Deleting SP2 restore files

  • Thread starter Thread starter Allen
  • Start date Start date
A

Allen

Hi,
I have installed SP2. Everything is working really well. Is
it safe to delete all the uninstall packages in my WinXP
folder? One of them is named: $hf_mig$ with a lot of folders
under it. Is this one safe to delete also?

TIA

Al
 
Allen said:
Hi,
I have installed SP2. Everything is working really well. Is
it safe to delete all the uninstall packages in my WinXP
folder? One of them is named: $hf_mig$ with a lot of folders
under it. Is this one safe to delete also?

Leave the $hf_mig$ folder alone. Here is a guide to tidying up after SP2
by the late Alex Nichol:

"Installing SP2 leaves a lot of space on hard disk taken up by files you
would only ever need if you were to uninstall it. Once you are sure you
are happy with it:

"A very big restore point will have been made. Once a new regular size
one has been made in the ordinary way, clean up by going to Start - All
Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Cleanup and in 'More
Options' click the bottom button to remove all but the most recent
restore point.

"Delete the hidden folder of files that would be restored by an
Uninstall: C:\Windows\$NTServicePackUninstall. Once done, if you try to
use the 'Remove' for Service pack 2 in Add/remove programs, that will
fail and offer to remove itself.

"There may also be a large folder C
\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download depending on how you did the
installation. That can also be deleted.

"Check that the installation's temporary folder did get properly removed
- it will be on the drive where you downloaded the setup files, so
probably C: and have a long name of random letters. If it is still
around, delete it after burning the downloaded file to a CD so as to
have it if you ever need to reinstall.

"There will also be a large folder C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles. Do not
delete this - it will be used in future by Windows File Protection -
but on an NTFS disk you can compress it to save about 200MB of disk
space. R-click on it, Properties, click the Advanced button, and select
'Compress'."

Malke
 
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