Gaudiya Discussions Archive » TECH ISSUES

PC problems, recommended software, tips and tricks, coding and so forth. Things that make your life in the cyberspace easier.

Problems with WXP SP2 -

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:34:15 +0530

Thanks a lot for that.
Another question: Just now a windows update is downloading itself on my harddisk - it has as of yet gobbled up 1 GB of my precious diskspace. Is everyone experiencing this or is there something smelly about this?

Attachment:

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 14:46:52 +0530

hmmmm. and then i got this..........

Attachment:

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 15:58:19 +0530

This service Pack 2 refused to install, for obvious reasons, but still the whole process cost me 900 MB diskspace. Is this just lost space or will I still have some benefit from it? If not, can I recover this lost diskspace somehow by deleting it from somewhere?
Or would a repair-install of xp do the trick?

DharmaChakra - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:32:04 +0530

QUOTE (Advaitadas @ Oct 8 2004, 06:28 AM)

From what I have heard, I would avoid XP Service Pack 2 at all costs... I spent a weekend trying to get my wife's laptop back up & working after the same thing, an automatic install of SP2. There have been a lot of articles out there about problems with SP2.

I believe there is a facility in the Automatic Updates application to delete downloaded files. Poke around a bit (I'm not in front of an XP box right now).

Also, I would advise taking off the 'automatically install' part of Windows Update. You should inspect & install updates yourself...

Madhava - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:35:59 +0530

Odd. Anyway, much of the stuff that Windows downloads ends up in C:WINDOWSInstaller. Stuff there is safe to delete.

Also check out steps 3 & 4 of this tutorial. Oddly I couldn't find either of the two folders on my XP, though I searched for system files & folders too. Must have already deleted them ages ago.

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:55:33 +0530

QUOTE

Also, I would advise taking off the 'automatically install' part of Windows Update. You should inspect & install updates yourself...

Where do I find that?

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 17:56:41 +0530

QUOTE

Odd. Anyway, much of the stuff that Windows downloads ends up in C:WINDOWSInstaller. Stuff there is safe to delete.

That was just a disappointing 8.46mb. about 1% of the lost space..........

Madhava - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 18:04:41 +0530

QUOTE (Advaitadas @ Oct 8 2004, 01:25 PM)

Where do I find that?

Right click on "My Computer", and there "Automatic Updates".

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 18:31:35 +0530

They warn that I may be vulnerable if i switch off automatic updates. Isnt that true?

Attachment:

Madhava - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 18:46:20 +0530

Yep, but you can always go to www.windowsupdate.com and download all you need after ensuring you want it.

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 18:52:00 +0530

Neednt one be a very expert whizzkid then to discern which update is important and which isnt? Or is there some type of worm/virus/adware/virus alert system too? Or just rely on one's firewall and fsecure updates?

DharmaChakra - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 19:55:56 +0530

QUOTE (Advaitadas @ Oct 8 2004, 08:25 AM)

QUOTE

Also, I would advise taking off the 'automatically install' part of Windows Update. You should inspect & install updates yourself...

Where do I find that?

In the 'System Tray', there is an icon (a little globe with an MS flag over it.. creepy...). Double click that & you will be presented with the options for Automatic Updates.

In the dialog that comes up, I would recommend the 'Notify me before downloading any updates and notify me again before installing them on my computer'

When you see Service Pack or other large updates, go a google search first for the update. Searching 'XP Service Pack 2 issues' resulted in this for the third hit:

http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/b...icleId=23905071

They report 3 out of 5 test machines unusable after an SP2 install...

Advaitadas - Fri, 08 Oct 2004 22:31:05 +0530

QUOTE

Oddly I couldn't find either of the two folders on my XP, though I searched for system files & folders too. Must have already deleted them ages ago.

Well I just completed the search too and I could also not find them, under All files and Folders. You mention system files and folders. Is there any way I can extend my search beyond the search machine provided by Windows under Start?
Would it help to just run a repair-installation of Xp? If so, how does it work? Do I keep all my applications in the end?

DharmaChakra - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 02:37:02 +0530

QUOTE (Advaitadas @ Oct 8 2004, 09:22 AM)

Advaitadasji:
Are you running any kind of anti-virus programs? These are much more effective at eliminating virus threats than MS update. MS update traditionally patches holes in the operating system, usually long after they have been exploited.

