Service Page 4 leaves 200MB directory behind

[Martin Evans]

After installing SP4 (I downloaded the full 129Mb file rather than do
it via windowsupdate) I'm left with a directory

\Winnt\ServicePackFiles\i386 that is about 200MB

I didn't backup the existing files when installing and the directory
looks to only contain files with the date 2003-06-19 @ 12:05 so I am
assuming this contains purely the service pack files.

Is it acceptable to just delete this directory and files?

Is there any reason to retain it as long as I have access to a CD copy
of the compressed SP4 exe?

With NT4 it was always drummed in to reapply the service pack after
any install of an app or hardware that required a reboot, is this
still valid with W2000?


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[Dave Patrick]

Windows 2000 will use the \ServicePackFiles folder in the event you Add
components to the system. Best to leave this folder.

 

[Martin Evans]

Windows 2000 will use the \ServicePackFiles folder in the event you Add
components to the system. Best to leave this folder.

Thanks for the reply but I'd much prefer to keep clutter off the boot
partition as much as I can

I know it would probably be best to leave it but is it just there to
fill the disc up or is there a sound reason to leave it there as I
can't think of one at the moment.

Assuming a static system with no planned hardware changes (say a
laptop) why would it ever want to use that directory when all the
system files required have already been updated to the same version.
The directory wouldn't even be there if the SP wasn't installed.

Assuming a non static system that required files from the original CD
surely it would prompt for them, install them and then you apply the
service pack for any out of date files (long winded NT way but surely
this should still work)

Also in this situation if you have a CD / network share with a copy of
the \ServicePackFiles directory you point it to that rather than the
install CD

If a new CD with SP4 slipstreamed was available and this was used for
the initial install would I ever need/see the
\Winnt\ServicePackFiles\i386 directory at all as

a) it would probably not even exist

b) the system files are already the updated version (which they are
now anyway, just missing the odd few files)

Or as an alternative would it not make sense to just put all the files
not pre-existing in \system that do exist in \ServicePackFiles and be
done with it? Any sensible installer program would recognise the later
files and prompt you / bypass replacement.



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