DEV Community: raincleaner

Why Windows 11 Gets Slow After an Update

raincleaner — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 02:18:42 +0000

An update may be related to a slowdown, or it may be coincidence: Windows could still be finishing background work, a startup app may have changed, a driver may have updated, or storage may be running low. Find out what changed before trying to fix everything.

1. Restart and let Windows Update finish

Use Start → Power → Restart (not Shut down and straight back on). Then open Settings → Windows Update and check for a pending restart, an update still downloading or installing, or more updates waiting. Let it finish and wait a few minutes before judging performance.

2. Check Task Manager

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, open the Processes tab and sort by CPU, Memory and Disk. Look for one process that stays on top: Windows Update activity, search indexing, antivirus scanning, a browser with many tabs, a game launcher updating, cloud sync or a newly installed background utility.

High usage right after an update is often temporary. If one third-party app stays at the top for a long time, investigate that app.

3. Check Startup apps

Software updates can re-enable startup entries. In Task Manager open Startup apps and look at launchers, chat clients, hardware utilities, cloud storage and RGB software. Disabling an entry does not uninstall the program. Identify it before disabling it.

4. Check free storage

Settings → System → Storage. A nearly full system drive makes maintenance and updates harder. See what actually uses the space; one unused game can outweigh months of temporary files. Be careful with Downloads, the Recycle Bin and Previous Windows installations - they can hold files you still need.

5. Check whether a driver changed

Windows Update can also deliver drivers. If the slowdown affects one area - graphics, Wi-Fi, audio, storage - open Device Manager, the device's Properties → Driver, and look at the provider, date and version. A driver that changed around the time the problem started is useful evidence.

Do not download a replacement from a third-party driver site. Prefer Windows Update, your PC maker's support page or the hardware maker's official page.

6. Run Windows Security if behaviour is odd

Unexpected high CPU, disk or network activity is not always an update. Run a scan under Windows Security → Virus & threat protection. A cleaner is not a substitute for a malware scan.

7. Be careful with optional updates

Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates may list driver updates. Do not install every one just because it exists, and avoid changing several things at once - troubleshooting is easier when you know which change made the difference.

8. Ask what else changed

Was the update the only change? Also think about a new application, a game update, a new driver, a browser extension, different antivirus software, a new startup app or a nearly full drive. If the PC slowed right after installing a specific application, that may matter more than the update.

9. Do not start with registry cleaning

A slow PC after an update is not evidence that the registry needs cleaning. Be wary of tools that blame thousands of registry entries. Look at measurable causes first: CPU, memory, disk activity, startup load, storage space and drivers.

10. If Windows itself looks damaged

Settings → System → Recovery may offer Fix problems using Windows Update, which reinstalls the current version of Windows while keeping apps, files and settings. Use it only after the simpler checks fail, and back up important files first.

FAQ

Can a Windows update really make a PC slower?
Sometimes, for a while: background work, new drivers or re-enabled startup apps can all add load. It can also be a coincidence, so check what changed before acting.

Should I run a registry cleaner?
No. A slowdown after an update is not evidence of registry problems. Check CPU, memory, disk, startup apps, storage and drivers first.

Is reinstalling Windows necessary?
Rarely. The Windows Update repair option in Recovery can reinstall the current version while keeping your files and apps, after simpler checks fail.

If you prefer seeing cleanup candidates before removing them, Rain Cleaner follows this approach with a preview step. I am one of the people behind it, so take that as a disclosure, not a recommendation: everything above works with Windows alone.

Originally published at https://raincleaner.eu/guides/windows-11-slow-after-update-what-to-check

Why Windows Updates Leave Old Files Behind

raincleaner — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 01:36:14 +0000

After a few months of updates, Windows can hold several gigabytes of old update data. Windows Update Cleanup is Microsoft's own, supported way to remove what is no longer needed. The key is understanding what you give up.

What Windows Update Cleanup is

Windows keeps older versions of system files so that updates can be applied reliably and, for a while, rolled back. Windows Update Cleanup removes superseded copies that Windows no longer needs for normal operation.

