Upgrade problem...

[Devanshu]

Whenever I went online...an upgrade icon popped up on my taskbar which I didnt notice until today. All of a sudden, I got a message saying "dowloading upgrades complete" or something like that and it said that in order for them to work, I have to install them. So I thought I might as well since theyre already downloaded. What I didnt realize was that it took up about 850 MB of memory which I need to rip a movie...I only have 12.1 GB of total memory. How can I figure out what upgrades I should keep and how do I uninstall the rest? Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

[stiltman]

Don't uninstall them
Just delete all the directories where they were installed from and

In my case D:\winnt\$NtUninstall.....$
In your case %windir%\$NtUninstall.....$

I don't delete $NtServicePackUninstall$

You'll gain about 120mb

If you delete $NtServicePackUninstall$ you'll gain about 340mg

[Devanshu]

I cant find anything on my computer that says that...any other suggetions.

[ChrisX]

If you don't want automatic updates and upgrades, then switch it off.

I don't use automatic detection for updates or upgrades on any program including Windows. They are all disabled.

The automatic features are an inconvenience for me working on the computer and I prefer to have it off. They tend to disrupt my work on the computer and the computer re-boots at not the best times.

Not all upgrades are the best for your computer and you have to judge for yourself. You have to monitor what is downloaded all the time and you don't know what is in the system.

Win2000 SP4 upgrade is an example and I can't upgrade this at the moment as this one got an issue with NIS 2001. I have to install a later version of NIS first before Win2000 SP4. So, not all upgrades is best and you have to watch.

Some of these upgrades may also be unnecessary and take up so much space especially on programs not used much as an example.

I would prefer to check for updates and upgrades manually at regular times. I think it is best to download an .exe file where possible to save time in a network of computers and to keep track of what is happening in my computers.

An .exe file is useful in an emergency when the computer is in need of re-formatting then I don't need to download everything.

I do get e-mail alerts from Microsoft and Symantec on important or security updates and upgrades.

This is the best way and watch out for any news such as a new worm like Blaster.exe. You have to watch all the time on security.

[gmatov]

Davanshu,

How do you know there is 850 megs of files that were downloaded? Did they save to a folder you can find?

If so, what are the updates for? If they are something you use, you might be better to install the updates you want, maybe write them all to CD, and delete the files from the hard drive.

I can't imagine what they could be. That's the equivalent of 2 copies of Win2k plus Service Pack 4.

When you find what they are, check to see if those programs have an auto update feature, and turn it off.

If you have Norton Firewall installed, you can also block chosen Internet capable programs from accessing the internet.

[pyrate83]

I have to say that 850 MB of files seems to be a huge number...even with service pack 1. I don't think I have ever used that much space with XP automatic updates. Maybe you should think about reformatting the HDD, do a fresh install of XP and load all of the things you want back onto the system. Then if you want you can turn off automatic updates. In the future visit the windows update website...you can better choose which updates are best for your system. You DON'T need them all, just the ones which help protect your security.

Well, that's my advice on this situation. :P

[Devanshu]

Thanks...I'll try to figure out what I need and delete the rest. Also, how can I turn the automatic updates off? Whenever I'm online, the damn thing comes on my taskbar and I cant figure out how to turn it off. When I click on it, it only gives me two options...pause and resume. Thanks again for the advice. It's greatly apprecitaed.