I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if they are
replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up some harddrive
space.

All these folders (NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$) and associated files in these
folders are safe to remove,
however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install a patch or
update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of folders
and delete the older updates.
As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.

Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$

Also See Doug Knox's page on this issue:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm

JS

"JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E76AB37A-B8DA-4BDC-BF54-C19510DC6C3E@microsoft.com...
>I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if they
>are
> replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up some harddrive
> space.

On Thu, 1 May 2008 14:36:47 -0400, "JS" <@> wrote:

> All these folders (NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$) and associated files in these
> folders are safe to remove,
> however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install a patch or
> update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
> I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of folders
> and delete the older updates.
> As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.
>
> Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$
>
> Also See Doug Knox's page on this issue:
> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm


Addressing JHRooney, I'll just add to the above that if you are so
short on hard drive space that the small amount that those update
uninstall files take is significant, this will only be a stopgap
measure. Your only real solution is to buy another larger drive.




> "JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:E76AB37A-B8DA-4BDC-BF54-C19510DC6C3E@microsoft.com...
> >I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if they
> >are
> > replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up some harddrive
> > space.
>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Ken,
Something is strange with this machine. It has windows XP Basic, with media
player, no additional programs, not even Adobe acrobat. All email, system
restore points, purged. Disk cleanup and defrag run many times. Only
fragmented file is 562M/bit in Doc and settings. Hard drive capacity is
5.58G/bit with 73% used. Their has to be something within Windows that keeps
using up harddrive capacity as a function of time. Virus scan is Avasti using
60 m/b. This includes fiel back up data base. I think wind XP Basic should
not occupy over 1.5G/bit max. Thanks for the response though.

"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

> On Thu, 1 May 2008 14:36:47 -0400, "JS" <@> wrote:
>
> > All these folders (NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$) and associated files in these
> > folders are safe to remove,
> > however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install a patch or
> > update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
> > I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of folders
> > and delete the older updates.
> > As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.
> >
> > Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$
> >
> > Also See Doug Knox's page on this issue:
> > http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm
>
>
> Addressing JHRooney, I'll just add to the above that if you are so
> short on hard drive space that the small amount that those update
> uninstall files take is significant, this will only be a stopgap
> measure. Your only real solution is to buy another larger drive.
>
>
>
>
> > "JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:E76AB37A-B8DA-4BDC-BF54-C19510DC6C3E@microsoft.com...
> > >I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if they
> > >are
> > > replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up some harddrive
> > > space.
> >
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>

"JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:15F937C3-477F-4268-930F-2B066BBE17FC@microsoft.com...
> Ken,
> Something is strange with this machine. It has windows XP Basic, with
> media
> player, no additional programs, not even Adobe acrobat. All email, system
> restore points, purged. Disk cleanup and defrag run many times. Only
> fragmented file is 562M/bit in Doc and settings. Hard drive capacity is
> 5.58G/bit with 73% used. Their has to be something within Windows that
> keeps
> using up harddrive capacity as a function of time. Virus scan is Avasti
> using
> 60 m/b. This includes fiel back up data base. I think wind XP Basic should
> not occupy over 1.5G/bit max. Thanks for the response though.
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 1 May 2008 14:36:47 -0400, "JS" <@> wrote:
>>
>> > All these folders (NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$) and associated files in these
>> > folders are safe to remove,
>> > however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install a patch
>> > or
>> > update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
>> > I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of
>> > folders
>> > and delete the older updates.
>> > As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.
>> >
>> > Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$
>> >
>> > Also See Doug Knox's page on this issue:
>> > http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm
>>
>>
>> Addressing JHRooney, I'll just add to the above that if you are so
>> short on hard drive space that the small amount that those update
>> uninstall files take is significant, this will only be a stopgap
>> measure. Your only real solution is to buy another larger drive.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > "JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> > news:E76AB37A-B8DA-4BDC-BF54-C19510DC6C3E@microsoft.com...
>> > >I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if
>> > >they
>> > >are
>> > > replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up some
>> > > harddrive
>> > > space.
>> >
>>
>> --
>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>>
As Ken said, your hard drive is too small. In point of fact, your disk
drive could not possibly contain my system.
But, of course, you can still keep using the drive if you do the things that
you mention.
However, you will find no reduction of disk space by defragmenting your
drive. You may see an improvement in performance (this all depends on what
you are doing).
For me, though, I would rather spend my time in using the computer as
opposed to continually shrinking the size on disk. I got my fill of that in
trying to get VAX/VMS to fit
on a very small disk.
Jim

What is the make and model of your PC, the size of your hard drive, how much
memory (ram) is installed
and when (what year) did you purchase it?

What version of XP do you have installed?
Is it 1) XP Home, 2) XP Pro, 3) XP Media Edition.

