Where Did Backups Go?

[Don]

When Windows XP updates are installed, the hotfix snapshot backups are
stored directly under the Windows directory. The files are compressed
and thus the file names are displayed in blue. Where are the equivalent
files stored in Windows 7?

Thanks

 

[Dave-UK]

When Windows XP updates are installed, the hotfix snapshot backups are
stored directly under the Windows directory. The files are compressed
and thus the file names are displayed in blue. Where are the equivalent
files stored in Windows 7?

Thanks

I believe they get amalgamated into the \windows\winsxs folder.

 

[Gilgamesh]

I believe they get amalgamated into the \windows\winsxs folder.

Is it safe to delete the files in the \windows\winsxs folder to clean up
the space?
thanks

 

[Dave-UK]

Is it safe to delete the files in the \windows\winsxs folder to clean up the space?
thanks

No it isn't. Windows will prevent you from deleting anything in winsxs
but if you do manage to delete something you run the risk of wrecking
your system.
If you want more space get a bigger hard drive or add an external one.

 

[Gilgamesh]

No it isn't. Windows will prevent you from deleting anything in winsxs
but if you do manage to delete something you run the risk of wrecking
your system.
If you want more space get a bigger hard drive or add an external one.

It isn't simply a matter of capacity, disks are cheap.
I regularly backup my OS partition using ghost and I want to keep the
resulting image less than two DVDs. So it makes sense to delete all the
backups that Microsoft leave on my drive as I consider them worthless.
After all; it is an extremely rare case for me to want to back out of a
hotfix and if I do then I use one of my ghost backups.

 

[Dave-UK]

It isn't simply a matter of capacity, disks are cheap.
I regularly backup my OS partition using ghost and I want to keep the resulting image less than
two DVDs. So it makes sense to delete all the backups that Microsoft leave on my drive as I
consider them worthless. After all; it is an extremely rare case for me to want to back out of a
hotfix and if I do then I use one of my ghost backups.

As disks are cheap use one to store your OS backup image like I do.
It's so much easier than burning DVDs.
If you can find any files that you recognise as worthless Windows updates
then you can log on as Administrator, change the owner from TrustedInstaller
to your account, give yourself full control and delete them.
If that doesn't work try booting from one of the many boot disks and delete from there.
(You will need your backup images handy for when you hose your system.)

 

[Gilgamesh]

As disks are cheap use one to store your OS backup image like I do.
It's so much easier than burning DVDs.
If you can find any files that you recognise as worthless Windows updates

Which brings us full circle to the OPs question about finding these backup
files to which you responded they were in the \windows\winsxs folder, but
then you said we can't delete the content of the folder.
For the moment lets assume that I know what I'm doing and still want to
delete these backups, is there anyway of identifying them correctly.

 

[Dave-UK]

Which brings us full circle to the OPs question about finding these backup files to which you
responded they were in the \windows\winsxs folder, but then you said we can't delete the content
of the folder.
For the moment lets assume that I know what I'm doing and still want to delete these backups, is
there anyway of identifying them correctly.

I said "I believe they get amalgamated into the \windows\winsxs folder."
I don't know for certain that they do as I can't find any definitive info about it.
On Googling it seems some people think the initial download location is:
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution
There are some update files there on my machine but as the folder sizes are small
I think most updates get moved into winsxs.
I don't know how to identify installed update files.