strange directories in my root directory

[Marc Kamradt]

I have just updated my Windows XP Home Edition via the
Windows Update function. Now I got 4 new folders in my
root directory. One of them is
called "43514a768c2dc244769476e" and the others look
alike. They all contain a folder called "sp2".

The problem is: I don't want them there and they cannot
be deleted. Can anyone help - PLEASE?

Marc

 

[R. McCarty]

It's likely, they are the unpacked/installer modules for the
updates you just installed. This is unusual, because these
types of folders should go to the designated Temp/Tmp
folders for system use. Normally, this is defined as being
in C:\Windows\Temp. I would do a reboot, and see if
they are removed after the boot is complete.
You should check system environment variables to make
sure they are set correctly. Right Click My Computer, left
Click Properties, Advanced, Environment Variables. Go
to the System Variables box (at bottom of page), scroll
down until you locate the two variables Temp, Tmp and
see where they are defined for.
Note: There are two sets of variables for every user.The
System level and the Local user set.

 

[Guest]

Hmm... I checked the environment variables but they are
set to c:\windows\temp for the system and to %USERPROFILE%
\... for the user.

Also: These strange folders seem to be empty.

Thanks anyway

Marc