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"This Update Cannot Be Removed


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#1
Danc20

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Hi, I just had a little query of the removable status of some of my windows updates. I was using the tool PureRa, since I am a fan of the tool JavaRa and I was wondering if I did something I shouldn't have. I checked the box Windows Update Installation Files and clicked clean. It removed almost a gigabyte of files that seemed useless. However, when I and my brother wondered if we could uninstall the updates we found a conglomerate of updates that say at the bottom "This update cannot be removed". They all say they were installed on 5/9/2010 and are grouped together. Also there are different updates interspersed throughout add/remove which carry the same message.

I am running an XP. Also to note the files the files that seemingly were removed were located under C:\Windows\ with names like $NtUninstallKB955759$. Some files remain.

My guess is that they are all part of the Service Pack 3 and I cannot remove them without removing the service pack. I do not really want to remove any of these updates, but I would still like the ability too, if I ever needed to. However that seems impossible at the moment. Maybe a manual uninstall? Any ideas?

Edited by Danc20, 20 December 2010 - 08:19 PM.

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#2
SpywareDr

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The folders that start with "$Nt" and then also have the word "Uninstall" somewhere in them are placed there by Windows Update when that Update was installed. The files in that "$Nt...Uninstall" folder is what Windows needs to uninstall that particular update. So, if the "$Nt...Uninstall" folder is missing, Windows does not have the information it needs to remove that update.

(That's also why Windows defaults to hiding those type folders. So users that don't know what they might be used for, won't up and delete them). :D
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#3
Danc20

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Agh, I thought so. The program gave virtually no descriptions of what it did (except a few when searched in google) and my confidence rose when cleaning other useless files so I jumped the gun. This program is horrible compared to JavaRa :D.

Hopefully I won't have to uninstall those though. Thanks for your help Dr ;).

Edited by Danc20, 22 December 2010 - 08:34 PM.

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#4
SpywareDr

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No problem at all Danc20. :D
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