please help with setupapi.app.log

[ady4um]

I'm using Vista home basic x86 with SP1.

 

What would happen if I manually delete setupapi.app.log ?

 

I mean, Is there any problem deleting it? What consequences would be in case I delete it?

 

AFAIK, this Windows Vista log is not part of CCleaner's cleaning, so that makes me think there *is* some problem while deleting it.

 

Thank you in advance.

[DennisD]

Hi ady, and welcome to Piriform.

 

This may help:

 

http://msmvps.com/blogs/alunj/archive/2008...25/1657730.aspx

 

Make sure you read down to the very last comment on the page.

[ady4um]

Thank you Dennis.

 

Actually, I've already read that article, including the comments.

 

But I've also read other post elsewhere indicating not to delete it. This other post gives at least 2 reasons.

 

One, since setupapi.app.log is inside c:\Windows\inf (or equivalent "inf" folder), then generally speaking I shouldn't "play" with anything in that folder.

 

The second, setupapi.app.log is related (?) to installed applications.

 

So, IMO those 2 are not really "reasons" not to touch it. What I would like to know is what is really that relation to applications they are talking about and what simptoms/problems/consequences I would see if I decide to delete this file.

 

As I said, since CCleaner *has* the option to delete several Windows logs, but setupapi.app.log is not included, I assume it has to be related to some "conservative" consideration, or that it could be somehow problematic.

 

So again, what are the consequences of deleting setupapi.app.log ?

 

Thank you in advance.

[DennisD]

From what I've read on various forums, and the article above ady, I don't think you would have any problem deleting that file, and deleting it wouldn't have an adverse effect on your computer at all.

 

The only risk in deleting it, is whether or not you may need the logged information to trace the cause of problems arising from an installation of a device or drivers.

 

The one thing that seems common amongst all the stuff I've read, is the fact that this file can grow to pretty unacceptable levels simply because of the way Microsoft initially set it up.

 

Hence the recommendation at various sites to reset the logging parameters to keep the size of the log, and the detail recorded to a sensible level.

 

If you haven't installed any new devices or drivers recently, and all is running fine with your computer, then it would probably be fine to follow the advice on how to reduce the size of the file and any future logging, but this is one of those "personal choice" situations. In the end it's up to you to follow the advice or not.

 

There are a few Vista users on here, and they may input some info as to what they did or would do with this file.

 

Hope that helps.

[ady4um]

Dennis, thank you for your post.

 

My problem with all those articles/posts I've read, is the same the one you arise. I could change the option to log less than before, but this does not mean I could delete the file. Changing the log option does not reduce the file either, and I haven't found any setting to limit its size (like deleting old info after getting to 5 or 10 MB or sth similar).

 

Moreover, I couldn't find any comment anywhere about the results after deleting it. When I read sth like "Yeah, go on and delete it", there is no "ok, I did it successfully and test it for several days/weeks and there are no problems".

 

Now, for you and anyone else reading this post, this setupapi.APP.log is about "applications". So drivers and/or devices are not related, except for apps related to drivers. For drivers and devices, there are other logs, one of them being setupapi.DEV.log.

 

I'm still very much interested in this issue. As I mentioned before, there must be a valid reason not to include this setupapi.app.log in CCleaner.

 

I'm not suggesting to include it. I'm just want to know what to expect if I decide to delete it. Maybe the devs could mention the reasons not to include it in CCleaner. Maybe someone already knows what to expect, or in which situations this log is used by windows.

 

Thank you in advance.

[marmite]

Out of curiosity, why do you want to delete it? Is it causing you a problem, or is it just a case of "if I don't need it, why keep it"?

 

[Note that according to this article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927525 the file does contain driver information.]

 

Microsoft have given this file a "log" extension; I think it is just that. A file like this just doesn't feel like the kind of format that Microsoft would put essential system information. I have come across several articles, including the one above, where the log entries are used for diagnostic purposes in the event of a problem. But I agree that it would be useful to get Piriform's take on why this was excluded ... after all there are plenty of "non-essential but potentially useful" things that you do have the option to delete in ccleaner.

 

I don't run Vista on my main machine. I think if I really wanted to get rid of this file ('cos it was taking up a few gig, for example) I'd back it up, then bite the bullet and attempt to rename it / delete it / empty it ... having also made sure I had an appropriate partition or drive back up first. But I can understand anyone's reluctance to "suck it and see". I suspect that even if the OS whinged, it would let you "put the file back" without too much grief. Also, I read one article from someone who'd been unable to delete the file, even using the likes of Unlocker.

[DennisD]

You're right of course ady, two different logs for devices/drivers, and applications.

 

Substitute "Applications" for "Devices/Drivers" above, and my post would be the same. It's a log with the sole purpose of logging the details of "Application" installations.

 

It's a log you may never use, so you make your choice as to whether to leave it as it is, getting ever bigger, or you decide to delete it and start afresh with it's growth limited.

 

You can enter a registry value to stop it growing at all.

