C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\ :-

CCleaner for Windows
1

On 29/10/2008 a security patch update dumped in the download folder :-

103 MBytes in 9 sub-folders with 32 character names e.g. 491a2c8e1582f5cdd01f8b3da4b8ef7d

36 KByte in one file with a 40 character name, 3dc173f8c7d24153dd41411e822b91ff9e4d7d82.

When does Windows purge ? :-

This was successfully installed, so why did it not go away immediately?

My experience is that most such dumps usually go away eventually when Windows decides to purge.

Is there anything I can do to accelerate this process ?

Would I be lucky if I disconnect from Internet time sources and set the date forward one month and reboot the computer a few times ?

And how many times should I reboot ?

And why does stuff stay ? :-

There is also 2.5 MBytes in 4 folders that were modified in 2006 and 2007

Why did they get stuck ?

Could they be the result of a patch that failed to install ?

This folder also has 18 off 40 character named files.

Total size is 10 MBytes, most of which is in the 7.5 MByte file that came on the Sept 2009 Patch Tuesday.

All these files have 40 character names, and they have at least one month between them.

There are 30 months without such a file - I may have missed a few Patch Tuesdays, but not that many.

Does Windows have a 40% failure rate at deleting these files ?

Do I still need them ?

(I am now wondering what was so special about the Sept 2009 patch that its index/whatever file is so large.)

Finally (for now), I have set Automatic Updates to "Turn OFF".

Do I need to weaken my defence against M.$ errors by setting it to "Notify" ?

i.e. I want to stop M.$. breaking my system with unexpected updates, but does "Turn OFF" also delay or disable the purging of obsolete files ?

Like many people, I fear that the next Patch Update will damage my system, so until last year I set Automatic Updates to Notify ONLY.

Last year M.$. broke the rules and did a secret download and installation, with absolutely no prior nor subsequent warning nor notification,

and System Administrators had no chance to take back-up precautions, and some had drastic system failures as a result of this M.$ virus.

Since then I use "Turn OFF Automatic Updates", and only switch to Notify when I have made a fresh backup.

Any day now I expect M.$. to break their latest promises, and dump regardless, I guess I will then add M.$. to my Hosts file for exclusion !!!

Regards

Alan

2
When does Windows purge ? :-

...

And why does stuff stay ? :-

I don't know when Windows decides to clean up this SoftwareDistribution folder. But this is part of my regular monthly cleanup sequence. Doing this on all my systems never caused a problem so far.

3
I don't know when Windows decides to clean up this SoftwareDistribution folder. But this is part of my regular monthly cleanup sequence. Doing this on all my systems never caused a problem so far.

This stuff may not cause a problem, but it causes extreme aggravation, and I wish to avoid the problem or minimise the delay.

103 MBytes of obsolete junk were still present after 11 days.

They have now gone after hanging around for 13 days.

I archive a disc image before I allow M.$ to dump a Security update on me, so I can immediately recover if their "fix" should cripple the system.

Then for two weeks I want to create a further disc image so I can immediately recover if I cripple my own system,

BUT I am less likely than M.$. to cripple it, so I wait until removal of the obsolete junk.

( 103 MBytes till yesterday, Perhaps 1000 MBytes after this week's update.)

I wait because 103 or 1000 MByte etc. would increase the time taken to create the image, and would reduce the number of images on a finite external hard drive, thus reducing how far back in time I could go.

It would be nice if I could get rid of junk immediately it becomes obsolete.

I guess I could simply delete the junk, but I am sure Windows would punish me sooner or later.

Regards

Alan