Microsoft Updates

Hello Everyone. I'm Lonis2014 and new to this Forum. I have a question that I've been seeking an answer to which is; Once Microsoft 'Security Updates', Service Packs' and 'Hotfix' have been installed, are they safe for me to remove from my computer? as they are taking up a lot of space/memory on my laptop. I would be grateful for any answer to this question and may I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Very Happy New Year to come.

Thanks

Lonis2014

 

Lonis, what operating system do you have?

 

Hi and thanks for asking. My operating system is XP Professional Service Pack 3 version 2002. It's ano old system I know but at this time I can't affordd to upgrade to a newer system.

Lonis

 

Don't forget that XP Microsoft support ends in April, so the few updates you'll get between now and then won't impact you much. Plus, if you start deleting updates, you will be on your own as of April. I wouldn't risk screwing up your computer doing that. I'm sure if you go to control panel>Uninstall a Program, you can find some space hogs you don't use any more.

 

I think we have to distinguish between removing the updates manually and using software designed to remove them. Obviously trying to remove them manually is not a good idea if you don't know exactly how, but I've used Ccleaner to remove Windows XP "hot fixes" on numerous computers for years and have never had a problem. Now that we have the option to remove them in Windows 7 using MS Disk Cleaner I've started doing that as well and so far no problems. Regarding XP "end of life" the question is will it continue to be possible to download the existing hot fixes if they are needed? If so why store them on the PC?

Regarding Microsoft's recommendation to not remove them it's understandable that they are taking what is for them a safe position, but it's unclear to me how keeping the updates enhances either performance or security....?

 

I'd recommend reading the official links so you can understand the potential issues, but that said I've never had a problem after removing hot fixes from XP. I use Ccleaner which makes the removal process safe and takes a conservative approach by leaving alone the backups for service packs and Internet Explorer upgrades.

Since you mentioned wanting to recover disk space have a look at the setting for Internet Explorer's temp files. When XP was first released the dedicated space could be huge (multiple gigabytes). I usually set it at 50 megs. You can also use Ccleaner to empty the Internet Explorer cache, but notice the checkboxes so you don't delete stuff you may need such as saved passwords. Last after doing the cleaning I recommend running disk defrag to consolidate the free space.

 

They are talking about updates and not backup files...

 

Is there a difference between "updates" and "update backups" as they are stored on the PC? Can the backups be deleted without deleting the updates as well?

 

Yes of course.
Removing update means uninstaling it. If this is security update you can expose your system to security risks. That's not recommended.
Removing backup files means that update is still installed, just backup files that update created are removed. This is safe if you don't plan to uninstal update in the future.

 

Actually I thought we were all talking about removing the update backups not actually uninstalling the updates. I definitely don't advise uninstalling the updates themselves.

 

Microsoft's advise you were referring to was about updates themselves.

 

Based on the quote from JRViejo I would disagree:

Microsoft (apparently) said:

To help enhance the security and performance of your computer, we do not recommend removing updates. However, there is a new Disk Cleanup Wizard addon lets users delete outdated Windows updates on Windows 7 SP1

This statement is confusing because the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows 7 SP1 does not uninstall updates it only removes the update backups.

 

OK, point taken. Perhaps the OP will clarify whether he meant removing the backups or the actual updates.

 

Yes I agree with you about being a little confusing. But here is a link to site with advice and instructions how to uninstall updates. It's also first link in JRViejo's post.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/remove-update#1TC=windows-7

 

I always delete the Hotfix Uninstallers and haven't ever had a need for them.

One thing a person can do to free up space without any worries at all is once the updates are downloaded and installed, delete the contents of the folder C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download. These are files that make it possible to resume downloading where you left off if you stop or get disconnected before they're done. Once the updates are installed these files are useless and can get quite large.