An OS hole can leave your computer open to attack, but the virus/malware still needs a vector to 'infect' your system.. be it an email attachment, file you run, URL you visit (thereby launching a script) and so on... MS patches eliminate the hole, which is good, but realtime virus scanners, like Symantec, stop the virus from getting to the hole (yes... this is very oversimplified)

What I'm really trying to say is that I would depend much more on antivirus software than MS updates to protect my computer.

Advaitadas - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 03:14:21 +0530

That is good news DC. Thank you. Yes I have a very good virus scanner, fsecure, upgraded weekly and I have a firewall too. I meanwhile found no way to recover the 900 mb space, see above posts. Any tips? What about a repair-installation of XP? Not my fave solution though............

DharmaChakra - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 05:13:54 +0530

QUOTE (Advaitadas @ Oct 8 2004, 05:44 PM)

No.. no.. there has to be a better way.. I'm much more familiar with Linux, where I would simply run 'du --max-depth=1', which would show me how much space each directory is using.. you don't have that luxury tho..

EDIT: I take that back.. you could install cygwin ( http://www.cygwin.com/ ), but for one program? Probably not worth it in disk space alone...

Maybe Madhavaji or someone else knows of a program like FileLight ( http://methylblue.com/filelight/ ) for the Windows platform?

Try checking your temp folders:

c:temp
c:windowstemp

You can usually safely delete anything left in those folders.

The other method I use is process of elimination... open your c drive in my computer. Now, highlight 1/2 of the folders, right hand click & select properties.. this will show you how large they are. Anything look off? Investigate further... time consuming, but when you are strapped for space, a little time can save a lot...

Advaitadas - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 12:03:17 +0530

Scrapping temp files only saved me 4 out of 900 lost MBs.

The process of elimination I have followed often enough. The problem seems to be that 900 mbs have been added to the Windows system as far as i know and its probably now assimilated into the windows folder. Its too risky to go in and just delete all kinds of recent files from there by sorting windows files according to date, at least for me it is.. Madhava, DC, anyone, any other suggestions?

Madhava - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 16:41:13 +0530

All of this is pretty hard remotely, without access to your PC. I suggest you go with "elimination" as DharmaChakra suggested, tracking down the rogue folder.

DharmaChakra - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 16:41:58 +0530

QUOTE (Advaitadas @ Oct 9 2004, 02:33 AM)

Scrapping temp files only saved me 4 out of 900 lost MBs.

Any lingering things in your Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs applet? You may see SP 2 listed there.. I think what may have happened is that SP2 started to install, it backed up many critical files & then failed to install itself.. and never cleaned itself up.

In c:windows, look for folders that start with a $ (you may have to enable viewing of hidden files in View | Folder Options | View dialog). These folders usually have backup in the name... I think you can safely delete them...

NB, Im much more expert in Linux than XP, so maybe you should wait for Madhavaji to confirm its ok to delete those folders

Madhava - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 16:52:53 +0530

Yes, if memory serves, they are just plain clutter. I would look inside if I had some, but they seem to have all been scrapped out a good while ago.

Advaitadas - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 17:19:41 +0530

QUOTE

Well this is what I found there. This compatibility update is it? No file size is mentioned. Come to mention it, there are 47 entries here of xp hotfix. What are they? Can they be removed harmlessly?

Attachment:

Advaitadas - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 17:22:23 +0530

QUOTE

In c:windows, look for folders that start with a $ (you may have to enable viewing of hidden files in View | Folder Options | View dialog). These folders usually have backup in the name... I think you can safely delete them...

You think? I gotta be damn sure before I delete anything from windows though. Madhava?

Madhava - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 22:35:14 +0530

Screenshots of what's in the folders, or at least of the folders' names, would help. Generally though they are just a waste of space there and can be safely deleted.

Advaitadas - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 23:38:23 +0530

There is many of those dollar folders in there, none of them dated on 8 october 2004 (when this disaster happened), most of them have small contents, a total of 180mb only. better than nothing of course, but not the full 900 mb by a stretch. Should I open each of them and check their contents? They are uninstall folders. Can they, per definition, always be safely deleted?

Attachment:

Advaitadas - Sat, 09 Oct 2004 23:54:19 +0530

I just might have found it. The folders in here were made 8 october 2004 and are 764 MB together. Its called software distribution/downloads. Would it be safe to delete this? Together with the dollar folders it is exactly 920 mb.

