[sauravrk]

i have found that when i update my windows, the folder software distribution in windows folder increases. and inside software distribution folder there is download folder which has many setup files. i wanted to know if i could delete the files inside of download folder because my windows has already been updated and those files are only taking up my space.is it safe to delete those fiels.

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Hi there

It is safe to delete them. Only doing so in the manner you plan to can be messy and leave a lot of junk behind. The most evident of which would be the entries in your uninstall list in Add/Remove programs.

There are several tools that can help with the removal of old windows update files. Just a quick google search gave me this one:

http://www.pc-shareware.com/UPDATE.htm

I'm sure there are others out there.

[NeonFx]

Hi there

It is safe to delete them. Only doing so in the manner you plan to can be messy and leave a lot of junk behind. The most evident of which would be the entries in your uninstall list in Add/Remove programs.

There are several tools that can help with the removal of old windows update files. Just a quick google search gave me this one:

http://www.pc-shareware.com/UPDATE.htm

I'm sure there are others out there.

[NeonFx]

Here you will find the steps to do it manually:

http://forums.techar...eaks/890285.htm

[BMTHmisfit]

Hi,
After you have deleted the contents of the download folder within software distribution, download ccleaner, and clean "hotfix uninstall" they also take up alto of space over time.

[sauravrk]

i installed and it did removed the unistall hotfix. it is good tool. i am also wandering what"$hf_mig$" folder is. can i delete it. when i clicked inside of it, it has KB.... many folders.

[BMTHmisfit]

Hi,
No, the folder $hf_mig$ holds Windows updates and patches. You can, however, delete any folders that start with $NTUninstall, you will just lose the uninstall feature.
The $hf_mig$ folder needs to be keep as reference to what updates you have and dont have. I mean you can delete things inside of it if you want, but why would you want to?, unless your having problems with an update dont touch $hf_mig$.

Hope that helps

[Kat]

download ccleaner,

We here at GeeksToGo do NOT ever recommend using this program, nor any other of its type. It's not a "good tool". It can be a very harmful and dangerous program.

[BMTHmisfit]

Kat, seeing as your an admin you of all people should know by now that absolutely no bad things can happen by running ccleaner. They allow you to back up your files if you think something might go wrong, but i have been using ccleaner since it came out and I have never had a problem, nor have I backed up one registry fix made by ccleaner as their was no need at all.
If you could tell me whats wrong with the piece of fantastic software id be very happy to hear about it

......But back on track

[sari]

I'm an also an admin, and I will clarify our forum rules, since you apparently don't understand. CCleaner has a registry cleaner component. We never recommend registry cleaners, and know instances where people have used CCleaner with disastrous results. If you would like to recommend a temp file cleaner, then I would suggest you use TFC, which was developed by one of our experts here. It's quick and safe, as it has no registry cleaner component. I would appreciate it if would respect the rules of the forum.

[BMTHmisfit]

Hi Sari,
Yes I know the registry clean CAN do bad things, but thats why they give you the option to back up the item/s.
Dont want to get you angry so I will leave it at that

[sauravrk]

after using ccleaner with hotfix installer selected, i cleaned updates uninstaller but when i looked in add/remove program with "showing updates" selected, i only found windows genuine advantage and hotfix for windows xp under windows xp-software updates. before there used to be many updates.

[rshaffer61]

If I may jump in here for a minute.

Download TFC by OldTimer to your desktop

• Please double-click TFC.exe to run it. (Note: If you are running on Vista, right-click on the file and choose Run As Administrator).
• It will close all programs when run, so make sure you have saved all your work before you begin.
• Click the Start button to begin the process. Depending on how often you clean temp files, execution time should be anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two. Let it run uninterrupted to completion.
• Once it's finished it should reboot your machine. If it does not, please manually reboot the machine yourself to ensure a complete clean.

When this is done and rebooted then do the following.

Download Auslogics Defrag from the link in my signature below. Auslogics Defrag in my opinion is better because:

It does a more comprehensive job at Defragging
It will actually show you what it is doing
At the end of working it will show you how much speed you picked up
You can view a online log of the files that Auslogics defragged

I suggest this because after doing the steps you have done your HD probably needs some straightening out to help the system run more efficiently.

Edited by rshaffer61, 21 July 2009 - 09:25 AM.

[BMTHmisfit]

after using ccleaner with hotfix installer selected, i cleaned updates uninstaller but when i looked in add/remove program with "showing updates" selected, i only found windows genuine advantage and hotfix for windows xp under windows xp-software updates. before there used to be many updates.

Hi,
Yes thats a good thing, that means all the security updates you have installed cannot be uninstalled anymore because their uninstaller has been deleted, thats what the hotfix clean up does...Dont be worried, the updates are not deleted