windows-clean-files 1.0.2

windows-clean-files

A console UI tool (using RazorConsole) to audit and safely clean up orphaned MSI/MSP cache files ("arquivos órfãos") from C:\\Windows\\Installer on Windows.

This is a C# rewrite of the original PowerShell script arquivos.ps1, with a richer TUI dashboard instead of command-line switches.

What it does

• Scans C:\\Windows\\Installer for .msi and .msp files.
• Uses the Windows registry to detect which MSI/MSP files are still referenced by installed products.
• Marks files as:
  • Orphaned ("arquivos órfãos"): present on disk but not referenced in the registry.
  • In use: currently locked by another process.
  • Safe to remove: orphaned and not in use.
• Produces an audit report:
  • C:\\Temp\\Installer_Audit_<timestamp>.csv summarizing all files and flags.
  • C:\\Temp\\Installer_Cleanup_<timestamp>.log with a log of the run.
• Optionally moves safe-to-remove files into a backup folder instead of deleting them:
  • C:\\Temp\\InstallerBackup_<timestamp>\\ with all moved files.
  • manifest.csv inside the backup with the full list of moved files.
• Shows a PowerShell command you can use later to restore those files to C:\\Windows\\Installer if needed.

Safety model

This tool is designed to be conservative and reversible:

• It only considers .msi and .msp files under C:\\Windows\\Installer.
• It checks the Windows registry for references before considering a file orphaned.
• It checks whether a file is locked/in use before marking it safe.
• It never deletes files directly:
  • It moves safe files to a timestamped backup directory.
  • It writes a CSV manifest for rollback.
• It mimics the logic of the original arquivos.ps1 script, but runs as a console UI.

Requirements

• Windows (registry scanning is Windows-only and the paths are Windows-specific).
• .NET 10.0 SDK (as configured in windows-clean-files.csproj).
• Run the tool in a console that supports ANSI colors for the best experience.

Note: For best results, run the tool from an elevated (Administrator) PowerShell session, as cleaning C:\\Windows\\Installer may require admin rights.

How to build and run

From the windows-clean-files project folder:

cd C:\dev\cli-dead-files\windows-clean-files\windows-clean-files

# Build
dotnet build

# Run (launches the RazorConsole UI)
dotnet run

When the app starts, you'll see a text-based dashboard called "Windows Installer Cleanup".

Using the UI

The main screen shows:

• A title banner.
• A configuration panel showing:
  • Caminho da pasta Installer: C:\\Windows\\Installer
  • Pasta de saída: C:\\Temp
• Buttons:
  • Executar auditoria
  • Remover órfãos (com confirmação)
  • Sair

Step 1: Audit

1. Use the keyboard to focus the "Executar auditoria" button and press Enter.
2. The tool will:
   • Scan C:\\Windows\\Installer for .msi/.msp files.
   • Query the registry for referenced MSI/MSP paths.
   • Test potential orphan files to see if they are currently in use.
   • Write:
     • Installer_Audit_<timestamp>.csv in C:\\Temp.
     • Installer_Cleanup_<timestamp>.log in C:\\Temp.
3. A Resumo panel appears showing:
   • Espaço total ocupado – total disk space used by all MSI/MSP files.
   • Arquivos órfãos identificados – count of orphaned files.
   • Espaço órfão – total size of orphaned files.
   • Arquivos seguros para remover – how many files are considered safe to move.
   • Espaço recuperável – how much disk space you can reclaim.
   • Relatório – the path to the CSV report.

Step 2: Clean up orphaned files (optional)

After running the audit:

1. If there are files marked safe to remove, focus "Remover órfãos (com confirmação)" and press Enter.
2. A Confirmação panel is shown with:
   • How many files will be moved.
   • How much space will be freed.
   • The backup folder path (e.g. C:\\Temp\\InstallerBackup_20250101_120000).
3. Choose:
   • "Confirmar" to proceed, or
   • "Cancelar" to go back.
4. On confirmation, the tool will:
   • Create the backup folder under C:\\Temp.
   • Write manifest.csv inside that folder.
   • Move each safe file from C:\\Windows\\Installer into the backup.
   • Log the results (success/fail counts, space freed) to the log file.

Rolling back (restoring moved files)

If you decide to restore the moved MSI/MSP files later:

1. Locate the backup folder path displayed in the UI (and in the log), e.g.:

   C:\Temp\InstallerBackup_20250101_120000
   

2. From an elevated PowerShell session, run:

   Get-ChildItem 'C:\Temp\InstallerBackup_20250101_120000\*.msi*' | \
       Move-Item -Destination 'C:\Windows\Installer' -Force
   

This is the same restore command that the original arquivos.ps1 script printed.

Relationship to arquivos.ps1

• arquivos.ps1 is kept in the repository for reference.
• The C# app reimplements the same core behavior:
  • Registry-based detection of referenced MSI/MSP files.
  • Orphan/in-use/safe classification.
  • CSV/export and logging.
  • Backup + manifest + restore command.
• The main differences:
  • UI: text-based RazorConsole UI instead of CLI switches.
  • Execution: run via dotnet run or the built windows-clean-files.exe instead of calling arquivos.ps1.

If you already used arquivos.ps1 to remove "arquivos órfãos" (dead MSI cache files), you can now use this tool as a drop‑in replacement with a friendlier interface and the same safety guarantees.