Windows update temp files

[yronnen]

Hi.

Windows update create temp files on the hard disc under a hashed directory name and puts there a file called update.exe which updates the system.

I have two problems:

1. These temporary folders are created in a hard disk that i need for some special purposes, I want them to be created on my c: (boot) drive. How can I do that?

2. I can't delete the old folders that were created, I get an "access denied" for the update.exe.

I'm using WinXP Pro, and I'm the admin of the pc.

Thanks.

[Treeman]

yronnen,

Can you delete the files in safe mode?

Treeman

[yronnen]

No.

I can't remove the files in safe mode or in command prompt safe mode..

[Curv Boll]

Hi there,

windows update will always download updates and put in the supplied folder

because the commands that run the update.exe specify that the update.exe must be run from that folder.

To do what you want with windows xp you should download the network installation

of service pack1, and then 2 when it comes out soon.

There is also an xp rollup which is an accumulation of all critical updates

since the last service pack.

So....

1. download and install sp1 network install, you may need to use the -x

to extract if you are determined not to have the update folders on that drive.

If you use the -x to extract the files from the download you will need to specify a

destination for the extracted files.

Then go to start > run> and type the path to the extracted update.exe and use

the /s switch to slip the files into the chosen destination, which should be the

systemroot folder.

2. Then download the windows rollup

Do exactly ther same thing with this. as you did for the service pack 1.

You now have a fully updated partition without any windows update folders

and without installing windows update software.

Sadly though, this does not delete the update folders already there.

I have not checked but you might want to look the name of the folder up

in the registry and delete it there.

This might allow you to delete the folder in windows afterwards but this is just a guess.

good luck

C.B

[tommyp]

I had the same problem with deleting a folder like that. To get rid of it, I changed permissions of the folder to allow the administrator full control. For some strange reason, the folder had a read-only attribute for the admin.

[yronnen]

tommyp: your solution worked. I removed the simple sharing setting, and changed the read-only attrib. However, I still don't know how to change the default location of windows update temp files.

Curv Boll: thanks for your comment, but you are suggesting that I will manually download the updates...which I don't want to.

[Curv Boll]

Hi there,

Yes, i was advising you to manually downloadthe files

glad to see your getting somewhere though.

Later

C.B

[Curv Boll]

downloading manually is the only way i see you updating windows without the temp files.

C.B

[m3m0mx]

Hi !

I want to change the configuration of the windows update file cause I wanna create a automatically download from a central server. The propouse of this is cause I dont wanna do it from the microsoft web page, I wanna download all the patches on the this server and then downlod those on all the computers in the LAN.

I'll be so happy if someone could help me in any way ! ! ! !

Thanx a lot !

Atte. m3m0