Windows 7 Confused - New install Vs Upgrade 25 GB difference

jimbo45

New Member
Hi everyone
Just for a test I did an Upgrade from Vista X-64 and then compared with a Clean W7 X-64.install and re-loaded all the applications I'm using on VISTA X-64.

Partition size I'd defined in both cases was 53.71 GB .

Vista X-64 Used 42 GB
Windows 7 X-64 used 17 GB.

Now I understand that details of Microsoft Updates were also held in the VISTA system and there are very few for W7 Beta but I can't believe that there is a 25 GB difference. The Windows update database shouldn't contain 25 GB of files -- that's more than the entire OS itself together with all its applications.

Programs up to same service levls and patches
All "Temporary" files deleted from both systems including IE downloaded stuff.

What's up then --does a system get really full of "inexplicable junk". Note I did an upgrade so there is no "Windows.OLD" directory and on the clean install I did it on brand new fresh partitions.

Any explanations -- performance of the systems doesn't seem to be much different - but just confused as to what's in the extra 22 GB worth of files.

Obviuosly another good reason to do a clean install WHERE POSSIBLE.

Cheers and confused

jimbo
 
Do you happen to have the Windows.old directory?

I installed twice on 32-bit and first the c: drive was 13.1 GB which contained the windows.old directory, On the second install it was 8.10 GB.

And these were clean installs, I checked the size immediately on the first restart.

Can't explain that either.
 
Hi there
nope -- no windows.old

Short of comparing every sector on the disk I don't think I'll find the answer either. I did try defragmenting the disk but usually (especially with NTFS) this isn't really worth doing.

I think I'll just accept the fact and use the Fresh Install -- the only program that doesn't really work properly on a clean install is a Hauppage Win TV card -- I can live without that application for the moment anyway. It's bound to get fixed nearer the Final W7 release.

Cheers
jimbo
 
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