Welcome, annoyed friends.

Here is how to remove those space-hogging, good-for-nothing Windoze Update (also called "hotfix") backup files from your hard disk and from the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel, and still have Windoze Update recognize your updated system files.

I have tested these steps on my Windoze 2000 - SP4 installation and I guess the same will work on WindozeXP but YMMV.

Safety first

You must be familiar with the use of the Registry Editor to perform these steps. Don't come crying to me if you accidentally deleted the whole HKLM tree! If in doubt, don't do it... or get the shareware automatic remover XP_Remove_Hotfix_Backup from Doug Knox.

Instead of deleting files, move them to a temp directory;
Export the registry branch before deleting its leaves;

Preliminary steps

Find out which hotfix backup you wish to remove; jog down its "KB" or "Q" number
Log in as administrator
Start Windoze Exploder, select Tools - Folder Options - View - "Show hidden files and folders"
Start Registry Editor; if you don't know how then you should not attempt these instructions

Altering your system

With Windoze Exploder, go to your Windoze system folder, e.g. "C:\Windows" or "C:\WinNT"
Move/delete the $NtUninstall<whatever-KB/Q>$ folder, e.g. "$NtUninstallKB820888$" for the KB820888 Windoze 2000 NTFS hotfix
Move/delete the <whatever-KB/Q>.log file, e.g. KB820888.log
With Registry Editor, go to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Updates\<component>\{sub-component\}<whatever-KB/Q> and delete the UninstallCommand value, e.g. HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Updates\Windows 2000\SP5\KB820888
- Note that there may be no or more than one sub-components in the registry branch. You may wish to search for the "UninstallCommand" value instead of exploring the branches.
Goto HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and remove the <whatever-KB/Q> key, and all the values contained within, e.g. remove this key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\KB820888
Optionally remove the key and all the values cotained in HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Management\ARPCache\<whatever-KB/Q>
- I could not find out the function or the importance of the ARPCache, so perhaps it is best left untouched. However, a no-backup install of a hotfix does not create this key in the ARPCache.

Leave these keys alone

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Hotfix\... (Windows Updates look for these), and
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist\... (Some kind of cache for Windows Exploder, should be harmless).

Testing

Go to the Windows Update site and let it do a scan. It should not find anything amiss. Job done.

Recommendations

In future you may wish to download the hotfixes and install them using the "/n" switch, but updating this way means you will lose the insurance against Microsloth stuff-ups.

Reference

Microsoft's "Hotfix Installation and Deployment Guide"

About this page