inputLog files. What is the Perflogs folder on drive C and can it be deleted? Windows 10 system logs folder
Many are faced with the problem of lack of free space on the hard drive. The disc on which it is installed is especially often clogged. operating system... This is due to the fact that there are a lot of folders on it, which the system itself fills with the information it needs. This problem It is also relevant for Windows 7. You can clean up system folders from unnecessary garbage either manually or using special programs.
Windows 7 system folders: the need to clean up and possible consequences
Each of the system folders has its own purpose and stores information of a certain kind. Before clearing the disk, carefully read what function this or that folder is responsible for, otherwise you may lose important data or severely harm the operating system, which will lead to its breakdown:
Video: what files can be deleted on the system drive
What not to do when cleaning up system folders
Please read the specifics of the above folders carefully. Before clearing one of them, consider if its contents will be useful to you in the future. Some folders, such as Windows or System32, shouldn't be touched at all. And don't try to clean up folders by simply deleting their contents. This will lead to the fact that the remnants of them will remain in the computer's memory, which in the future will begin to litter and overload the system. There are only a few folders that you can manually clean up:
In no case do not delete the folders themselves, this will lead to critical errors in the system, you only need to erase their contents. Also, before clearing system folders, make sure you can free up memory by other methods, for example, by uninstalling third-party applications and games.
Methods to clean up Windows 7 system folders
If you do decide to clear hDD from accumulated third-party files, it is easiest to use the built-in windows functions... There are two initial options - standard and advanced cleaning.
Standard cleaning
By using the standard cleaning method, you will get rid of following files and folders:
To spend standard cleaning hard disk, do the following:
Opening the properties of the system disk
Go to the "General" section
Select the files you want to delete
Click the "Clean" button in the "System Restore and Shadow Copy" section
Extended cleaning
With the advanced cleaning option, you will delete the following folders and files:
To perform advanced disk cleanup, follow these steps:
Run "Command Prompt" as administrator
We register the cleanmgr command
Select the drive on which to perform cleaning
Selecting the files to be deletedVideo: Windows Disk Cleanup
Disk cleaning with third-party programs
Before proceeding with manual cleaning of each folder separately, it is worth using special third-party programscreated for automatic search and cleaning the disk from unnecessary files:
Download the CCleaner app
Go to the "Cleaning" section
Selecting the sections to clear
Press the button "Analysis"
Before deleting files, you can view their details
Video: Deleting System Files Using CCleaner
Features of cleaning individual system folders
If the previous cleaning methods did not solve your problem or you need to clean one of the folders selectively, then find it in the sections listed below and follow the instructions.
But many folders are hidden by default so that the user does not accidentally damage them. To display hidden folders in general list do the following:
Opening the explorer
Expand the "Service" menu
Go to the section "Folder Options"
Go to the "View" section
Changing the parameters of hidden folders
Winsxs
Cleaning the Winsxs folder on Windows 7 is done through a standard disk cleanup. This method has already been described above. Before starting the cleanup, you are presented with a list of files that can be deleted. Check the section "Files backup update package ".
We mark "Files of the backup copy of the update package"
Video: how to empty the Winsxs folder in Windows 7
System Volume Information
To clear the System Volume Information folder, you must first access it:
Open the properties of the System Volume Information folder
Go to the "Security" tab
Press the button "Change"
Click the "Add" button
We register the username
We issue full access to folder
Go to computer properties
Go to the "System Protection" section
Press the button "Configure"
We successively press the buttons "Apply", OK.
