Delete WindowsUpdate uninstall files?

[David Arnstein]

I recently upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7. In Windows XP, I
used to delete all files named C:\WINDOWS\$NtUninstall* . These files
are created by Windows Update. They contain information that makes it
possible to undo operations performed by Windows Update.

I cannot find any similar files in Windows 7. Do they exist? How to
find them?

 

[Dave \Crash\ Dummy]

I recently upgraded from Windows XP to Windows 7. In Windows XP, I
used to delete all files named C:\WINDOWS\$NtUninstall* . These files
are created by Windows Update. They contain information that makes
it possible to undo operations performed by Windows Update.

I cannot find any similar files in Windows 7. Do they exist? How to
find them?

I used to do that in W2k. The uninstall files may not exist in Windows 7
because "uninstalling" updates is done with restore points.

 

[Jeff Layman]

I used to do that in W2k. The uninstall files may not exist in Windows 7
because "uninstalling" updates is done with restore points.

But wouldn't that make uninstalling updates a simple chronological reversal
process? In other words, if I wanted to uninstall the fourth most recent
update only, wouldn't W7 have to go back to that restore point and
effectively uninstall the three updates after that (plus any other similar
later changes affected by the restore process)?

I didn't think it worked that way - it looks like you can uninstall any
update using the normal Control Panel uninstall mechanism. IME, after
several early W7 updates failed to install correctly, I uninstalled and
reinstalled them (although they still failed to install correctly!!!), but
it didn't affect any later updates or programs I had installed.

 

[Dave \Crash\ Dummy]

But wouldn't that make uninstalling updates a simple chronological
reversal process? In other words, if I wanted to uninstall the
fourth most recent update only, wouldn't W7 have to go back to that
restore point and effectively uninstall the three updates after that
(plus any other similar later changes affected by the restore
process)?

I didn't think it worked that way - it looks like you can uninstall
any update using the normal Control Panel uninstall mechanism. IME,
after several early W7 updates failed to install correctly, I
uninstalled and reinstalled them (although they still failed to
install correctly!!!), but it didn't affect any later updates or
programs I had installed.

You are probably right, but I don't know where any "uninstall" folders
are. I'm a newbie to Windows 7 and a slow learner. I ran Windows 2000
for ten years and still didn't know everything.

 

[Jeff Layman]

You are probably right, but I don't know where any "uninstall" folders
are. I'm a newbie to Windows 7 and a slow learner. I ran Windows 2000
for ten years and still didn't know everything.

You aren't the only one slow at learning Win 7! I ran XP for 8 years (still
run it on a desktop) and went straight from that to Win 7. I avoided Vista
(I thought - but if you ask your PC what version of Windows it is now
running, it won't say 7, but 6.1...) as I didn't want all the problems. But
Win 7 is a whole new learning process, not helped by Microsoft's inability
to stop fiddling with things that don't need to be fiddled with, and their
insistence on doing things their way (for example, why make the new desktop
icon immovable?).

But to go back to the OP's original question, the update files are probably
somewhere in c:/windows/winsxs. It seems best not to play with that folder.
More info here: http://www.winvistaclub.com/f16.html