JS

"JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:15F937C3-477F-4268-930F-2B066BBE17FC@microsoft.com...
> Ken,
> Something is strange with this machine. It has windows XP Basic, with
> media
> player, no additional programs, not even Adobe acrobat. All email, system
> restore points, purged. Disk cleanup and defrag run many times. Only
> fragmented file is 562M/bit in Doc and settings. Hard drive capacity is
> 5.58G/bit with 73% used. Their has to be something within Windows that
> keeps
> using up harddrive capacity as a function of time. Virus scan is Avasti
> using
> 60 m/b. This includes fiel back up data base. I think wind XP Basic should
> not occupy over 1.5G/bit max. Thanks for the response though.
>
> "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 1 May 2008 14:36:47 -0400, "JS" <@> wrote:
>>
>> > All these folders (NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$) and associated files in these
>> > folders are safe to remove,
>> > however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install a patch
>> > or
>> > update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
>> > I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of
>> > folders
>> > and delete the older updates.
>> > As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.
>> >
>> > Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$
>> >
>> > Also See Doug Knox's page on this issue:
>> > http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm
>>
>>
>> Addressing JHRooney, I'll just add to the above that if you are so
>> short on hard drive space that the small amount that those update
>> uninstall files take is significant, this will only be a stopgap
>> measure. Your only real solution is to buy another larger drive.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > "JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> > news:E76AB37A-B8DA-4BDC-BF54-C19510DC6C3E@microsoft.com...
>> > >I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if
>> > >they
>> > >are
>> > > replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up some
>> > > harddrive
>> > > space.
>> >
>>
>> --
>> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
>> Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>>

On Thu, 1 May 2008 19:38:02 -0700, JHRooney
<JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Ken,
> Something is strange with this machine. It has windows XP Basic, with media
> player, no additional programs, not even Adobe acrobat. All email, system
> restore points, purged. Disk cleanup and defrag run many times. Only
> fragmented file is 562M/bit in Doc and settings. Hard drive capacity is
> 5.58G/bit with 73% used. Their has to be something within Windows that keeps
> using up harddrive capacity as a function of time. Virus scan is Avasti using
> 60 m/b. This includes fiel back up data base. I think wind XP Basic should
> not occupy over 1.5G/bit max. Thanks for the response though.



First, note that when say "G/bit," you presumably mean Giga*bytes*. A
5.58 gigabit drive would not hold Windows XP.

Second, there are uses of the drive you presuambly aren't aware of,
such as space for System Restore Points, the hibernation file, and the
Recycle bin. Using up 73% of 6GB (about 4.5GB) is not only not
unusual, but is actually extremely little. There is nothing wrong
within Windows, and no indication that there is a virus problem.

As I said earlier, you badly need to buy another, larger drive. Your
present drive is so small as to be almost useless. I wouldn't even
recommed keeping it as a second drive. If you shop around on the
internet, you can buy a 160GB drive for as little as $50 or so.


> "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 1 May 2008 14:36:47 -0400, "JS" <@> wrote:
> >
> > > All these folders (NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$) and associated files in these
> > > folders are safe to remove,
> > > however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install a patch or
> > > update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
> > > I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of folders
> > > and delete the older updates.
> > > As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.
> > >
> > > Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$
> > >
> > > Also See Doug Knox's page on this issue:
> > > http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm
> >
> >
> > Addressing JHRooney, I'll just add to the above that if you are so
> > short on hard drive space that the small amount that those update
> > uninstall files take is significant, this will only be a stopgap
> > measure. Your only real solution is to buy another larger drive.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > "JHRooney" <JHRooney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > > news:E76AB37A-B8DA-4BDC-BF54-C19510DC6C3E@microsoft.com...
> > > >I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if they
> > > >are
> > > > replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up some harddrive
> > > > space.
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
> >

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

> I have updates dating back to 2002 on my computer. How can I tell if
> they are replace with later updates and hot fixes? I need to free up
> some harddrive space.

It's safe to delete them all, assuming you will never want to remove any
of them. But, it won't gain you any substantial disk space. You need
better alternatives, the best being another hard drive.

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
<snip>
> First, note that when say "G/bit," you presumably mean Giga*bytes*.
> A 5.58 gigabit drive would not hold Windows XP.
<snip>

Ken,

Actually... I believe you could get Windows XP and quite a bit more on a
5.58GB drive.

I currently have a Virtual Box machine with the following installed:

- 7-Zip 4.57
- Adobe Flash Player ActiveX
- Adobe Flash Player Plugin
- Adobe Shockwave Player 11
- Alt-Tab Task Switcher Powertoy for Windows XP
- AVG Free 8.0
- CmdHere Powertoy For Windows XP
- Foxit Reader
- ImgBurn
- Java(TM) 6 Update 6
- Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1
- Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
- Microsoft Compression Client Pack 1.0 for Windows XP
- Microsoft Silverlight
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
- Mozilla Firefox (2.0.0.14)
- Mozilla Thunderbird (2.0.0.12)
- OpenOffice.org 2.4
- Paint.NET v3.30
- PDFCreator
- QuickTime
- Real Alternative 1.8.0
- Shockwave Director 11.0
- Tweak UI
- Windows Internet Explorer 7
- Windows Media Player 11

It takes up a total of 3.95 GB (4,250,427,392 bytes) of space.

While I don't recommend doing that (in fact - quite the opposite) - I do
know that the amount of space that could be taken up by a basic Windows XP
Professional install and the basic tools some users might utilize daily
should take up about 4GB of space. However - I do recommend 15+GB for the
system drive (25+GB really, 40+GB even better) as users will likely be
storing their stuff on the machines as they utilize it. ;-)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

On Sun, 4 May 2008 22:36:18 -0500, "Shenan Stanley"
<newshelper@gmail.com> wrote:

> Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
> <snip>
> > First, note that when say "G/bit," you presumably mean Giga*bytes*.
> > A 5.58 gigabit drive would not hold Windows XP.
> <snip>
>
> Ken,
>
> Actually... I believe you could get Windows XP and quite a bit more on a
> 5.58GB drive.


Sure. I agree, but I didn't say otherwise. Please reread what I said:
"A 5.58 gigabit drive would not hold Windows XP." Note that I said
"gigabit" (which is what he mistakenly said), not "gigabyte."

5.58 gigabits is about .7 gigabytes. That was the whole point of my
paragraph you quoted above.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup