor, delete files from the "FileRepository" folder. Clean the basket. On this principle, we can use any LiveDisk with a file manager on board.

How to remove from the "FileRepository" folder only unnecessary drivers

To delete only individual driver installers resort to the help of a free DRIVERSTOREEXPLORER portable utility. It can be downloaded from here:

https://github.com/lostindark/driverstoreexplorer.

Run the utility on behalf of the administrator. And in its window I will see all that is stored in the "FileRepository" folder, only in a more understandable format, rather than just accumulate folders with data in the conductor window. In the Utilities window, the driver Installers are presented informatively and structured: everything is broken by type of components, information on manufacturers, versions and dates of the driver installation are provided. What can we do here?

We can press the "SELECT OLD DRIVERS" button. It will help us automatically get rid of the old versions of the drivers. This button will display ticks on old drivers, for the devices of which newer drivers are stored in the system. Next, activate the "Force Deletion" option, this is a forced deletion, uninstalling the system locks of the installers of drivers currently operating devices. And then click the "Delete Package" button.

But this is just deleting old versions of drivers. The utility cannot automatically reveal the drivers already missing devices. This can only make us. For example, in my case on the computer was replaced motherboard On another, in which there is no built-in Bluetooth, built-in graphics, it has another USB port manufacturer and network card. And I have no long ago printer Canon. and monitor Dell.And their reassessment is clearly not planned. So I can confidently set the checkboxes of these drivers. Next, I notify "Force Deletion" and click the "Delete Package" button.

Removing video card drivers

Friends, video card driver installation files can be stored not only in the "FileRepository" folder. But they can also litter the C. C. Diver Installers video cards can be searching yet by ways:

C: \\ Nvidia (or C: \\ Nvidia \\ DisplayDriver)

C: \\ ProgramData \\ Nvidia Corporation \\ NetService

C: \\ Program Files \\ Nvidia Corporation \\ Installer2

And another advice seekers for the release options on the disk of C. Installation files of the NVIDIA drivers can cleaned the popularly beloved. A separate stage or within the comprehensive windows cleaning We can switch to the "Applications" tab and select the "Nvidia Install Files" in the collection "Utilities". In my case, the analysis of the NVIDIA installation files only revealed more gigabytes of data. They can be quietly cleaned.

Probably, no one needs to explain to anyone that in the process of working with a computer system section constantly filled with garbage. In the end, the system issues a warning that the C system disk is filled. What can be removed from this section, not all novice users know, and thoughtless intervention can entail such ambitious problems that not only programs, but the operating system will stop working. Next to consideration, a detailed analysis of the components is proposed, from which in the system section you can get rid of completely painless for Windows and custom applied software or data of another type.

What is stored on the disk with?

Let's start with what objects are present in the system section. The main directory here is Windows. It contains the files of the installed operating system. It goes without saying, it is impossible to delete it (actually, and the system itself will not let this do under any circumstances, whether you are at least three times by the administrator).

Two folders, ProgramData and Program Files contain information about installed programs. You can remove components invested in them only if any applications were uninstalled completely. If you get rid of the folders completely, almost all user applications will stop working.

The boot directory (hidden) accommodates the information on the system loading. It is already clear, it is impossible to touch too.

Finally, the USERS folder is responsible for settings and storage of all data registered in the user system. You can produce partial cleaning of this directory. This will stop separately.

And it has not yet been a speech about files backups. So what can be removed from the disk c? Wherever it looks, solid prohibitions. So it seems only at first glance. In fact, in the system section, you can have a lot of things that you can delete, without failure of the consequences.

Clean the C drive: from what to get rid of first?

So, let's start with the simplest. If suddenly the system reports that there is no free space on C, first check the "Basket" status.

If anyone knows, when placing remote objects, they are with hard disk Nothing disappear, but stored in a specially designated area. Cleaning "basket" if it is filled, just free additional space In the system section (if there is a virtual partition, and on it, too, provided that the deletion of files and folders has been produced from it, since such storages in the system as many sections are available).

Cleaning system tools

In the operational themselves windows systems There is a fairly powerful means of removing unnecessary components. Cleaning C CLE can be made by pressing the corresponding button on the shared tab in the properties section of the selected partition.

At first, this tool will check, and then give a list of all those elements from which you can get rid of. Mark all that is, and set the start of the process button to clean system files. There is nothing terrible in this, because the critical components of the operating system itself will not be removed.

Updates

If downloaded update files are present in the list, the C Cleaning C cannot be performed with an indication and delete them, since loaded updates after their integration to the system usually do not go anywhere. It is manually to get rid of them - the case is quite troublesome.