It is an entry in Disk Cleanup (after you choose Clean up system files) and, on Windows 11, it can also appear under Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files.

How to run it

Search for Disk Cleanup (or run cleanmgr), choose the Windows drive, click Clean up system files, wait for the scan, then tick Windows Update Cleanup only if you want to see how much it would free. Read the size shown for each category before you confirm.

Alternatively open Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files and review the list Windows shows for your PC.

Is it safe?

Yes, when you run it through Disk Cleanup or Settings: this is a supported Windows feature, not a hack. It does not touch your documents, photos or installed programs.

What you give up is the ability to uninstall the updates it cleaned up. If a recent update is causing a problem, solve that first, and only clean up once the PC is working well.

When it is worth doing

It is most useful when your system drive is nearly full and the scan shows a gigabyte or more. If it shows a few hundred megabytes, the saving may not be worth the trade-off, and Windows may clean it automatically later.

What not to do

Do not delete files by hand from C:\Windows or the WinSxS folder to get the same effect. Manual deletion can break updates and repair tools. Use the supported tools only. See our guide on the WinSxS folder for the details.

Windows Update Cleanup is also different from Previous Windows installation (Windows.old). That one removes the option to go back to the earlier Windows version, so read it separately.

Other ways to recover storage

Check Settings → System → Storage for the biggest categories first. An unused game or a folder of videos is usually bigger than all update leftovers together. Our guide on freeing up disk space on Windows 11 lists the safe order.

FAQ

Is it safe to delete Windows Update Cleanup files?
Yes, when you use Disk Cleanup or the Storage settings. You lose the ability to uninstall the updates that were cleaned up.

How much space will it free?
It varies. A PC that has been updating for months may free several gigabytes; a freshly installed one may free almost nothing.

Is it the same as deleting Windows.old?
No. Windows.old is the Previous Windows installation and is listed separately; removing it removes the option to roll back to the earlier version.

Originally published at https://raincleaner.eu/guides/windows-update-cleanup-safe-to-delete-windows-11

What Is Safe to Delete on Windows 11?

raincleaner — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 01:35:36 +0000

Disk cleanup tools show you a number and a button. The number is the easy part. Here is what is behind each category, and the ones where the right answer is to leave them alone.

Safe, and you lose nothing

These are files Windows and your programs would recreate anyway. Deleting them costs you nothing but the seconds it takes to rebuild a cache.

This is where most of the space usually is, and it is also where most cleaners stop explaining.

Windows Update leftovers: safe, with one condition

After an update installs, Windows keeps the old files so you can uninstall that update. Once you are sure the machine is fine — a few days of normal use — these are dead weight, and on a machine that has had a feature update they can be many gigabytes.

The condition is exactly that: if you delete them, you can no longer uninstall those updates. If a monitor has been flickering since Tuesday, deal with that first.

WinSxS: do not delete it, and do not trust anyone who says you can

The WinSxS folder looks enormous in Explorer and it is one of the most common pieces of bad advice on the internet. Most of what you see there is not really there — Windows uses hard links, so the same file is counted many times over. Deleting from that folder by hand breaks Windows in ways that are hard to repair.

There is a supported way to shrink it, and only one: the component cleanup that Windows itself performs, which removes superseded component versions and nothing else.

Where the honest answer is: keep them

System restore points are the most valuable thing on a Windows disk that is not your own files. They are the difference between a bad driver being a twenty-minute annoyance and a lost evening. A cleaner that offers to delete them to show you a bigger number is optimising for the number, not for you.

The hibernation file is the other one people get wrong. Yes, deleting it frees several gigabytes. It also turns off hibernation and, on most laptops, fast startup with it. If you use either, that is a bad trade for disk space you were not short of.

FAQ

How much space will I actually get back?
On a machine that has never been cleaned, typically a few hundred megabytes to a few gigabytes, most of it browser cache and update leftovers. Anyone promising tens of gigabytes is counting things you should keep.

