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Takeaway: Deleting files from the Windows Side-by-side (WinSxS) folder is a bad idea. But, you can shrink the WinSxS folder with vsp1cln.exe and compcln.exe.

Understanding Windows Side-by-side assemblies and the WinSxS folder

In an effort to combat the dynamically linked library (DLL) problems that plagued Windows 9x, Microsoft introduced the concept of Side-by-side (SxS) assemblies in Windows XP. DLL hell, as these problems were often referred to, occurred when multiple applications (let’s say App. 1 and App. 2) relied on a single .DLL file. If App. 1 updated the .DLL file to a new version, but App. 2 still needed the old version, App. 2 might no longer work.