Can I backup windows updates?

[jones]

xp pro sp2 I use auto update and was wondering if the updates are located
on my hard drive and can be backed up. This would save me time on future
reinstalls. If so, where are they located? Thanks.

 

[Malke]

xp pro sp2 I use auto update and was wondering if the updates are located
on my hard drive and can be backed up. This would save me time on future
reinstalls. If so, where are they located? Thanks.

No, they aren't on your hard drive where you can save them for other
installs. Instead, see:

How to download updates and drivers from the Windows Update Catalog or
from the Microsoft Update Catalog:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;323166

Store Windows Updates locally for subsequent installations -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/saveupdates.htm


Malke

 

[Shirl]

Malke,
xp home sp2
I just don't get it! One of the articles you referred to is "Store Windows
Updates locally for subsequent installations",
does that mean to download from catalog and maybe burn to cd in case you
have to reinstall xp?

I have 108 $NtUninstallKBnnnnnn$ files on my c: drive and I'm running low on
drive space. Can these files be safely moved to another drive or removed
using "control panel"?

Thanks, Bill

 

[Malke]

Malke,
xp home sp2
I just don't get it! One of the articles you referred to is "Store Windows
Updates locally for subsequent installations",
does that mean to download from catalog and maybe burn to cd in case you
have to reinstall xp?

Yes. Or put them on a server (probably you don't have one of these in a
home environment).

I have 108 $NtUninstallKBnnnnnn$ files on my c: drive and I'm running low on
drive space. Can these files be safely moved to another drive or removed
using "control panel"?

No, don't move them. If you think you will never want to uninstall the
updates they belong to, you can delete them. Do some maintenance,
uninstall unused programs, and move data off the hard drive. Or if you
are that cramped, buy a bigger hard drive. The new drive will come with
cloning software to copy your current Windows install over.

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Maintenance


Malke

 

[Shirl]

Thanks Malke,
The updates are all for either winxp or win oe. Why might I ever want to
uninstall these? My hard drive is large enough but xp (and only xp) is
installed on a 3.2 gb ntfs partition with 15% free space. My temporary files
and paging files are located on another partition. That is why i would like
to free up space on drive c: , I don't want to reinstall xp.
Thanks again Bill

 

[Malke]

Thanks Malke,
The updates are all for either winxp or win oe. Why might I ever want to
uninstall these? My hard drive is large enough but xp (and only xp) is
installed on a 3.2 gb ntfs partition with 15% free space. My temporary files
and paging files are located on another partition. That is why i would like
to free up space on drive c: , I don't want to reinstall xp.
Thanks again Bill

That is seriously too little space for XP. Even if you install programs
on another drive or partition, system files, including temporary files,
go on C:\. You need to adjust your Windows partition. I would make the
Windows partition at least 10GB. You'll need third-party partitioning
software like Acronis Disk Director or Partition Magic.

No amount of tinkering with deleting files is going to help. You just
made the partition too small.


Malke

 

[Plato]

That is seriously too little space for XP. Even if you install programs
on another drive or partition, system files, including temporary files,
go on C:\. You need to adjust your Windows partition. I would make the
Windows partition at least 10GB. You'll need third-party partitioning
software like Acronis Disk Director or Partition Magic.

10 gigs is still WAY too small for XP.

 

[Malke]

10 gigs is still WAY too small for XP.

Not if the only thing on the partition is the operating system and all
programs and data are stored on another partition or hard drive. If a
single partition, I'd certainly agree with you. I wouldn't install XP on
anything less than 32GB and that would be really pushing it; 40GB is a
better minimum.


Malke

 

[Lil' Dave]

Not if the only thing on the partition is the operating system and all
programs and data are stored on another partition or hard drive. If a
single partition, I'd certainly agree with you. I wouldn't install XP on
anything less than 32GB and that would be really pushing it; 40GB is a
better minimum.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

That's the safest advice in this newsgroup, given some of the readers use of
XP.

I get by on 17GB. 6GB used including swapfile. Remainder is free.

As far as saving windows updates, the best way for the single user is to
interrogate the KB install folder. Each has a weblink. Said weblink
usually takes you to the download site as part of that link. Not all
updates are appropriate for all PCs, so directing to such a general site is
overdoing it. There is also concern for updating in the proper order in
some cases.
Dave