Charles said:
I have a lot of folders in Windows directory such as this one:
$NtUninstallQ329115$
I assume these are backups if I want to revert an update.
Correct.
I am satisfied
that everything works ok, can these files be deleted?
Yes, they can be deleted.
I see you have installed SP2:
If you see %windir%\$NTUninstall* folders which dates back to your
SP1 installation, you can delete those. They are not removed by the
SP2 installation in case you want/need to go back to SP1 (and then
be able to uninstall the hotfixes in case you need to).
The following folders should be safe to delete:
%windir%\$xpsp1hfm$\
%windir%\$NtUninstallQ<some#>$\
%windir%\$NtUninstallKB<some#>$\
In the link below there is VBScript that I have written that will
remove the uninstall folder (and the Add/Remove Programs entry if
one exists) for all hotfixes that creates $ntuninstall... folders
under the Windows folder (that means that it will e.g. not remove
uninstall information for Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
updates). The script will work on both Win2k and WinXP.
http://groups.google.com/[email protected]
Note: The script will not uninstall the updates themselves, only the
uninstall folder and the Add/Remove Programs entry.
After running the above, you can also delete the folder
%windir%\$xpsp1hfm$\ if it exists.
(%windir% is typically C:\Windows)
Some other post-SP2 clean out tips:
1)
If you are sure you don't need to uninstall SP2, you can delete
the %windir%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\ folder.
(%windir% is typically C:\Windows)
Note that the folder is marked as hidden, so to see it, you need
to have Explorer configured to show hidden files/folders.
Alternatively (for the $NtServicePackUninstall$ folder):
If you make a backup of the folder to e.g. a CD, you can put it
back if you need to uninstall SP2. After restoring the backup,
run %windir%\$NtServicePackUninstall$\spuninst\spuninst.exe
to start the process.
2)
You should clean out this folder now and then (WU5's
temporary download folder):
%windir%\SoftwareDistribution\Download\
3)
Stop and start System Restore to possibly regain some space (but
you will lose your current Restore points). You also may want to reduce
the amount of disk space System Restore is allowed to occupy.
How to turn on and turn off System Restore in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310405
More about System Restore here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/newsgroups/faqsrwxp.mspx