Does cleaning make my PC faster?
Almost never, and it is worth being blunt about it. Free disk space helps when the drive is nearly full. Otherwise you are reclaiming space, not speed.

Is the registry worth cleaning?
No. Registry cleaners have been solving a problem that stopped mattering fifteen years ago, and a wrong deletion there is a real risk. Rain Cleaner does not touch the registry for cleaning.

Originally published at https://raincleaner.eu/guides/what-is-safe-to-delete-windows

How to Find Large Files Taking Space on Windows 11

raincleaner — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 21:01:41 +0000

When the drive is almost full, the fastest fix is usually a handful of very large files or folders. Windows 11 can show them without extra software. The rule is simple: find first, read what it is, and only then decide.

1. Start with Storage settings

Open Settings → System → Storage and wait for the scan. Choose Show more categories to see Apps & features, Temporary files, Documents, Videos and other groups with their sizes. On many versions Cleanup recommendations also lists large or unused files; the exact entries depend on your build.

2. Use File Explorer size filters

Open This PC (or the drive), click the search box and type size:>1GB. File Explorer then lists files bigger than 1 GB; you can also use size:gigantic (over 128 MB). Switch to the Details view and sort by Size, largest first. Search results can be incomplete for folders that are not indexed, so treat the list as a guide, not a full audit.

3. Check installed apps by size

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps and sort by Size. Games and creative tools are often the largest items. Uninstalling an app you no longer use usually frees more space than deleting many small files.

4. Use PowerShell for a top-20 list

Open Windows Terminal and run: Get-ChildItem C:\Users\YourName -Recurse -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Sort-Object Length -Descending | Select-Object -First 20 FullName, @{n='GB';e={[math]::Round($_.Length/1GB,2)}}. Replace the path with the folder you want to check. This only reads files; it deletes nothing. On a whole drive it can take several minutes.

Files you should not delete by hand

hiberfil.sys, pagefile.sys and swapfile.sys are managed by Windows. If you really do not need hibernation, you can turn it off from an administrator terminal with powercfg /h off, which removes hiberfil.sys. Do not delete these files from File Explorer, and read our guides on Windows.old and the WinSxS folder before touching those.

Before you delete

Check what a file is, when it was last used and whether you have another copy. Move rarely needed large files such as video projects or installers to an external drive instead of deleting them straight away. Empty the Recycle Bin only after you are sure.

FAQ

How do I find the biggest files on my C: drive?
Use Settings → System → Storage for the big picture, then File Explorer with size:>1GB, or the PowerShell command in this guide for a top-20 list.

Is it safe to delete hiberfil.sys or pagefile.sys?
Not from File Explorer. Windows manages them. Hibernation can be turned off with powercfg /h off if you do not use it; the page file is best left alone.

Will freeing disk space make my PC faster?
It gives Windows room to update and work, but it does not by itself make the processor, graphics card or internet faster.

Originally published at https://raincleaner.eu/guides/find-large-files-taking-space-windows-11

Windows 11 After a Clean Install: Finding Missing Drivers Safely

raincleaner — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 20:54:47 +0000

Windows 11 installs a surprising number of drivers on its own, but not always the right ones for every device. This is a practical order for checking what is missing after a clean install.

What Windows installs automatically

Windows includes many inbox drivers and can fetch more through Windows Update, so a fresh install often works for basic display, storage and sometimes network. Basic does not always mean complete: features such as power management, fine-tuned graphics performance or special keys may be missing.

Start with network connectivity

If Wi-Fi or Ethernet does not work, nothing else is easy to fix, so deal with it first. Prepare the network driver on a USB stick before you reinstall if you can: download it from the PC or motherboard maker, or export the one you already use.

Our guide on installing a network driver offline after a Windows reinstall covers the steps.

Chipset and platform drivers

Chipset and platform drivers help Windows work properly with the motherboard: power management, buses and built-in controllers. They come from the PC or motherboard maker, or from Intel or AMD. Unknown devices in Device Manager often belong here.

