In CCleaner > Cleaner Settings > Windows tab > Advanced,
please tell me what Hotfix Uninstallers are, and is it safe to "clean" them?
Thank you
They are used as uninstallers for windows patches.
In CCleaner > Cleaner Settings > Windows tab > Advanced,please tell me what Hotfix Uninstallers are, and is it safe to "clean" them?
Thank you
Hi MRegP, and welcome to the forum.
See also this thread regarding the removal of uninstallers.
The below is quoted from Bold Fortunes slimming XP guide which I use on every install of XP.
I usually only delete the mainly larger XP folders.But in the end it's really up to you to decide.
C:\WINDOWS\$hf_mig$I delete the $hf_mig$ folder and its contents.
Per Microsoft: When a security update, critical update, update, update rollup, driver, or feature pack installs GDR (General Distribution Releases) version files, the hotfix files are also copied to the %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder. This supports migration to the appropriate files if you later install a hotfix or service pack that includes earlier versions of these files. For example, consider the following scenario:
1. You apply a security update that installs a GDR version of File.dll with a version number of 5.2.3790.1000 and copies a hotfix version of File.dll with a version number of 5.2.3790.1000 to the %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder.
2. You apply a hotfix that includes a hotfix version of File.dll with a version number of 5.2.3790.0000.
In this scenario the hotfix installation in step 2 installs the hotfix version of File.dll (version number 5.2.3790.1000) from the %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder instead of the hotfix version of File.dll (version number 5.2.3790.0000) from the hotfix package.
C:\WINDOWS\$NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$I delete all the $NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$ folders and their contents.
These $NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$ folders contain the necessary files for the uninstallation of Windows updates. You can uninstall a particular update through the Add/Remove Programs window, but its corresponding $NtUninstallKBxxxxxx$ folder and its contents must be present in order to do so.
These folders and their contents have absolutely nothing to do with the updates being in good working order. If you are certain you won't need to uninstall any of these updates, then by all means, delete these folders and their contents.