DriversStore
To delete outdated drivers from a repository called DriversStore, do the following:
Opening the command line
We register the command pnputil.exe –e
We register and execute the command
Installer
The Installer folder may contain files necessary for the system or programs, but there is a special third party application PatchCleaner, which will automatically determine what can be removed from the content:
PatchCleaner searches for obsolete update files and allows you to move them to another media or completely remove them
Click the Browse button
Specify the path to the Installer folder
Press the Delete button
We confirm the action by clicking on the Yes button
Pagefile.sys
If you are sure that the computer can handle the required tasks without the Pagefile.sys paging file, you can remove it by following these steps:
Go to the section "Additional system parameters"
Press the button "Options"
Click the "Change" button in the "Advanced" tab
Setting the required parameters
Restart your computer
Folders with history, cache and browser cookies
Browser files can take up a lot of disk space. The easiest and safest way to remove them is through the settings of the browser itself: 
We mark the files. which need to be removed from the browser history
We set the parameter "For all time" and clear the history
Disk cleaning problems
If, after you have deleted any files from the system folder, errors appear or the computer starts to slow down, there is only one thing left to do - perform a system restore. This could have happened due to incorrect disk cleaning or deletion required files... System recovery is possible only if the computer has restore points:
We start the computer in safe mode
Open the "System Restore" application
Click the "Next" button
Choosing a restore point
Video: Windows 7 Recovery
What to do if there is no "Clean up system files" button
If, when trying to free up disk space through the standard cleaning method, you encounter the absence of the "Clean up system files" button, this means that you have disabled UAC (control accounts), and the program starts immediately with the ability to clean up system files. That is, pressing the "Clear system files" button gives you administrator rights and with them the ability to edit and clear system folders. But if UAC is disabled, then you have access to changing system files immediately and you do not need to press any additional buttons.
If the button "Clean up system files" is missing, account control is disabled
If you want to clean up disk space or are sure that system files part of the virus is preserved, then in this case the operating system itself has a function of standard and extended disk cleaning. You can also use third-party programs or clear each folder separately. But do not delete everything, otherwise it will lead to a breakdown of the computer, and the only way out is to roll back the system to the last restore point.
Announced the October Update for Windows 10 during its conference in New York on October 2, 2018. Since then, users who dared to install the update were among the first, complain numerous problems that appeared after installation. It is worth noting that each release of Windows 10 updates is accompanied by certain risks, and many users do not dare to upgrade the system due to fear of breakage. This time was no exception.
One of the most common problems is the sudden loss of personal documents of the computer owner. Some users complain about the loss of several files, others claim that Windows itself deleted hundreds of gigabytes that cannot be recovered.
“Two months of my work was lost due to the update,” writes one of the victims, who lost files totaling 220 GB. - The most important thing is that these documents do not end up in the "Basket". They just disappeared. "
“Apparently, my computer installed last update Windows 10 around 3pm and during that process ... it unpacked its own setup files, overwriting my documents. I'm so angry with Microsoft! " - posted by Twitter user @MakatiCub.
As far as I can tell, my computer downloaded the latest Windows 10 update around 3pm today and during that process it unlinked my Documents directory then unpacked its own setup files that overwrote my own files.
I am so angry at Microsoft right now - if this is the case.
- Flabby Cat (@MakatiCub) October 4, 2018
Deletion affects files in the "My Documents" and "Pictures" folders located in the user's personal directory. In this case, it is not possible to return the files even after canceling the update and restoring the previous state of Windows.
The missing documents are probably related to an update cloud service Microsoft OneDrive, but there is no direct evidence for this.
Another issue related to October windows update 10, the overload of some models of the brand's processors has become, due to which the battery on laptops is discharged too quickly. This overload is called by the driver Intel Display Audio, which the system offers to install as part of the update. Microsoft has issued a recommendation asking to ignore the driver installation suggestion and close the dialog box.
It is reported that for the general public automatic update was supposed to start only on October 9th, and those who installed it earlier are a small group of advanced users who have launched the update manually.
However, Microsoft has already taken the necessary steps to prevent casual users from updating Windows until the existing issues are resolved.
A company spokesman said the incident was already under investigation.
Hole in the system
In late September, it became known about a critical zero-day vulnerability in Windows, allowing hackers to gain access to the victim's system. The vulnerability was discovered four months ago, but has not been fixed to date. Some experts expected a patch to fix the "hole" to be released as part of the ill-fated October update.
The vulnerability was discovered in the JET Database Engine on Windows 7, but it is possible that newer versions of this operating system, including Windows 10, may be at risk.
An attacker wishing to exploit this vulnerability sent the victim a file with the .jet extension, which would allow the attacker to simultaneously gain access to their computer and install malware and viruses on it.
Despite the fact that such a scenario looks scary, information security specialists assess the threat from this vulnerability as moderate, emphasizing the fact that infection is impossible without the active participation of the user himself.
“There is no other attack scenario through this vulnerability that does not involve user interaction. Personally, I would say that the level of risk in this case can be assessed as low or medium, ”said Martin Chron, security specialist at Avast, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.