Storage and boot-critical drivers

Storage controller drivers matter most when Windows cannot see a drive during setup, for example some RAID or NVMe configurations. If setup already finished and you can boot, you usually only need to update them for performance or stability reasons.

Graphics drivers

Windows can show a picture with a basic driver, but gaming, video acceleration and high-resolution or multi-monitor setups usually need the driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, or the one from the laptop maker. Laptops with two GPUs can need both.

Audio, Bluetooth and peripheral drivers

Audio, Bluetooth, webcam, card reader, touchpad and fingerprint reader often work with a generic driver but may miss features. Check each device after the important ones above.

Why Windows Update may not find every driver

Windows Update only offers drivers that the hardware maker has published to Microsoft and that have passed Microsoft’s checks. Newer chipset, touchpad, fingerprint, RAID or vendor-specific drivers are often missing from it, and so are drivers for very new or very old hardware. If a device still shows a yellow warning in Device Manager after Windows Update has run, look at the PC or device maker’s support page for the exact model.

Windows Update vs manufacturer drivers

Windows chooses the best matching driver package it can find, which is not always the newest one. Use Windows Update first for the common devices, and use the maker's package when a device is missing, misbehaving or lacks a feature. Do not install every package you can find.

Check Device Manager before you finish

Open Device Manager and look for yellow warning icons and Unknown device entries. Our guide on finding a driver by Hardware ID explains how to identify what an unknown device is before you download anything.

FAQ

Do I need to install drivers after a clean install of Windows 11?
Often not many, but check Device Manager and test network, graphics, audio and any special hardware. Missing features are usually drivers.

Which driver should I install first?
The network driver, so that the rest can be downloaded.

Is the newest driver always the best?
No. Windows picks the best matching package, which is not always the newest. Install what you need.

If you want a tool that backs up the drivers that already work before a reinstall, Rain Driver does that (I am one of the people behind it, so this is a disclosure). Everything above works with Windows alone.

Originally published at https://raincleaner.eu/guides/drivers-after-clean-install-windows-11

Windows 11 Disk Cleanup Checklist: What to Check Before Removing Files

raincleaner — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 20:54:07 +0000

Nine steps in a safe order. Tick them one by one, read before you delete, and stop when you have enough free space. Print this page or keep it open next to Settings.

Before you start

☐ Back up the files you cannot lose, or at least make sure they exist somewhere else.
☐ Make sure a restore point can be created (Control Panel → System → System Protection).

The checklist

☐ 1. Check Storage settings: Settings → System → Storage, and note which category is largest.
☐ 2. Review large files: see our guide on finding large files.
☐ 3. Check the Downloads folder: it is your own folder, not automatic junk.
☐ 4. Review Temporary files in Storage settings and read each entry before ticking it.
☐ 5. Review Windows.old: removing it ends the option to go back to the previous Windows version.
☐ 6. Run Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr) and read the entries under Clean up system files.
☐ 7. Check Windows Update Cleanup: it removes superseded update files.
☐ 8. Review apps by size: Settings → Apps → Installed apps, sorted by Size.
☐ 9. Empty the Recycle Bin only after you are sure nothing in it is needed.

What not to do

Do not delete files from the Windows, System32 or WinSxS folders by hand. Do not delete hiberfil.sys, pagefile.sys or swapfile.sys from File Explorer. You do not need a registry cleaner to free disk space.

How to use this page

Use the browser's Print command to print it, or save it as a PDF from the print dialog. Each step links to a longer guide through the related guides below.

FAQ

In what order should I clean up Windows 11?
Check what takes space first, then review temporary files, Windows.old, Disk Cleanup and Windows Update Cleanup, and only then decide about apps and large files.

Can I print this checklist?
Yes. Use your browser's Print command or save the page as a PDF from the print dialog.

Do I need to back up before cleaning?
It is a good habit, especially before removing Windows.old or large folders you are not sure about.

Originally published at https://raincleaner.eu/guides/windows-11-disk-cleanup-checklist