In the directory C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download operating system saves updates downloaded from Microsoft server. After installation, they remain ballast in the folder - they reduce free space system partition.
Before being uninstalled in SoftwareDistribution junk files, disable automatic start search and installation of patches for Windows:
1. Click on the Windows button on the taskbar.
2. Click "Control Panel" and go to the "System and Security" section.
3. Click the "Center ..." subsection.
4. In vertical menu select "Settings".
5. In the "Important ..." option, set "Do not check for presence ...".
Selective removal of updates
Downloaded updates can be deleted selectively. To perform this operation:
1. In the Control Panel, open: System and Security → Center ...
3. In the list of updates, in the block " Microsoft Windows”, right-click on the update that you want to remove from the disk. Click the Delete panel that opens.
Global cleanup of SoftwareDistribution folders
1. Open the C drive and navigate to the Windows folder.
2. In the list of system items, click SoftwareDistribution.
3. Go to the Download folder. Press the key combination "CTRL + A" to select all the elements in it.
4. Click the right mouse button to context menu click to activate the "Delete" command.
5. In the same way, send the contents of the DataStore folder to the trash.
Additionally, clean up other directories of the system partition using the CCleaner or Reg Organizer cleaner utility.
Datastore.edb - database containing updates to the current Windows versions and the history of downloads, installations of patches for it. She is associated with system application third party application. This file and the directory in which it is located cannot be completely removed from the system. To reduce its size, special optimization is applied (selective cleaning and updating of elements). And in case of occurrence system errors associated with Datastore.edb, work is underway to restore its integrity and performance.
Cleaning up the base
1. To avoid software conflicts, disable the OS update module:
- open: Start → Control Panel;
- in the "View" option, set the design of sections - "Large icons";
- double-click in the list "Administration" section "Services";
- click the subsection "Center windows updates»;
- click the "Startup type" setting and set the status to "Disabled";
- click OK.
Also, the launch of the OS update can be disabled on the command line. To use this method, do the following:
- click the "Start" icon;
- in the "Find ..." field, type - CMD;
- right-click on the icon of the same name that appears at the top of the menu window;
- run the "Run as administrator" command;
- in the console line, enter the command - net stop wuauserv;
- press "Enter".
2. Press the key combination - "Win" + "R".
3. Insert this path into the "Open" line:
%systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore
4. Delete all contents in the opened folder:
- move the cursor to the opened window;
- press together "Ctrl + A" (command "Select All");
- right-click on the highlighted elements;
- click "Delete" in the drop-down list.
5. In the same way (points 3 and 4 of the current instructions), clear the directory:
%systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution\Download
6. After the removal procedure is completed, if necessary, you can enable the updater again:
Through the "Start": Control Panel → Administrative Tools → Services → Windows Update → in the "Startup Type" set "Automatic" → the "Run" button;
In the "CMD" console: enter the directive - net start wuauserv; press "Enter".
7. From the Control Panel, go to "System and Security" → "Windows Update" → "Search for Updates".
8. Download and install the found patches into the operating system (follow the instructions of the module).
Restoring the database
If during the operation of the system errors appear on the display in which the name of the database appears (“...” in the messages - Datastore.edb):
- Failed to load ... ;
- Missing file... ;
- Failed to register... ;
- Loading error… ;
- Runtime error… ;
- … not found.
Try one of the below troubleshooting instructions for the base.
Cleaning Windows
1. Open the Run window.
2. Enter the command - cleanmgr.
3. Click OK.
4. After analyzing the directories, select in the additional panel - "Disk C" (system partition).
5. In the "Disk Cleanup" window, click the left button to check the boxes next to the items that need cleaning (updates, reports, archives, temporary files, etc.).
6. Click "OK" to start the neutralization of useless elements in the system.
7. Restart your PC
Driver update
Check the functionality of the connected device drivers; determine how up-to-date their versions are and, if necessary, update them using special utilities (use one of the solutions presented):
(https://sdi-tool.org/)
A huge database of drivers with a user-friendly graphical interface. Performs software support installation without internet connection. Can be run from a flash drive. It is distributed free of charge, without adware and spyware. Compatible with all versions of the Windows OS family ("seven", "eight", "ten").
(http://www.driverdoc.com/index.html)
Base utility. Contains over 16 million drivers supporting both standard and specific hardware. Automatically determines the hardware configuration of the computer and correctly selects drivers for all available devices. Performs clean installs and updates to existing shells.
Note. The considered solutions are not the only ones. On the global Web, you can find other driver installers that are not inferior in quality. For example, DriverPack Solution.