System temporary files

Now another moment associated with Windows settings. We assume that it still needs to be released on the disk C. What to delete? It's time to get rid of the so-called temporary files that are stored in the TEMP folders, since the built-in system tool does not delete them.

To do not look for long catalogs for a long time, set the search by the% Temp% criterion. Percentage characters are used only because folders can be hidden and inaccessible for viewing in normal mode. After they are found, completely clean their contents.

Custom documents

Now in the question of what can be removed from the C disk, consider one of the most important points. The "My Documents" folder is also in the system section, and about what was saved there, many users completely forget. Some default programs can save, say, pictures, music or videos in the relevant directory directory directories.

Check the contents of each attached folder and, if necessary, get rid of unnecessary files (Images, music and video can take quite a lot of space). Do not forget about the download directory. By default, that the system is that the same torrent clients produce the downloadable content to exactly there. Thus, you will free the place in the system section, especially if you consider that after installing programs, many installation distributions are clearly unnecessary. If they are still needed for the future, move them to a logical section or for removable media.

Rarely used programs

What can be deleted from the C disc yet? Programs that you use rarely or do not apply them in everyday work at all. In addition, some applications have the property to be installed in the system without the knowledge of the user and litter disk space.

To start, go to the program section and components and see what is in the list. Do not rush to delete unnecessary applications, since the built-in uninstallasts of the operating system itself or installed programs After performing the standard procedure, you can leave a bunch of garbage. These are the registry keys, and files, and catalogs. All this will have to be cleaned manually.

In order not to do this, it is better to immediately apply programs like iobit Uninstallerwhich not only unnecessary applications are unnecessary, but also get rid of you from the need to clean the "tailings" in manual mode. To do this, use them special regime Powerful (in-depth) scanning. But when removing residues, do not forget to use the file destruction item.

Trash in browsers

A disk with Windows 7 or any other system can be expelled by the removal of unnecessary garbage, which accumulates in web browsers, because they are installed default in the system partition. Accordingly, their cache and temporary files are stored there.

In the settings of any browser, you can find a special point for cleaning the history of visits, after the call of which the menu appears with a suggestion of the removal of multiple items. Mark everything you need and set the cleaning. By the way, after such a procedure, the browsers themselves will start working much faster.

File Podchock

Finally approach the most significant procedures. The paging file that is responsible for using virtual memory when there is not enough operational for the work of the programs, it takes place in the system section. It should be disabled if possible.

You can access such settings through the speed section. Typically, the parameter is set so that the system itself determines its size. Disconnect this option, and then at least see what is offered in terms of size. And it is not worth seduating about the fact that the size of the window will be indicated like 1-2 GB. Actually when involved virtual memory Selected Size disk space Maybe ten times more. So, for example, when installing automatic settings On a computer with 8 GB random access memory The allocated space for the system partition will be 3-4 times more. Do you understand what it is about? Use the option "Without paging file", save the settings and reboot. After restart, the space will be released automatically.

Hibernation file

Finally, on the question of what can be deleted from the C disk, special attention should be paid to the hibernation file, which is responsible for the corresponding mode, saving in the system section of the settings and the parameters of all active programs at the moment. Its size can also be quite large. It is impossible to delete it manually, but to turn off the mode itself, after which the file will be removed from the system, you can.

Use for this command line, started on behalf of the administrator, and enter the PowerCfg.exe -h Off command in it. After executing rebooting the computer and see how much space was released.

Additional utilities

As additional tools, you can apply specially designed to optimize the utility system like CCleaner (there are many such many).

In addition to cleaning the disk, there are special modules in them, allowing you to optimize even system registry. As for the cleaning of the system partition, it is possible to set either one-time optimization, or leave applications in the startup so that their clients make cleaning in the background. If you do not want the utilities to start with the system, turn off their startup either directly in the program or through the appropriate Windows settings section. You can also use narrow-controlled programs that are calculated solely to remove garbage from the system, but the complex care is more preferable.

Conclusion

Above the basic methods, allowing to get rid of all that may be a fairly high degree to clutter the system partition. Many may have questions about turning off the paging and virtual memory file. Nothing wrong with that. As practice shows, if you don't run heavyweight programs on the computer, like AutoCAD or professional applications for working with multimedia, but to work only with office documents, the system and without it does not work what is fine, but even faster, because when you start programs, direct appeal to RAM, and not to a hard disk. This is confirmed by even the reviews of owners of inexpensive laptops with weak 2-core processors and two gigabytes of RAM.

