If not all, then many users have repeatedly noticed that after installing the MS Visual Studio software package, the Package Cache directory appears on the system drive. What is this folder? What is it for? Is it possible to get rid of it in order to clear free space? We will talk about all this in an article.
Many users are quite skeptical about its removal, which can lead to unpredictable consequences in terms of the health of the main application.
Package Cache: what is this folder?
Let's start with the simplest. Let's look at the Package Cache directory itself. What kind of folder it is, it is easy to understand if you turn to the main program Visual Studio.
If anyone does not know, this application is required to be installed when using powerful graphics packages or demanding games on computers (without this they simply won’t work). But why, then, on Windows does the Package Cache folder appear immediately after installing the main program? The answer is simple: the application automatically reserves a place in the system partition for your needs, which boils down to creating and storing backup copies of the working program and for the timely installation of service packs. It is impossible to change the location of the created directory during the installation process, since all this happens in the background.
For earlier versions of Visual Studio, the folder size should not exceed 50 MB. In later versions, free space is reserved at 2.5 GB, provided that the main installation distribution of the application, for example, 2015 release, has a size of 6.15 GB.
What is the Package Cache folder of Windows 7? Roughly speaking, it in its main purpose serves to quickly automatically restore the work of Visual Studio from a backup copy, similar to the way it is done for the entire system as a whole in case of sudden failures. It is clear that keeping the distribution package, which takes up three times more free disk space than the cached data directory, is completely inexpedient, because you can restore the program from a folder with copies.
Can I delete the Package Cache folder from the system partition?
Now a few words about the removal. What is this folder (Package Cache), a little figured out. But to solve a further problem, you need to build on the recommendations of Visual Studio developers from Microsoft. They do not recommend deleting this directory in any way.
If the user intentionally or accidentally deleted this directory, at the start of the download of program updates he will receive a message stating that it is impossible to determine the source of updates. The same notification will appear in a situation where a failure has occurred. This is understandable: since there is no backup, the application cannot be restored.
Move a folder to another logical partition
But it is not all that bad. At least, it is believed (and this is confirmed by all experts) that if you cannot delete the Package Cache directory, you can simply move it to another disk or to a logical partition on which there is more free space. To do this, the command line is first launched (required as administrator) either through the "Run" console (cmd), or through the start menu, or by opening the cmd.exe executable object in the System32 location through the PCM.
Now it's up to the small. Before entering the move commands in the logical partition (for example, on the “D” drive), you need to create the C_DRIVE directory, the ProgramData folder in it, and the Package Cache directory in this folder. After that, you should copy the contents of the original directory from the location ProgramData \ Package Cache on disk "C" to a new location. When copying is complete, delete the initial directory in the system partition.
Please note: by default, the ProgramData folder on the system drive is hidden, so in the "Explorer" you must enable the display of the corresponding files and folders through the view menu.
After that, in order for the program to determine the location of the cached data, the command line first writes the line C: \> rmdir / s / q "C: \ ProgramData \ Package Cache", and then another one: C: \> mklink / D "C: \ ProgramData \ Package Cache "" D: \ C_DRIVE \ ProgramData \ Package Cache ". A successful completion of the operation will be indicated by the appearance of a message about the assignment of a symbolic link to the new directory. Commands are entered with quotation marks and spaces, as shown above.
Instead of a total
That's it for the Packager Cache directory. What kind of folder is it, and what actions can be done with it so as not to disrupt the functionality of the Visual Studio program, I think, it’s already clear. In any case, just like that (without using copying the contents of the original directory and entering additional commands) to get rid of this object is not recommended. Otherwise, not only updates will not be installed, but the program itself will have to be completely reinstalled.