System rollback
1. Click "Start".
2. Type in the field "Find programs" - system recovery. Press "Enter".
3. In the new window, click on the setting "Select another point ...". Click Next.
4. Select a restore point from the list. Pay attention to the description backup settings and creation date. After Windows Rollback will return to the settings saved in the point.
6. Click "Finish" to start recovery.
7. Restart the system.
System File Checker
1. Open the console command line(see "Cleaning the base", point No. 1).
2. Enter the command - sfc /scannow.
3. When the scan is complete, follow the prompts displayed in the console to repair file corruption.
Checking Windows with antivirus
The reason for the appearance of errors in the operation of Datastore.edb may be the activity of malware - Trojans, worms, spyware. If you are unable to get rid of database problems with standard tools and special utilities, check your PC for viruses with an alternative anti-virus scanner. For example, Dr.Web CureIt!, AdwCleaner, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, etc.
prosperous windows settings!
File Windows.edb represents the index database of the service Windows Search(Windows Search), which provides users with quick search data on file system by indexing files, letters in pst files and other content. Naturally, the more files on the system, the larger the Windows.edb file can take. In some cases, it can grow to tens or even hundreds of GB, taking up all the free space on the system drive.
This file is and by default is stored in the directory C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\.
Note. This file is present in all modern MSFT client and server operating systems, from Windows 7/Vista/Server 2008 to Windows 10/Server 2016.
For example, in my case, the size of the Windows.edb file is over 15.5 GB (which is almost 15% on my 100 GB SSD drive)
There are several ways to control the size of the Windows.edb file.
Rebuilding the Windows Search Index
The most "correct", but not the most effective method reduce the size of the Windows.edb file - start the process of reindexing data in the system. To do this, open Control Panel ->Indexing Options-> Advanced -> Rebuild(To open this dialog, just execute the command rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL srchadmin.dll). 
After some time (usually quite a long time), the system will finish reindexing the data and the size of the edb file will decrease somewhat.
Defrag Windows.edb with Esentutl
Because the Windows Search index file is an .edb file, you can defragment it with standard utility to serve such bases esentutl.exe- Extensible Storage Engine Utilities (should be familiar to administrators). The database is defragmented offline (the database should not be in use), so you will have to stop the search services first. All these operations can be combined into one script:
sc config wsearch start=disabled
sc stop wsearch
esentutl.exe /d %AllUsersProfile%\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Windows.edb
sc config wsearch start=delayed-auto
sc start wsearch
Advice. To perform defragmentation, the disk should have enough free space, because a copy of the edb file will be created.
The esentutl utility displays the progress of the defragmentation on the screen during operation.
Note. If an error occurs when running the esentutl command: Operation terminated with error -1213 (JET_errPageSizeMismatch, The database page size does not match the engine) after 10.125 seconds, this means that your system is 64 bit and you need to use the x32 version of esentutl to perform defragmentation. Those. the third command will look like this:
"C:\Windows\SysWOW64\esentutl.exe" /d %AllUsersProfile%\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Windows.edb
In my case, the size of the edb file after defragmentation decreased by 30%.
Deleting and recreating the Windows.edb file
If disk space is critically low, you can safely delete the Windows.edb file. To do this, stop the Windows Search service and delete the file.
net stop "Windows Search"
del %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Windows.edb
net start "Windows Search"
After restart, windows service Search will begin the process of reindexing the system and recreating the Windows.edb file (during the process of a full reindex, system performance may decrease).
In some cases, when the size of the Windows.edb file keeps growing, it makes sense to move the Windows Search index base to a different volume. Thus, the extreme growth of the database will not lead to a system shutdown when the free space on the database is exhausted. system partition. Typically, this should be done on RDS terminal servers where users are actively working with files, personal folders, and other indexed content.
To change file location opencontrolPanel\IndexingOptions\advanced\Indexlocation->Newlocation and specify the path to the new location of the Windows.edb file.
Fix to prevent excessive growth of the Windows.edb file in Windows 8 / Windows Server 2012
To solve the problem of constant growth of the size of the Windows.edb file in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, a special hotfix was released, which is included in the May 2013 update package - KB 2836988 . It is recommended to download and install it on these versions of Windows.
Windows is the operating system found on most computers. Owners of such devices often want to know what SoftwareDistribution is, whether this folder can be uninstalled so that there are no negative consequences for the functioning of the OS.
Any user can uninstall Software distribution
This article will help you find answers to these frequently asked questions.