 

http://www.msfn.org/board/disable-setupapi...es-t119716.html

 

Why it isn't included in CCleaner I can't tell you except to guess that it may never have been brought up before, as I can't recollect it being mentioned in the time I've been here, either as a problem or a recommendation for CCleaner.

 

With it being a Vista issue, I think you would get more input from the Vista forums, where everyone will have this file, and opinions on what to do with it.

 

That's all I can tell you ady. Maybe some input from the Vista users on here would help.

[hazelnut]

What is the actual size of your log ady?

[ady4um]

Thank you all for your posts.

 

First, the reason I would like to delete it is its size. Microsoft considers a setupapi.app.log file bigger than 5 MB to be too big. But they do not mention how to manage its size (after all, even logging just the minimum, except for not logging anything, the file will eventually get to 5 MB; in my case several 100's MB).

 

Speaking about windows, I usually opt for knowing what is going to happen when choosing some setting, before actually choosing it. This is specially true for some procedure I could not undo if I get into trouble.

 

Of course I wouldn't delete it without some backup first. But, as Dennis says, setupapi.app.log could be related to installed apps. If deleting it has some influence when I would decide to uninstall some app, then it could be dificult for me to realise that this specific log is the problem, and by then, restoring the file with the backed up log could be even worse. And what if there is some problem and I don't realise there is one till it's too late to repair?

 

Dennis, I couldn't find relevant posts here about this log. You mentioned there were discussions before. Could you point me to those?

 

I still hope someone having some experience about this setupapi.app.log to come and post about it.

 

Thank you in advance.

[DennisD]

First, apologies to marmite. We posted at the same time above and I didn't see your post before I wrote this in the post below yours.

 

Maybe some input from the Vista users on here would help.

----------------------------------------

 

First ady, this is what I said about previous posts regarding this file:

 

Why it isn't included in CCleaner I can't tell you except to guess that it may never have been brought up before, as I can't recollect it being mentioned in the time I've been here, either as a problem or a recommendation for CCleaner.

 

Second. If you read over some of the posts above, including marmites, I hope you'll realise this is simply a log file, which may be handy in diagnosing a faulty application installation.

 

If an application has installed with no problems, then the details of that installation in the log, IMHO, are really surplus to requirements. You don't need them, as there's no problem to diagnose.

 

There's only you can make the decision to keep or get rid of a log file. There isn't a straightforward yes or no as to keeping it or not.

 

We're just seem to be going round in circles now. There isn't anything else I can add to what I've already said.

 

If you still can't decide what to do, maybe try the Vista forums as I've suggested above as this is really a Vista issue. I'm not brushing you off here, just suggesting where you may get the answer you're looking for.

[ady4um]

Dennis, maybe I wasn't clear enough about why I haven't decided to delete it or not.

 

It's not about *me* having to check its content in case some app had a problem. It's about not knowing how *Vista* deals with it or its content.

 

Whether I run into some problem with some app or not, I don't think I would remember to check its content, specially if this log is so big. Even if this file is "just" a log, I don't know if Vista would *need* it (or its content) in some procedure related to apps. As I already mentioned, there are contradict recommendations about it.

 

Now Marmite and Hazelnut, about the reason to delete this log, or why this log is bothering me, is because it seems to keep rapidly growing and growing. If not now, with its 100's MB, eventually its size will get to the point I will have to deal with this issue.

 

 

I will keep searching as suggested. In the meantime, the question about CCleaner not offering to clean this setupapi.app.log is still relevant.

 

Since CCleaner is offering the possibility to clean other Windows' logs, I thought maybe the devs already evaluated the possibility to include this one (which in most cases will be the biggest Vista's log file, by far). If the devs could comment about that, maybe their comments could point, me and other Vista's users, to a real answer about the usefulness of this log.

 

In this context, by "usefulness" I mean the use that *Vista* does, or *Vista's* needs (as oppose to the user manually dealing with its content, which I'm not interested in right now in this topic).

 

 

To be perfectly clear, I'm not doubting about me needing this log. It's about Vista (or the installed apps) needing it. If there are no consequences in that sense, any user could delete it and CCleaner could offer that possibility.

 

If the devs don't really know about this log, then I guess adding it could potentially be a suggestion (or at least to evaluate the consequences of deleting it).

 

Thank you.

[hazelnut]

I think that as there seems to be uncertainty about this log in Vista it may be unrealistic to expect CCleaner to clean it for you, also not everyone has an issue with the log size growing as you do.

 

It seems to be one of those Vista size and cleaning 'issues'' that have never been fully explained by Microsoft.

 

I still think that the link above is a good one

 

http://msmvps.com/blogs/alunj/archive/2008...25/1657730.aspx

 

Also backing up and renaming it .old to see how you go. Although you say you are not interested in dealing with this yourself.

 

As you have found in your searches on this, the logs can be useful for troubleshooting.

 

Anyway to sum things up, not everyone has this issue, and it may be unrealistic to expect ccleaner to clean whern so many knowledgeable experts are unsure of the outcome.