In one beautiful (or sad, to someone as) the day I'm tired of it that I periodically ends the place on the laptop. Yes, I know that hard drives are cheap, but this is not a way out for me, because:

• I have SSD, and it will still be more expensive than the usual HDD (the volume of my current SSD - 120 gigs)
• The laptop worker, respectively, the data on it too, must be encrypted, all that, therefore, the carrier is not necessary and not approved by the employer
• I am greedy :)

This topic, perhaps, is intended and may be useful to those people who cares free space on a system disk, ordinary cleaning tools are already tried, and I want to squeeze a little bit more (as in the old joke - the first link in Google link to the anecdote if the site Bad - sorry).

In general, I sometimes clean a disk space. Standard Procedures - Cleaning% Temp%, Cleaning the disc (erases all sorts of error reports affected by the system to every firefighter, all sorts of Memory Dump "Futing processes and other), demolition of unnecessary more programs.
However, as I found out, there are folders that do not clean no one (from the word at all). Well, in the sense of standard tools. And now I want to talk about the% windir% \\ System32 \\ DriverStore folder.

If you have this folder takes a lot of a lot of space, but read the whole post is reluctant - please yourself in his very end, there are links to GitHub, from where you can take the ready-made result of my research and try to squeeze (or squeeze) a little space from Windows.

Introduction to the problem - what is this folder, why it is needed, who is to blame what to do

If you rose in the Internet, you can find that this is the place where the system about the reserve folds all the drivers that she ever fell on the road. Yes, and those that were installed for your video card three years ago, also lie there, despite the fact that you updated them a lot of them many times.

I will give a little theory from the very MSDN:

Starting with Windows Vista, The Driver Store Is a Trusted Collection of Inbox and Third-Party Driver Packages. The Operating System Maintains This Collection in a Secure Location On The Local Hard Disk. Only The Driver Packages In The Driver Store Can Be Installed for a Device.

When Copied To the Driver Store, When A Driver Package Is Copied to the Driver Store. All of Its Files Are Copied. This Includes The Inf File and All Files That Are Referenced by The Inf File. All Files That Are In The Driver Package Are Considered Critical To the Device Installation. The INF File Must Reference All of the Required Files for Device Installation So That They Are Present In The Driver Store. If The Inf File References A File That Is Not Included in The Driver Package, The Driver Package Is Not Copied to the Store.

The Process of Copying a Driver Package to the Driver Store Is Called Staging. A Driver Package Must Be Staged to the Driver Store Before The Package Can Be Used to Install Any Devices. AS A Result, Driver Staging and Device Installation Are Separate Operations.

A Driver Package IS Staged to the Driver Stage by Being Verified and Validated

In my free translation, it turns out something like:

In Windows Vista and later, the driver's repository is used as a collection of trusted pre-installed and third-party drivers. Operating system Supports this collection in a safe place on local disk. Only those drivers that lie in the repository can be installed.

When the driver is copied to the storage, all its files fall there, including .INF file and all the files to which this.inf refers. All files that make up the driver are considered necessary for the device. The INF file must refer to all the files necessary for the device to work, so that they are all in the repository. If .INF file refers to a file that is not included in the driver, this driver is not copied to the repository.

The process of copying the driver in the storage is called Staging ( i did not try to invent the term, left the English word - arr.). In order for the driver to be used for any device, it must pass the Staging process, thus installing the device and staging drivers - separate operations.

Before entering the storage, the driver is checked for the validity of the signature and integrity of the files.

Is it really so bad, and no one will help?

It looks terrible for climbing with your dirty hands, is not it? However, there is a small (and not too comfortable) Solominka from Microsoft, it is called pnputil.exe and knows how:

• List the drivers located in Staging (but not included in the standard delivery of your Windows, i.e. not integrated into the installation distribution)
• Add driver
• Delete storage driver

Moreover, when deleting it checks whether the driver is not used at the moment for some connected device, and without Option / F (i.e. / Force - to force for force) to delete such drivers refuses.
I used this utility.

It is necessary to mention that I am not the first so smart who thought over this problem, on Codeplex there is a project on the GUI application DriverStore Explorer, but it is actually only a graphic wrapper around Pnputil and does not analyze the drivers, providing complete freedom to its user.
I first, first, look for manually outdated versions The drivers were not very hunting, and secondly, I wanted to understand that I would win the deletion of a driver (in the sense of the disk space). So here was the syndrome in full growth.
So I picked up Python and rushed.

Hurray, build your bike!

I discovered the method of close viewing that in order to find the most recent version, enough data from PNPutil, but not to define the size - no, because Pnputil about the driver says about the following - who did when, version and name Inf File. Which heap of folders in DriverStore belongs to this driver - he does not say.
Looking more attentively in the daddy% windir% \\ inf, I discovered those very .inf files (by names) that Pnputil lists, and looking in the folder in DriverStore, I found it ... the same .inf files, but with other names - Each in the folder from its driver.
Surely there is a way and easier, but I went to the forehead - built a display on behalf of .inf file in the issuance of PNPutil to the folder in the DriverStore, in which it lies the same on the content .INF file (with another name). And I took the size of this folder for the driver size.