When switching from the Windows XP operating system to Windows 7 and higher, users find in the root of the system drive (C :) new folder Perflogs. What kind of folder it is, what information it contains and what it is for, we will consider in detail in the article.
Let's make a guess based on the name. Translated from English:
- Log is a log.
- Perf is more of an abbreviation for performance, which stands for performance. So the Perflogs folder is where the performance log data is stored.
Important! The Perflogs directory is not filled with data unless performance analysis programs are running. Otherwise, it is filled with a lot of information.
Performance analysis
System performance is the speed at which a PC performs system and application tasks. The quality and comfort of the user's work depends on it.
To ensure maximum performance personal computer and in case of unstable operation (insufficient response speed), we will use the performance monitor to find out the reason for this behavior.
Performance Monitor - windows componentwhich sends its reported data to the Perflogs folder. This data can help improve performance and speed up computer operations.
Data Collector Groups
To enter the data collection program:
The results are collected using data collectors that are grouped together. 
Standard groups:
- performance counter;
- event tracking data;
- system configuration information;
- System Performance;
- System Diagnostics.
The collector group is used both template and custom. The monitor allows you to create your own group of data collectors. 
Group report files - report.htm are located on the path C: \\ PerfLogs \\ System \\ Diagnostics in a subfolder with the name of the computer being diagnosed + the date of diagnosis.
System role of the Perflogs folder
The Perflogs directory can be removed from disk without affecting system performance. At the next start of the system, it will be created anew (if data collection is started).
Advice! If you need data to analyze the system, then when you delete the directory, you will lose it and have to run the diagnostics again.
If you have any difficulties,. Please describe in detail what issue you are facing so that we can help.
The article describes one of the cases of solving the problem in which from session to session Windows takes up a lot of space on the hard disk, and clearing temporary folders does not work and the problem keeps returning.
Are you trying to find out where the free space of your hard disk has disappeared? The situation is complicated at times by the fact that nothing seemed to be installed, and tens and sometimes even hundreds of gigabytes of space were blown away ... But listen further.
Windows users sometimes, meanwhile, strange system behavior is reported. Using the methods of detecting "space absorbers" in the article "?" or, you can count on temporary positive results. However by the end windows session takes up a lot of space repeatedly: Windows log files accumulate from time to time, sometimes occupying hundreds of gigabytes, generating separate files in packs of 100 MB each. The “harmful” folder seems to have been detected - this is C: \\ Windows \\ Temp, however, nothing can be done: files with the extension .cab fill up temporary storage until free disk space disappears completely. This action is similar to a maneuver that by the end of the “session” will consume all free space on the HDD.
Windows takes up a lot of space: the crux of the matter
Windows developers have long known about this problem. The problem is known to stem from work results Component Oriented Service systems ( Component-Based Servicing), which sometimes creates logs of incredible sizes. These are located in the folder C: \\ Windows \\ Logs \\ CBS... The current log is named as cbs.log... But as soon as it reaches a certain value in its size, the launched cleaning process immediately renames this file to a file of the type .log and immediately tries to compress it in size, eventually assigning the extension to the resulting file .cab... using the system utility makecab.exe... But here is where the user sometimes lies in wait for a "bonus": when the file cbs.log reaches a size of 2 GB before the cleaning process has time to turn to it for compression, the specified utility .. cannot cope with it - and it, they say, is already too big: the utility makecab.exe frankly "dumb" when faced with files of this size. The log is renamed to C bsPersist-time-date.log and when makecab.exetries to compress it, an error appears. The error loops and as a result: every 15 - 30 minutes. (everyone has it differently)
- the utility creates the first 100 MB of "compression" .cab
- stumbles upon an error
- and all the same is repeated.
Windows takes up a lot of space: a likely solution
So, if you are faced with a situation where times from times windows takes up a lot of hard drive space, try this:
- for the duration of work "slow down" Windows Modules Installer via console
- looking for a folder C: \\ Windows \\ Logs \\ CBS and rename all files inside the folder (whatever you like)
- looking for a folder C: \\ Windows \\ Temp and delete all files cab
- reboot
Now makecab.exewill not be able to handle files incorrectly and disk clutter should stop. And if you don't need Windows log files, you can delete them too.
