Computer Maintenance Post SP2

[Guest]

(Win XP Home Edition).

I posted the other day about stuff SP2 left in my Windows Folder and someone
said I could delete some of it. But I have since thought more about that.

The SP2 download to me was of a 100MB file. I can't find such a file on my
machine so I think it was auto deleted after expanding into Windows -
Download - 9ded4ee34a35fced0033d3e (which is now 400MB = 2,000+ files and
half a dozen sub-folders that total about another 50MB). And I think that lot
created Windows -ServicePackFiles - i386 (which is now also about 450 MB in
2,000+ files). And I assume that the installer then created Windows -
$NtServicePackUNinstall$ (a hidden file with about 400MB worth of 2,500 or so
old XP files), and then "copied" all the ServicePackFiles - i386 stuff into
my Win XP itself.

Obviously the 400MB uninstal file might be needed. But, can either of the
other two files be safely deleted, or even moved?

Queries:

Each time I run my security and maintenance programs they now have about 1.3
GB of extra stuff to plough through, with 99% of it being duplicates of the
core files in XP - which in effect doubles the size of Windows and gives my
system a significant hammering as it is being done. Will AV scan software
makers be changing their programs to "get around" this extra scanning burden?

When I run my find-duplicates utility (Easyclean) it finds 2,000 plus
duplicated/triplicated/quadricated files, and somewhere in that lot might be
the odd duplicate I can delete! Will the maintenance software makers be
changing their programs to "skip" all these SP2 files?

Will future MS XP fixes be predicated on the assumption that all these
different sets of SP2 files files are all in place. And will MS be putting up
some sort of utility might at least take all the "might be needed" files and
perhaps compress them into some sort of secure zip file that can be copied
off onto a CD or somewhere where it will out of the way?

EG: Where is the MS Post SP2 System Clean Up And Future Upkeep
Recommendations Web Page For XP Home Users.

 

[Guest]

PS: (1) There is also Defrag. What will it try to do with all the SP2 files
when it is run, apart from taking a very long time to do whatever it might
decide to do. (2) Could the uninstall file just be modified to put up a call
to "Insert Your System's Dedicated Windows Undo Floppy, CD or DVD that you
made 2004:08:29:15:32:46". (3) Could all the XP updates be shifted onto
removeable media whilst at it? I mean, once they're working what really is
the chance anyone will want to uninstal critical updates anyway!

Albert.

 

[SlowJet]

If the folder is inside Windoews folder leave it there,
if it is out side under the C: you can delete it.

If and when you don't need the uninstall for SP2 - you
can delete that mess too.
I think is has anew name after SP2 and I can only guess
that it is called ServicePackFile under Windows?
Ask around.

Check your undelte and unease folder for used space also.

SJ

-----Original Message-----
(Win XP Home Edition).

I posted the other day about stuff SP2 left in my Windows Folder and someone
said I could delete some of it. But I have since thought more about that.

The SP2 download to me was of a 100MB file. I can't find such a file on my
machine so I think it was auto deleted after expanding into Windows -
Download - 9ded4ee34a35fced0033d3e (which is now 400MB = 2,000+ files and
half a dozen sub-folders that total about another 50MB). And I think that lot
created Windows -ServicePackFiles - i386 (which is now also about 450 MB in
2,000+ files). And I assume that the installer then created Windows -
$NtServicePackUNinstall$ (a hidden file with about 400MB worth of 2,500 or so
old XP files), and then "copied" all the

ServicePackFiles - i386 stuff into

 

[Dingo]

Albert: Go here. Alex Nichol has a very comprehensive things to do to
clean up after SP2.
http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?t=7265&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight
Good Luck. Dingo

 

[Alex Nichol]

The SP2 download to me was of a 100MB file. I can't find such a file on my
machine so I think it was auto deleted after expanding into Windows -
Download - 9ded4ee34a35fced0033d3e (which is now 400MB = 2,000+ files and
half a dozen sub-folders that total about another 50MB). And I think that lot
created Windows -ServicePackFiles - i386 (which is now also about 450 MB in
2,000+ files). And I assume that the installer then created Windows -
$NtServicePackUNinstall$ (a hidden file with about 400MB worth of 2,500 or so
old XP files), and then "copied" all the ServicePackFiles - i386 stuff into
my Win XP itself.

Obviously the 400MB uninstal file might be needed. But, can either of the
other two files be safely deleted, or even moved?

The ServicePackFiles is needed: contains the service pack file versions
for use in preference to ones from the original CD if needed by File
Protection/SFC/New Hardware etc. On an NTFS drive a useful amount of
space can be saved by compressing it. What you can do if you have a CD
burner is burn the complete folder to a CD, then run regedit.exe and at

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup

Change the value of ServicePackSourcePath and ServicePackCachePath in
the right pane to reflect the drive. Best if you have 2 drives, and can
have the original SourcePath on one and this on the other

The uninstall folder you can delete once you are satisfied you will not
want to uninstall. The downloaded files were put into a working folder
- something like C:\long cryptic number - which ought to have got
deleted when installation completed - and expanded to that
Windows - Download one, which is not I think going to be usable again so
you might as well delete that too

 

[Guest]

Hi all!

Many thanks for info, checked your posting on the AumHa Forum also Alex.
I've been brave - as I have a new pc with little more than MS stuff on it yet
- I checked I'd got a post SP2 System restore point and deleted the earlier
ones. I then compressed the ServicePackFiles file, put the
$NtServicePackUNinstall% file in the Recycle Bin from where it can eventually
vanish, and I completely deleted the 9ded4ee34a35fced0033d3e file.

Easycleaner found a couple of spurious Registry Lines about the files so I
told it to delete those.

I then rebooted and ran Windows Update from the Start Menue. MS ran the
usual scan and said nothing new to add, so Update can definitely see that I
have actually got SP2 installed.

And, guess what, everything seems to be working fine! What's more my Windows
folder now tots up to a mere 1.8GB, which is a lot better than the 3GB or so
that SP2 had put it up to.

If you haven't seen it Spacemonger is a nice little program for checking
what's taking how much space on a drive; only thing is first thing to do with
it is open its options and disable the "file delete" capability - it's quick
and smart and it's very very easy to get "delete happy" using it!

Many thanks again.

Albert