hotfixes - removing

[cindy]

In my add/remove programs list, there are numerous
listing of Windonws XP Hotfixes. Can I remove these or
is it necessary to leave them? Are they taking up room
on my hard drive? Are they slowing me down? Why are
there so many of them? If anyone knows please let me
know.

 

[AnnonUser]

In my add/remove programs list, there are numerous
listing of Windonws XP Hotfixes. Can I remove these or
is it necessary to leave them? Are they taking up room
on my hard drive? Are they slowing me down? Why are
there so many of them? If anyone knows please let me
know.

Those are patches and update that you installed using Windows Update.
Removing them would leave you vulnerable as it would put your XP back to
the same condition as when you purchased it. Just leave them there. If
you need space, then there are other things you can delete and settings
you can change.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

In my add/remove programs list, there are numerous
listing of Windonws XP Hotfixes. Can I remove these or
is it necessary to leave them? Are they taking up room
on my hard drive? Are they slowing me down? Why are
there so many of them? If anyone knows please let me
know.

These are the critical updates (mostly security-oriented) that
you've been downloading all along. Do not remove these, or you
will put back the security exposures they were designed to fix.
You can however delete their backup files. See
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm

 

[Alex Nichol]

In my add/remove programs list, there are numerous
listing of Windonws XP Hotfixes. Can I remove these or
is it necessary to leave them?

Those are there so you could *uninstall* the patches. Each corresponds
to a hidden folder of files needed for the purpose -
Windows\$NTUninstallQnnnnnn$ for the fix described at
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;nnnnnn

If you decide you will not want to uninstall a fix (and if all is
running smoothly you probably won't) then delete the folder. If you
then try in Add/remove, to Remove that one, it will fail, and you will
be offered the option of removing the entry there