Attachment:

Madhava - Sun, 10 Oct 2004 00:01:30 +0530

You can safely get rid of both. The $Uninstall folders contain backups of some of your system files that were taken when you installed some of those hotfixes. If you don't want to uninstall the patches already successfully installed, you can delete the $Uninstall folders. The other you can delete in any case.

Advaitadas - Sun, 10 Oct 2004 00:11:13 +0530

QUOTE (Madhava @ Oct 9 2004, 06:31 PM)

QUOTE

The $Uninstall folders contain backups of some of your system files that were taken when you installed some of those hotfixes.

I think that the hotfixes were automatically formed when i uninstalled some program, isnt it?

QUOTE

If you don't want to uninstall the patches already successfully installed, you can delete the $Uninstall folders.

Please explain. I dont understand.

QUOTE

The other you can delete in any case.

You mean the two big folders under software distribution/downloads?
If so (yippie!) delete just the two subfolders or the main folder too? I suppose just the two subfolders?

Madhava - Sun, 10 Oct 2004 00:16:40 +0530

Just the two subs should suffice.

Hotfix means a patch you download from Microsoft. When the patch is installed, the affected system files are automatically backed up into those $Uninstall folders. If you don't want to uninstall some of those patches (why would you?), you can delete the $folders.

Advaitadas - Sun, 10 Oct 2004 00:35:55 +0530

today's my day - thanx

Advaitadas - Sun, 10 Oct 2004 01:02:38 +0530

Another dollar folder, 88.7 MB . worth deleting, space-wise. but is it safe? anyone?

Attachment:

Madhava - Sun, 10 Oct 2004 01:18:38 +0530

QUOTE (Advaitadas @ Oct 9 2004, 08:32 PM)

Another dollar folder, 88.7 MB . worth deleting, space-wise. but is it safe? anyone?

Based on this, yes. In general, the $ folders tend to be OK to remove. Some other tips here.

Though I have SP2 myself, I don't have any of this clutter, as I slipstreamed SP2 into the install CD and created a brand new version of XP with SP2 included, with which I did a fresh, clean install.

DharmaChakra - Fri, 15 Oct 2004 03:08:38 +0530

QUOTE(Madhava @ Oct 9 2004, 03:48 PM)

QUOTE(Advaitadas @ Oct 9 2004, 08:32 PM)

Another dollar folder, 88.7 MB . worth deleting, space-wise. but is it safe? anyone?

Well, arn't you a fancypants

I looked at this for some of our XP installs.. grunted.. & praised Someone that I run Linux

jijaji - Sat, 23 Oct 2004 06:29:24 +0530

I am having problems with this damm SP2 as well...and I use my computer for my work..!

I wish someone could walk me through getting this piece of " " off my PC....!

I'm goin crazy coz of it...

DharmaChakra - Sat, 23 Oct 2004 16:04:15 +0530

QUOTE(bangli @ Oct 22 2004, 08:59 PM)

I am having problems with this damm SP2 as well...and I use my computer for my work..!

I wish someone could walk me through getting this piece of " " off my PC....!

I'm goin crazy coz of it...

Bangli:
Your best bet is to either search msdn.microsoft.com for your specific issues, or just reinstall...

Kalkidas - Sat, 23 Oct 2004 17:33:05 +0530

QUOTE(Madhava @ Oct 9 2004, 07:48 PM)

Though I have SP2 myself, I don't have any of this clutter, as I slipstreamed SP2 into the install CD and created a brand new version of XP with SP2 included, with which I did a fresh, clean install.

A couple of days ago I bought this new version of XP with SP2 included (thanks pirates

). I installed it over my previous version of XP, without any trouble. After two days I can't find any particular problem with new system, everything seems to work smoothly and properly.

dhaa - Sat, 06 Nov 2004 23:07:54 +0530

I installed sp2 a few weeks ago then ie and wm player started acting a little funny and cpu was running a little slower. I uninstalled sp2 and back to normal now

Gaurasundara - Sun, 14 Aug 2005 08:57:10 +0530

While I don't have a problem with SP2 as such (I never bothered to install it after reading the horror stories on this thread), I suffer from the same kind of problems as Advaita das.

I would like to know if it is generally safe to delete all items in the 'C:Documents and SettingsOwnerLocal SettingsTemp' folder? At the present moment it contains 500MB. Not good?

