The Windows system consists of thousands of files. Many of them have strange names, others have extensions that most users have never seen before. Normally you do not need to worry about these files.
Windows is designed to configure, optimize, and in many cases even repair itself. It is neither intended nor desired that the user intervenes in the system, deletes, or modifies files.
However, if you would like to know more about how Windows works internally, what tasks the individual components have, and how they work together, this is the right article for you.
We will highlight the files that stand out from the mass of files due to their name, size, or function.
Further reading: 13 important Windows settings to adjust immediately
Huge files in the system folder: Hibernation & Co.
Windows is normally installed on the C: drive in the “Windows” folder. However, the system folder, often also called the root directory, already contains various files created by the operating system. Some of these can grow to a considerable size.
However, you can only see these files if you have deactivated the setting “Hide protected system files (recommended)” in the “Folder options” of the Explorer in the “View” tab.
To see the system files, you need to uncheck a box in the Windows Explorer view options.
To see the system files, you need to uncheck a box in the Windows Explorer view options.
Foundry
To see the system files, you need to uncheck a box in the Windows Explorer view options.
Foundry
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</div></figure><p class="imageCredit">Foundry</p></div>Most space is taken up by hiberfil.sys, which can be several gigabytes in size. The name is a short form of “hibernate file,” which means hibernation file. If you select hibernate mode when shutting down the PC, Windows saves the current contents of the RAM in this file, including all active applications and open documents.
As soon as you switch the computer back on, you can immediately continue working from where you left off. The more RAM you have, the larger hiberfil.sys will be.
The file cannot be deleted via Explorer, but it can be deleted via the command prompt: To do this, type cmd in the search field of the taskbar and click on “Run as administrator.” Now enter the command
powercfg /h off followed by the Enter key. Windows deletes the file without prompting you and deactivates hibernation. If desired, you can restore hibernation at any time with the command
powercfg /h on at any time.
The operating system creates two swap files
The second conspicuously large file in the system folder is called pagefile.sys. This is the swap file that Windows always uses when there is not enough memory for the loaded programs and files. The operating system dynamically adjusts the size of pagefile.sys to the required memory.
You can use the “SwapFileControl” entry in the Windows registry to delete the swap file in the system directory and, if desired, create it again later.
You can use the “SwapFileControl” entry in the Windows registry to delete the swap file in the system directory and, if desired, create it again later.
IDG
<div class="lightbox-image-container foundry-lightbox"><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage undefined"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full enlarged-image"><img decoding="async" data-wp-bind--src="selectors.core.image.enlargedImgSrc" data-wp-style--object-fit="selectors.core.image.lightboxObjectFit" src="" alt="Über den Eintrag „SwapFileControl“ in der Windows Registry können Sie das Swapfile im Systemverzeichnis löschen und auf Wunsch später auch wieder anlegen." class="wp-image-2321261" width="731" height="519" loading="lazy" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><p>You can use the “SwapFileControl” entry in the Windows registry to delete the swap file in the system directory and, if desired, create it again later.</p>IDG
</div></figure><p class="imageCredit">IDG</p></div>If there is sufficient RAM in the PC, you could consider deactivating pagefile.sys (deletion does not work). Although this is possible, it is not recommended. This is because the internal memory management accesses the file from time to time, even if there is space in the RAM. If the file is no longer available, error messages, including possible system crashes, will be displayed.
Thirdly, swapfile.sys appears in the main folder. This is also a swap file, but it is used exclusively for Windows apps. So that the RAM is not burdened by dormant or sleeping apps, they are moved to the file on the hard drive/SSD.
Further reading: 4 just-added Windows 11 features that make your life easier
Windows adjusts the size of swapfile.sys as required: If no apps are active, it is usually 16MB in size. If several apps are running, it can grow up to 256MB.
You can remove the file via the registry: To do this, open the path
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management and create a new DWORD value called “SwapfileControl” after right-clicking in the right half of the window. Double-click on this and make sure that “0” is entered as the value.
This will cause swapfile.sys to disappear the next time you restart. Bear in mind that Windows apps may start more slowly as a result. To restore the file, delete the registry entry.
Windows with crash log and hard disk test
You will also find a file called DumpStack.log.tmp on C:. Windows logs system crashes in this file. In some cases, it slows down the start of the TOR network for anonymous surfing; without this file, the TOR browser sometimes connects much faster.
The DumpStack.log.tmp cannot simply be deleted as access is blocked. However, you can remove the block via the registry: To do this, go to the folder
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl and set the value of the “Enable- LogFile” key to “0”. After a restart, you can delete the DumpStack.log.tmp with the Explorer. There are no negative side effects to be feared; however, some crash logs can be helpful for support staff.
Sometimes you will also find the small file bootTel.dat in the system directory. Windows creates these files when you check the hard disk/SSD for errors. If you want to start an error search, type with administrator rights
chkdsk in the command prompt.
Huge folders and what’s behind them
According to Explorer or tools such as Treesize Free, WinSxS under C:\Windows is one of the largest Windows folders of all: It often takes up several gigabytes of storage space.
But this information is misleading. WinSxS collects thousands of hard links that refer to programs and system components on the hard drive. The total size of all linked files and programs appears as the folder size.
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