Second option
Download, unzip and run via Power shell as administrator file
Unsubscribe how what worked for someone.
When installing operating rooms windows systems the seventh version and higher (for example, after XP) users saw a lot of innovations. In particular, this concerned the appearance of some incomprehensible directories that were not previously on the system disk. One of these is the PerfLogs directory. What kind of folder with this name is displayed in "Explorer" or in another file manager, further and will be considered. To understand this, first let's consider why this directory was created in the system.
What is the PerfLogs folder on the C drive?
This directory was first introduced into the file structure only in Windows 7. At the moment it is present in all recent operating systems. But what is the PerfLogs directory used for? What is this folder in Windows 10, as well as in Windows 7 or 8?
To understand its purpose, you just need to decipher the abbreviation of the name. The first part (Perf) is derived from the English Performance, which can be interpreted as "design" or "performance", and the second (Logs) denotes logs, or special system reports, corresponding to the performance log.
What data is stored in the directory
Thus, speaking about what the PerfLogs folder is, it is easy to understand that it is a place to save special files, in which the results of performance tests, if any, are recorded.
It should be noted separately that the more tests are carried out, the more more files is saved there. And they, in turn, can be quite large, since old reports do not disappear anywhere. In other words, new reports are not overwritten. Ultimately, the amount of disk space used can increase significantly.
Default settings
What is the PerfLogs folder in Windows 7 or higher ranked systems is a little clear. Now a few words about the nuances that every user of a computer system should know.
The fact is that initially there is no information in this directory (it is empty or takes up minimal space). These reports appear only after performance tests are performed using the operating system. They are mainly used after some time, when the system begins to significantly slow down or cause failures at the system level, which entails an increase in the load on hardware resources. Thus, the more often you run tests, the larger this directory will be. However, all of this applies only to Windows instrumentation. Therefore, in order not to clutter up the system partition, it is better to use third-party utilities for performance testing.
Viewing log files
Many users would like to view full reports, for example, to find out why the system performance is slowing down. But it is not possible to open the files located in the PerfLogs directory just like that (no programs are associated with their extensions by default in Windows).
So what is the PerfLogs folder if you can't open its contents? The problem here is that this directory belongs to the performance monitor service, but not the one that is in the "Task Manager", but the one that is presented as a hidden standard application.
You can call it through regular menu Run if you enter perfmon, which is the abbreviation for performance monitor. In the monitor itself, you need to use performance counters, divided into groups, where you can see the results of all checks.
In this case, test files are loaded automatically, but the overall report result for all categories is stored not in the main directory, but in the Diagnostics subdirectory, which is located in the System folder of the main directory (PerfLogs). Thus, you do not need to open files one by one.
Is it possible to delete the PerfLogs folder
Let's say a few words about the possibility or impossibility of this action. Since, as already noted, the files contained in a directory can take up too much disk space, many users have a completely natural question about whether it is possible to get rid of this directory.
You can delete a folder with all files and subdirectories, but this will not affect the performance of the operating system. The user will just lose the ability to view the results of the checks, if he carried them out. As for the folder itself, even after deleting it, the operating system will automatically create the directory of the same name upon restart using its own automated tools for restoring settings (registry entries, folders and files). It will be located in the same place where it was remote folder... As in the default settings, this auto-generated directory will initially be empty! As soon as you start checking the system for performance, you will immediately get an increase in its size. Conclusion: it is not worth doing checks too often, so as not to increase the amount of information in the PerfLogs folder, then it will not interfere.
If the decision to delete the folder is made, but in the "Explorer" delete it standard method does not work, you can use the Unlocker program or log in to the system under the administrator's account. It is even easier to activate it for login via the command line in order to immediately assign yourself all the admin rights. But herself command console should initially only run with administrator rights.
Finally
That's it for the PerfLogs directory. What kind of folder is on the system drive and what it is intended for, hopefully, now it has become clear. As for deleting a directory, the choice is up to the user. If you sometimes need to view the results of a report to compare tests at different time points, it is better not to touch the catalog. If space on the system partition is extremely limited, the directory can be deleted. And remember that for normal operation of any system of the latest generations, it is necessary to keep at least 10-15% of the total system disk free. In the presence of powerful processors and large amounts of RAM, as well as to reduce the use of the system partition, you can simply disable virtual memory (deactivate the use of the paging file).