What is Software Distribution
The name of the daddy literally translates from in English like spread software. It contains the Windows update files. It can be found in 7, 8 and even 10 versions of the operating system.
To do this, in the explorer you need to open the C drive and go to the directory called Windows. Here the user will see a folder called Download.
It is in it that the OS update data is stored. They are downloaded to the device from Microsoft Windows servers. The weight of the daddy is directly affected by the number of OS updates performed. In some cases, it can be measured in gigabytes.
The Software distribution folder is located in the Windows folder on drive C
Notes! After the self-updating of the OS, the files of the same name are no longer used. In other words, they are system junk.
Another user in the same directory can see a folder called DataStore. Temporary files are also placed here. This is where the history of self-updates is stored. Often this folder can also have an impressive weight.
In addition, the cache and OS self-update data are also stored in other places in the directory. Deleted Files are also stored in the Recycle Bin, which can be emptied.
Removal process
When there is a shortage of free space on the device, then the way out of this situation may be to clear the SoftwareDistribution. In this case, the action will not affect the functioning of the OS in any way.
Note! The user always has the option to destroy DataStore and Download separately.
As for the system folder with distributions, before eliminating it, you need to do the following:
- The OS Update Center opens. This can be done through the "Control Panel" or the "Start" menu.
- Goes to "Parameter settings".
- Windows self-update is disabled by selecting the appropriate tab and unchecking the box.
- The "OK" button is pressed.
After these operations, which each person can handle, it is allowed to eliminate the system folder or its individual internal folders. The process is carried out in a standard way by calling the menu that appears after pressing right button mouse on the folder. Find out how uninstall any application you can on our portal.
Hello everyone Hello everyone, today I will tell you whether it is possible to delete the SoftwareDistribution folder in Windows 7, and also what it is for. In general, I didn’t find much information on the Internet about the SoftwareDistribution folder, to be honest, I don’t even understand why it’s not there, well, that is, the folder seems to be well-known .. Many people are looking for whether it can be deleted, why it is needed and in general .. why is it so does it weigh a lot?
Yes, it can weigh a lot, but there are other folders, it would be more weighty to say so (well, for example, the same WinSxS). Okay, I won’t torture you, I’ll say that the SoftwareDistribution folder is needed for updates. In it, all things happen that relate to updating Windows. Can it be removed? If it bothers you, then you can delete it. There will be nothing terrible, it will appear again at the next update, just do not dare to delete it while the update is taking place! There will be no catastrophe, well, there may just be some kind of jamb.
The SoftwareDistribution folder itself is located here:
And here's what's inside the folder:
As you can see, there are different folders in which this or that data is stored during the update. This folder contains information about what was downloaded, what was already installed, the dates of installation of updates, all sorts of reports. In general, everything related to updating Windows, all service information.
How to delete the SoftwareDistribution folder? I thought that everything was not so simple here, because when I tried to rename the folder, nothing worked for me. Usually in such situations I use a powerful utility, it can remove everything that cannot be removed. So. But I remembered the update service, that it must first be disabled and then it will be possible to delete the folder!
So, to disable the folder, launch the task manager and on the Services tab, click on this button:
Now in the list of services at the very bottom there will be an update center, so we need it:
Now see what needs to be done. Double click on it and a small window will open. There you need to click on the Stop button, so that the service immediately stops working and .. you can disable it immediately, for this select Startup type: Disabled. Disabling this service will disable updates, keep this in mind. Therefore, see for yourself, updates are still needed. I personally turn off this service and turn it on only sometimes, well, so that Windows is updated, then I turn it off again. In general, here is what you need to click in this window:
After that, the service will no longer have its power, and we can safely delete the SoftwareDistribution folder. So let's go, let's open system disk, and there we jump to the Windows folder, where we delete the SoftwareDistribution folder:
Then there will be such a message, then click Yes:
And that's it, she left like a pretty girl! As you can see, there are no problems with removal. However, just in case, I recommend you to watch ..
When the update service starts up again, the SoftwareDistribution folder will automatically appear.
Almost wrote the most important thing! But will there be jambs and glitches if you delete this folder? Here I tell you by garlic that there will be no jambs from the fact that you delete this folder. I removed it. Then I rebooted - there are no glitches, everything works, all programs open and everything works fine. Browsers, everything is as it should be, jambs, brakes and error messages - no, everything is clear guys!
For the test, I started the update service, there were no errors either, and the SoftwareDistribution folder reappeared
I hope that I wrote everything clearly and everything was clear to you here, good luck to you
18.07.2016