Now it remained for small - wrap it all into scripts for convenient performance.
On the road, however, Lied in the form of UAC - Pnputil worked only with administrative rights, and therefore it was necessary to increase the privileges of Python. A quick google gave several recipes that said something like "can be done so, but the withdrawal (and even more so input) will not be, as you will be debugged - without a concept," and it did not suit me, so I fixed a little bit Examples.
True, my implementation is at the moment nonideal - it will fall when trying to redirect stdout or stderr, because inside I use the concept of the console, and for redirected streams it does not work ...
But I have so far closed on it, because for the repair it is necessary to make a slightly more complex mechanism than the FreeConsole / AttachConsole call, i.e. engage in redirection of all streams manually.

We try written in practice

And now, in fact, the most luxury - the results of the whole port of the text. You can take, use at your own risk, you can try to apply good and cause the source code (MIT license, yes). You can even tell me thanks in the comments, if someone has these scripts help :)

If you swing a binary version (the interpreter is sewn inside) - take the one that corresponds to the discharge of the Operations (32-bit version on the 64-bit OS will not find Pnputil and work, accordingly, it will not be ... if it is very necessary - write, you can try to get around).
If you take the scripting version - similarly, you need to run an interpreter with the discharge of the Operations.

I myself personally checked it on two computers with Windows 7, in theory should work on Vista and 8. On WinXP should be (sort of) useless.
The script will analyze the driver's repository, will try to find outdated versions of drivers (i.e., such for which at the same time there is a newer version at the same time) and will offer them to delete, issuing an assessment of the places occupied by drivers (and evaluating the winnings, of course, too).

Result on my laptop

Personally, I managed to press about 6 gigabytes (!), Mostly due to the removal of old versions of the NVIDIA video card drivers.
On another laptop, everything turned out to be not so riddling, it was possible to clear only 200 (in my opinion) megabytes, but there the system lived significantly less than mine and just did not have time to accumulate many drivers.

Both laptops since then live in full life, I did not notice any problems from cleaning.

If you finish you, thanks for your attention!

Afterword

It was expected to find out that cleaning scripts are not always working, the main problem - if Windows is not English-speaking (somehow I did not think that all the utilities will be localized). I will repair it. The bulk of the problems should be fixed, see

POSTED ON MARCH 27 2015

Each in the spring of us is incomplete visiting the desire to take a little. We thought that now there would be the right time to tell you what is really worth focusing when cleaning the computer.

If one or more video cards are installed on your computer graphic processor NVIDIA You will surely update the driver for it, following the pop-up tips of the GeForce Experience program. But do you know that with each new version of the driver you download and install the temporary files you need to install the driver remain on the hard disk after installation?

But that's not all. The GeForce Experience program saves the file library from all previous settings in case you want to roll back to previous version Drivers. Every time you install new version Drivers, in case the checkbox is removed from the "Perform A Clean Install" field, setup files Each time will be added to the library. And the last but no less important, GeForce Experience always saves a copy of the automatically downloaded drivers to a separate directory.

So how to get rid of unnecessary files?

The answer is quite simple. All you need to do is remove them! Deleting these files is a secure procedure and in no way affect your performance. graphic card. Below is represented detailed description All actions to search and remove the unnecessary files.

Step 1
First of all, you need to know where there are unnecessary files after installation. As a rule, they can be found on the next way:
C: \\ Nvidia \\ DisplayDriver \\

You will see that each driver version has its own directory, which in turn contains installation files. Boldly remove all files from the DisplayDriver folder!

Step 2.
One is, two left. The next place from where you want to delete files is a GeForce Experience program download folder. It can be found on the next way:
C: \\ ProgramData \\ Nvidia Corporation \\ NetService \\

There you will find several folders and files of type.exe with the NVIDIA logo as an icon. Delete only files.exe with NVIDIA icon!

Step 3.
The third and last place where GeForce Experience places files, this is a library of drivers. You can find it at:
C: \\ Program Files \\ Nvidia Corporation \\ Installer2 \\

Just delete all files within the Installer2 directory, but do not delete the folder itself!

That's all right. We were able to quickly and easily release a precious place on our system disk.
Remember, each time you install and update GeForce drivers, new files will be saved in the same directors. It will be useful to perform the procedure for cleaning the disc from unnecessary files described above once a few months, as well as when the system disk ends free space.

Watch your computer, do not forget to clean it and just play!