Removing .nls Files Discussion

Torrentus wrote:

I already did the complete Keyboard Language Layouts list here:

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nice, have you also a list for the .nls files ?

Only for US-English: 
C_437       - This is needed for US English Windows
C_1252      - This is needed for US English Windows
C_1256      - This is needed for US English Windows 
C_20127    - This is needed for Windows Activation
C_28591    - This is needed for US English Windows

because the only way would be to install Windows in every language and determinate all needed nls files: 
( For other languages you can determinate which .NLS files you need to keep if you go on your running Windows to Windows/prefetch
and open Layout.ini, now search for .nls and you will see all the nls files you need for your own language. )


The list from here:
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doesn't help much because as you can see the listed US-English nls files above are also connected with others. 
We still need other nls files which you can't find out from the MS-Codepage list...

hmm ok. maybe when we would open a new thread and make a small tutorial like your post above other people could post their language and the nls files they need.

for german it is :

C_1252.NLS
C_850.NLS

Yes that would be good, go ahead  , btw you only have two numbered .nls files in your Windows\prefetch\Layout.ini  ?
I have the listed 4 .nls files...

i normally delete the rest of them from syswow64 abd system32

but the layout.ini lists this .nls files

(i keep the first 5 and delete the rest with a batch)




edit: but im posting this from an untouched OS

Then I don't understand why your Windows pre-caches that many .nls files, because like I said I only have 4 numbered .nls files...

so this nls files are shown on my winreduced OS:



maybe the layout.ini just shows ALL nls files that are present ?

OK, this means we should ask users from different countries to post their .nls files in their layout.ini from extreme slimmed Windows!

sure but when they use winreducer they have got all nls files or not?

i only got the shown in the last post because i remove the other once with an batch file

KrX wrote:

so this nls files are shown on my winreduced OS:

Code:

Line 10: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\C_1252.NLS
   Line 11: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\C_850.NLS
   Line 12: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\L_INTL.NLS
   Line 488: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\LOCALE.NLS
   Line 524: C:\WINDOWS\GLOBALIZATION\SORTING\SORTDEFAULT.NLS


maybe the layout.ini just shows ALL nls files that are present ?

I think it is showing what .nls files are used by Windows at the moment you are using it. 
So this means when you reduced your Windows, when you removed apps, programs, components etc.
the other .nls files aren't needed anymore and were also removed...

KrX wrote:

sure but when they use winreducer they have got all nls files or not?

i only got the shown in the last post because i remove the other once with an batch file

I can't remember anymore, I think I removed them manually too, we should ask Winterstorm...

Torrentus wrote:

KrX wrote:

so this nls files are shown on my winreduced OS:

Code:

Line 10: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\C_1252.NLS
 Line 11: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\C_850.NLS
 Line 12: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\L_INTL.NLS
 Line 488: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\LOCALE.NLS
 Line 524: C:\WINDOWS\GLOBALIZATION\SORTING\SORTDEFAULT.NLS


maybe the layout.ini just shows ALL nls files that are present ?

I think it is showing what .nls files are used by Windows at the moment you are using it. 
So this means when you reduced your Windows, when you removed apps, programs, components etc.
the other .nls files aren't needed anymore and were also removed...

from that post you see the nls files of my winreduced OS where i deleted all other nls files with an batch. so actually only those above are shown.

i will try to reduce windows 7 and not using my batch, if the layout.ini shows again ALL nls files it means thet the layout ini only shows ALL nls files that are actually at system32, if it shows less nls files (like 4) it shows only the current used/needed nls file.

am i wrong or right with that conclusion?

Yes that's how you do it 

But reduce it as small as possible, Micro edition

Torrentus wrote:

But reduce it as small as possible, Micro edition

sure i will, i remove each time nearly everythig winreducer offers. and my batch files remove ~150 mb more

so i will use winreducer and after that my batch files but i will keep all nls files to test that

EDIT: iso is smaller than 500 mb

Sounds good and if that's the case I need to update the Prefetch/Layout.ini trick in my list, that it is only possible with a reduced Windows...

Hey guys,

Sorry to interrupt your very interesting discussion ... grrrr, nls files. I've searched and I cannot find any list in internet !

3rd list, from this KrX post, added in RC8 :
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Torrentus, I will also update soon WinReducer 8.1 and 10 using your research !

Came across this - Code Page Identifiers...



So,
C_037.nls    is   IBM EBCDIC US-Canada
C_437.nls    is   OEM United States
...
C_708.nls    is   Arabic (ASMO 708)

and so on.

Also,

Let's say you wanted to remove codepage 708 related files...

You would remove...


You can find the related files with this command (from the Windows\WinSXS folder)


Does that help?

ok but how can you be sure for sume languages?
ie for me "german"

i need 850 and 1252

850

ibm850

OEM Multilingual Latin 1; Western European (DOS)

1252

windows-1252

ANSI Latin 1; Western European (Windows)

Yes, it is exactly how KrX wrote, but I already wrote that some posts ago...

The lists here posted doesn't help us at all...

Krx, what's your progress?

im still at it (needed to reinstall my os on my notebook first)

i will report as soon as im finished

I guess then, for me (UK), and for KrX (German), we both are 'Western European'

Looking at that list gives me...
850.nls
1252.nls
10000.nls   (related to MAC)
20105.nls
28591.nls

Plus any other files for your specific language...
So, you can conclude that country codes that fall into the Western European may want to keep these additional files???

This could very well be true for "Western European" but which countries fall into this region? 
Which countries for "Eastern European" , for Asian, North/South-America etc, also some .nls files are connected with other languages...

We just don't have enough information. When I created my Win7 Micro edition, I tested it for US-English via the Prefetch/Layout.ini trick,
this hopefully (KrX needs to confirm) works. But if you don't have one essential .nls file in the system, you won't be able install to Windows...

So we can't speculate, we need practical testing for each language

Understood, but I can't help thinking that this is a lot of work for 'little' benefit.  How much space are you saving by doing this?  How many files are you removing?  It may work now but are you sure these files won't be needed later on?  This is the constant struggle I find when 'slimming' Windows - it doesn't work for everyone.
I admire your perseverance, but surely there are bigger fish to fry?

To make the smallest possible Micro edition there is, every kilobyte counts. KrX, Billybully & Winterstorm knows what I am talking about

This is like a challenge and a competition 

P.S Of course we are not doing this for us, we already have our information what needs to be removed for our language, but for other users...

hmm i reduced now my iso only with winreducer. but i dont have any layout.ini... i tried this command:

Rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks


but it is not created (i tried it also on my notebook and it works there) i dont know why it does not work on the VM...

Of course you didn't remove Prefetch right? Otherwise it can't work