Nitya - Sun, 14 Aug 2005 13:01:17 +0530

QUOTE(Gaurasundara @ Aug 14 2005, 06:27 AM)

Yes, it is.

I something should not work after this, you can still recover all files for the recycle bin, so...

Also, let IE handle this:
Tools >> Internet Options >> Delete Files (Temp internet files) and confirm.

thats it.

hariii bol!

Nitya - Sun, 14 Aug 2005 13:12:06 +0530

QUOTE(Advaitadas @ Oct 9 2004, 09:33 AM)

Scrapping temp files only saved me 4 out of 900 lost MBs.

Advaita Das,

run a search for not-needed files:
*.fts; *.gid; *.temp; *.tmp; *.bak; *.chk; *.bak

and delete them all.

Also, empty recycle bin.

As for the 9K MB of space missing, the only thing that comes to my mind is swap file or, as window$ call it, page file.

It is generated automatically by system itself, it needs it to run smoothly.
Check help files and search for page file, swap file. You can change settings.
I am using win 2K pro, so I dont know off hand where these settings are in win xp, sorry.

All in all, sonner or latter you will need larger hard drive.
IMHO

hariii bol!

Madhava - Sun, 14 Aug 2005 15:56:37 +0530

Is there really a need to delete .fts and .gid? If anyone uses the search features of his installed programs, or wants the built-in file etc. search work faster, they'll come in handy, and they shouldn't really take all that much space.

In WXP you can configure the size of the page file from My Computer > Properties > Advanced > Performance > Advanced > Virtual Memory. However, please note that while cutting down on the page file may seem like a good way to save space, if you're low on memory or are using memory intensive applications, the swap space is really very necessary for your computer to work properly.

Nitya - Sun, 14 Aug 2005 18:15:58 +0530

QUOTE(Madhava @ Aug 14 2005, 01:26 PM)

You can delete an FTS and GID files without harming your system. The help system will recreate the file next time they are needed.

Nowadays systems with 515MB+ of RAM, fast processors and 72K RPM Hard drives with 8MB of cache - search and help functions
are done in a blink of an eye.

But yes, these files do not ask for that much space.

QUOTE(Madhava @ Aug 14 2005, 01:26 PM)

In WXP you can configure the size of the page file from My Computer > Properties > Advanced > Performance > Advanced > Virtual Memory. However, please note that while cutting down on the page file may seem like a good way to save space, if you're low on memory or are using memory intensive applications, the swap space is really very necessary for your computer to work properly.

Yep.
I have set separate partition on my harddrive, and 4GP page file. System needs it, for certain...

Gaurasundara - Mon, 15 Aug 2005 03:40:54 +0530

QUOTE(Nitya @ Aug 14 2005, 08:31 AM)

I something should not work after this, you can still recover all files for the recycle bin, so...

I actually planned on deleting them from the Recycle Bin too.

Just a q: If you delete stuff and it goes to Recycle Bin, they still take up certain memory space right? And deleting the stuff from the Recycle Bin will free up that memory ?

Madhava - Mon, 15 Aug 2005 03:43:32 +0530

Hard disk, not memory. (Usually you refer to RAM with "memory".) But yes, they do take that space as long as you don't remove them from the recycle bin.

To be precise, they don't really disappear from your hard drive until that section of the drive is written over again with new data. Until then they are still there, but they are marked in the file allocation table as something you can write over, hence they are essentially "free space" for all practical purposes.

Gaurasundara - Mon, 15 Aug 2005 04:05:29 +0530

Great, thanks a lot! Here we go with 500MB of temp files in the bin! Let's hope nothing goes wrong!

(I'll set a System Restore point just in case).

DharmaChakra - Mon, 15 Aug 2005 16:20:33 +0530

QUOTE(Gaurasundara @ Aug 14 2005, 06:35 PM)

Great, thanks a lot! Here we go with 500MB of temp files in the bin! Let's hope nothing goes wrong!

(I'll set a System Restore point just in case).

Deleting this many files can lead to some severe fragmentation of data on your disk. You should run some defragging software on that disk to help recover some efficiency.

Gaurasundara - Tue, 16 Aug 2005 07:31:39 +0530

Yes, I defragment my drive every two days or so. I use the 'SpeedDisk' program that is part of Norton SystemWorks 2004. Any recommendations?