SP2 works great - how to delete the uninstall file

[Mark]

I have installed SP2 on three computers and all are
working well. How do you remove the 288mb
$NtServicePackUninstall$ file safely? If I use Control
Panel to remove SP2 does it give you an option to just
delete the file and keep SP2?

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Mark;
No, if you us Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, SP-2 is
uninstalled.
Instead do it this way:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm

 

[Guest]

I have installed SP2 on three computers and all are
working well. How do you remove the 288mb
$NtServicePackUninstall$ file safely? If I use Control
Panel to remove SP2 does it give you an option to just
delete the file and keep SP2?

You might want to wait a little longer to get rid of the uninstall file,what
is it going to hurt waiting a few weeks?

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have installed SP2 on three computers and all are
working well. How do you remove the 288mb
$NtServicePackUninstall$ file safely? If I use Control
Panel to remove SP2 does it give you an option to just
delete the file and keep SP2?

Yes - you can delete it. Then use Add/remove to try to uninstall, and
it will fail and offer to remove itself from that list.

Also it will probably have made a very big restore point. Once you are
happy and a later point has been made, use Disk Cleanup's 'More
Options' to delete all but this most recent point

 

[Ken]

Yes - you can delete it. Then use Add/remove to try to uninstall, and
it will fail and offer to remove itself from that list.

Also it will probably have made a very big restore point. Once you are
happy and a later point has been made, use Disk Cleanup's 'More
Options' to delete all but this most recent point

In addition to all the C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$Qxxxxxx$ &
$NtServicePackUninstall$KBxxxxxx$ folders, I notice a folder
"C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles" , is this a folder to leave alone or can it
be cleaned out also as it's over 500mb.?

There is also a folder "C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$" , is this the
SP2 update restore point folder? I figure it is since its the newest of
these folders and has a date close to when I intalled SP2.

Thank you,
Ken (cleaning out) F.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Ken;
Leave "C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles" alone.
That file may be needed for installation of certain software or more
importantly some types of repairs.
Without it you may need to reinstall SP-2.

"C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$" is the uninstall files for the
Service Pack and can be safely deleted once you are sure the Service
Pack will stay:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm

 

[Alex Nichol]

In addition to all the C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$Qxxxxxx$ &
$NtServicePackUninstall$KBxxxxxx$ folders, I notice a folder
"C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles" , is this a folder to leave alone or can it
be cleaned out also as it's over 500mb.?

No. It 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

There is also a folder "C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$" , is this the
SP2 update restore point folder? I figure it is since its the newest of
these folders and has a date close to when I intalled SP2.

That is the files that would need to be restored if you uninstalled SP2.
Once you are sure you will not want to do this, you can delete it. But
give it a bedding down couple of weeks

The restore point it makes is very much hidden away in the System Volume
Information folder. I *think* that wraps up points that existed when
SP2 was installed, so they could be put back if you uninstalled. Again,
you can lose it - it will get dropped fairly son anyway as other later
points get made, but once one has you can run Disk Cleanup and use the
More options button to delete all but the most recent point