What are some tips on reducing the disk space used by Windows 7?

Question

Does anyone have any tips on reducing the space used by Windows 7? So far I've got:

• Empty Recycle Bin
• Run Disk Cleanup Wizard
• Use 'Programs & Features' control panel to uninstall unneeded components

However even after all that, my Windows directory is taking up 12GB. I found this other question, but that would require me to hack the windows installation disk and then reinstall my OS from scratch, which I'd like to avoid if possible.

Edit: Reason for this question: I already have a spare drive where I store non-essential stuff, but my main C: drive is a small expensive SSD, so the more space I can clear on there, the better. I already run WinDirStat to find stuff in my home folder, and which apps in Program Files are taking up too much space, this question is specifically for reducing the 12 GB in C:\Windows.

Solution

Install and frequently run ccleaner. Defragment your disk (which is probably the biggest). And lastly (if you can), just buy a terabyte external hdd, they are about a 100 bucks and you never have to worry about disk space again :)

Comments

[davr]

I doubt defragmenting will free up any space, doesn't it just move things around? Also I have a very expensive intel SSD as my main drive plus an inexpensive secondary drive. The more useful stuff I can fit on my main drive the better. I'll try CCleaner though and see if that helps, thanks for that

[davr]

So far my winsxs is only 6GB, not as bad as on Vista where some people report over 20GB!!

[phoebus]

There is little reason to spend time frequently defragging an SSD.