moving SP4 uninstall files to CD?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Licensed to Quill
  • Start date Start date
L

Licensed to Quill

I just upgraded from Service Pace 3 to Service Pack 4. Anyone know how I
can move the uninstall files to a CD to save space on my hard drive? I did
choose the back out option (it didn't give me the option of not backing up
my old files when it had established that it had space to do so)

I THINK SP4 is working OK and won't need to uninstall it but wonder which
files I need to save just in case?Is there just one directory? Or some files
in any other directory? Or an executable file? and if so, is it in that
directory or in some other place?

And while we are on the subject, is there still an SP3 (or even SP2)
back-out directory somewhere on my drive which I can also archive onto CD
and forget about?

Licensed to Quill
 
Licensed to Quill,

The service pack files get backed up to a hidden system directory under
%SYSTEMROOT%\$NtServicePackUninstall$. If you decided to offload those
files to CD, keep in mind that you would need to replace that directory
before you tried to roll back SP4.

As far as SP2 / SP3 uninstall files, no there are not. All of the service
packs write the uninstall to that same directory, therefore overwriting any
previous SP that was there. Honestly, to me you don't get enough space
back to warrant the hassle of burning it to CD and then copying it back if
needed.

--
Doug Allen
Windows 2000 MCSE
Microsoft Enterprise Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
Hi Doug

WHen I just right click on START and press EXPLORE, there is a directory
called $NtServicePackUninstall$ showing clearly in my WINNT directory which
is over 200 megabytes (and this isn't counting wasted space used by files a
few bytes in size which use a cluster)? I would have thought that with a 6
gig hard drive on my notebook with only just under a gig left on it, this
must be worth moving off the drive if I don't need it? (yes, I have got my
pagesys file on another partition)

But it isn't hidden or in any systemroot directory so I am wondering if this
is it?

There are 23 other $ntuninstall*$ directories in WINNT including an at least
7 mb one called $NtUninstallKB282010$. This one and all the others (some of
which aren't very large) include another one most of which (suspiciously)
have files in them called spuninst.bat, exe and inf???

Are these the directories and should I move ALL these directories to the CD?
(Or are there still more directories which are hidden?)

There are also 7 directories with names like _ISTMP0.DIR which don't seem to
do much or contain much. Some aren't small and I am wondering if I can
delete them or are they directories which are needed to add/remove programs?

Licensed to Quill
 
Doug

There is also (I have just noticed) an over 200 meg directory off the WINNT
directory called SERVICEPACKFILES which I am wondering if I need or if I can
move as well?
 
The servicepackfiles directory needs to stay exactly where it is. It is
used whenever Windows needs the files from the service pack whenever Windows
components are removed or added. This is what alleviates the need to
re-apply a service pack in Windows 2000 whenever adding / removing
components unlike NT4.

On your previous post ...

" I would have thought that with a 6
gig hard drive on my notebook with only just under a gig left on it, this
must be worth moving off the drive if I don't need it? (yes, I have got my
pagesys file on another partition)"

In your case, yes I can see your point, just bear in mind that you will not
be able to uninstall the service pack unless you replace that directory.
That is the correct directory located under the WINNT directory. It might
just be that you are already viewing hidden files and folders in your
Explorer view.

"There are 23 other $ntuninstall*$ directories in WINNT including ..."

All those directories are the uninstall files for patches and hotfixes. If
you remove those, you cannot uninstall any patches or hotfixes for the
correlating directories you remove. The spuninst files are the actual files
to start the uninstallation process of those individual patches.

"Are these the directories and should I move ALL these directories to the
CD?"

I honestly would not, but you can if you want. I hope this answers your
questions!

--
Doug Allen
Windows 2000 MCSE
Microsoft Enterprise Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
Actually Doug I am beginning to come around to your view: I am not
absolutely sure that deleting those files is such a good idea

After installation of SP4 I am suddenly finding that for some unknown reason
Front Page has been absolutely deleted from my hard drive (I suppose I can
reinstall it fairly easily?)

And the shut down time (which was never particuarly good, - at anything up
to five minutes depending on what Windows 2000 decided to do when it saw
that (for example) a zip drive wasnt connected (accept that there was no
SCSI card connected to a zip drive to shut down OR keep on sending a message
to shut it dows 30 to 40 times until it finally went DUH and ignored the
non-existent zip drive?) is now 20 to 30 minutes of blue screeen while
Windows 2000 tries to shut itself down.

Maybe I should roll back the SP4 installation?

Licensed to Quill
 
Back
Top