Windows Server Core is designed for minimalism stripped down to reduce attack surface, maintenance overhead, and update footprint. However, its very nature excludes many GUI-based utilities that seasoned admins might rely on for day-to-day maintenance. One such tool is the classic Disk Cleanup utility (cleanmgr.exe), which is notably absent in Server Core environments.

In production, the consequences of neglecting system housekeeping can accumulate quickly cluttered log directories, stale update caches, orphaned user profiles, and bloated temp folders all contribute to disk pressure and potential service degradation. These issues are especially critical on VMs with fixed-size VHDs or on systems operating under strict compliance or backup windows.

To address this gap with precision and control, the EguibarIT.HousekeepingPS PowerShell module provides a comprehensive suite of cleanup functions tailored for headless, GUI-less, automated environments. At its heart is the Start-DiskCleanup wrapper, which orchestrates a series of specialized cleanup routines to reclaim disk space, reduce clutter, and keep your servers running at optimal performance. Let s walk through some realistic use cases where this module becomes indispensable.

Real-World Scenarios for Automated Housekeeping

Monthly VM Image Maintenance

You re preparing a golden image for Windows Server 2022 Core to be sysprepped and distributed across your infrastructure. Before sealing the image, you want to ensure it’s as lean as possible no stale updates, no user profile remnants, and no leftover setup files. By executing Start-DiskCleanup -IncludeAll -Verbose in your image finalization script, you invoke full cleanup functionality to sanitize the build without relying on GUI-based utilities.

SCCM Cache Oversaturation

One of your branch office servers doubles as a local distribution point and has been swallowing up disk space due to misconfigured package deployments. A quick scheduled task running Clear-CCMcache can prune unnecessary cached content while gracefully interacting with the Configuration Manager client API, preserving system stability.

Patch Tuesday Aftermath

After the monthly patch rollout, you’re left with 2GB of residual update files and Delivery Optimization artifacts. These aren t critical anymore but still take up precious space. The combination of Clear-DeliveryOptimizationFile and Clear-WindowsUpdate allows you to surgically clean up without affecting future update behavior. This is particularly helpful on Server Core VMs with limited OS partitions.

Log File Accumulation

Your file server’s log directory has grown to several GB due to verbose diagnostics enabled during a recent incident. A customized job using Clear-LogFile -Path “C:\Logs” -OlderThanDays 30 ensures that only stale logs are removed, preserving recent data for analysis while freeing disk space.

Proactive Profile Management

On Remote Desktop Session Hosts (RDSH), it’s common for disconnected or expired user profiles to remain indefinitely. Using Clear-UserProfile -OlderThanDays 45 helps automate profile hygiene by removing dormant, unmounted profiles preventing quota violations and performance hits.

Error Reporting and Dump Cleanup

After a blue screen or application crash, dump files and WER folders quietly occupy significant storage. Clear-ErrorReport methodically scrubs these areas clean, allowing for post-mortem analysis before triggering cleanup manually or as part of a routine maintenance cycle.

PowerShell with Purpose

The true power of the EguibarIT.HousekeepingPS module lies in its modularity and automation-readiness. Each function can be executed independently or invoked through the Start-DiskCleanup orchestrator, enabling full control in scheduled tasks, DSC configurations, or CI/CD pipelines for image preparation.

In contrast to traditional GUI-driven cleanup tools, these PowerShell functions offer:

• Granular targeting (e.g., age filters, specific locations)
• Administrative precision using COM objects and trusted APIs
• Safe execution with built-in service handling (e.g., Windows Update, TrustedInstaller)
• Verbose logging for auditability and troubleshooting

For modern IT environments that demand automation, compliance, and agility, having this housekeeping toolkit in your PowerShell arsenal is not just helpful it s essential.

You can explore and contribute to the project at EguibarIT.HousekeepingPS on GitHub