AnalyzeComponentStore

AnalyzeComponentStore is a DISM command used to assess the Windows Component Store (WinSxS) within a Windows image. It analyzes the current store to estimate potential space savings from cleanup and indicates whether component-store cleanup is advisable. The operation is read-only and does not perform changes to the image by itself.

Usage and scope: AnalyzeComponentStore can run against the online, running operating system or against an offline image. Common syntaxes include: dism /online /cleanup-image /analyzecomponentstore and dism /image:<path> /cleanup-image /analyzecomponentstore. The analysis applies to both mounted offline images and the active system image, and results are written to the DISM log.

Output and interpretation: The analysis reports metrics such as the total size of the component store and the estimated size after cleanup, as well as the number of superseded or orphaned components. It indicates whether a cleanup is recommended and provides guidance on the expected space savings. The results help determine whether further servicing actions are warranted.

Next steps if cleanup is recommended: If the analysis suggests cleanup, the next step is typically to perform a cleanup operation, using commands such as dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup, optionally with /ResetBase to permanently remove older versions. This action actually reduces the component store footprint. After cleanup, AnalyzeComponentStore can be run again to verify the impact.

Limitations and notes: Administrative privileges are required. The analysis can take time on large stores and may depend on image size and system state. The tool recommends actions but does not enforce changes; actual cleanup is a separate operation. Logs are written to C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log for review.