Safe to delete everything in C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\?

[Ant]

Hi!

Is it safe to delete all subfolders/subdirectories and files in my
C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\? I am using Windows XP Pro.
SP2 (all updates).

Thank you in advance.
--
"All good work is done the way ants do things: Little by little."
--Lafcadio Hearn
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[Larry Gardner]

In order to delete everything you must go into Services, stop Automatic
Updates and the BITS services. Then delete, then start them up.

HOWEVER .... based on my experience .....

When you do this, the Update History log is destroyed. So the next time you
try to look at your history log on Windows/Microsoft Update, it will come
back empty until you install again. Then it will show from that point.

If you have not installed all updates in the SoftwareDistribution/Downloads
folder, these will have to be downloaded again.

You have too choices:

1. Delete the entire SoftwareDistribution tree and lose Update History
2. OR Delete the Downloads folder only, keeping the Update History data file
(located in the DataStore folder), and take the chance that you don't get
out-of-sync of downloaded files/not installed.

 

[Guest]

Seems to me, that pretty much means "it's not completely safe and/or not
worth the trouble"

 

[Larry Gardner]

It is when Auto Update gets completely screwed. You keep getting errors
from the Windows Update site, because it can't figure out what to do.

I've had to do this a couple of times, but lately Windows Update has pretty
much been solid. In the early days, when they just rolled it out, there
were a lot of syncing problems.

But the info is good to know, if you constantly can't update.

 

[Ant]

In order to delete everything you must go into Services, stop Automatic
Updates and the BITS services. Then delete, then start them up.

HOWEVER .... based on my experience .....

When you do this, the Update History log is destroyed. So the next time you
try to look at your history log on Windows/Microsoft Update, it will come
back empty until you install again. Then it will show from that point.

If you have not installed all updates in the SoftwareDistribution/Downloads
folder, these will have to be downloaded again.

You have too choices:

1. Delete the entire SoftwareDistribution tree and lose Update History
2. OR Delete the Downloads folder only, keeping the Update History data file
(located in the DataStore folder), and take the chance that you don't get
out-of-sync of downloaded files/not installed.

I wasn't planning to delete SoftwareDistribution folder/directory. Just
the Download one in it.

--
"Above ground I shall be food for kites; below I shall be food for
mole-crickets and ants. Why rob one to feed the other?" --Juang-zu (4th
Century B.C.)
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Remove ANT from e-mail address: (e-mail address removed)
( ) or (e-mail address removed)
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.