Changing Windows XP update download target drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ian Hayes
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Ian Hayes

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I have a friend who has a laptop with two hard drives: an 80MB 'C' drive and
a 5MB 'D' drive. Currently there is plenty of free space on the 'C' drive
and zero free space on the 'D' drive.

For some reason when the Windows Update process is run it is trying to
download and store files onto the 'D' drive. As there is no free space on
the 'D' drive the Update process fails with an error. How and where can I
change the target drive so that Windows Update uses drive 'C' instead?

I've checked all the environment variables and they all point to drive C.
 
Re: Changing Windows XP update download target drive?

On Oct 7, 5:44 pm, "Ian Hayes" <dav...@dsl.pipex.com> wrote:
> I have a friend who has a laptop with two hard drives: an 80MB 'C' drive and
> a 5MB 'D' drive. Currently there is plenty of free space on the 'C' drive
> and zero free space on the 'D' drive.
>
> For some reason when the Windows Update process is run it is trying to
> download and store files onto the 'D' drive. As there is no free space on
> the 'D' drive the Update process fails with an error.  How and where can I
> change the target drive so that Windows Update uses drive 'C' instead?
>
> I've checked all the environment variables and they all point to drive C.

Where is the "Windows" and "Program Files" folder stored? The Windows
Update seem to follow these folders.
 
Re: Changing Windows XP update download target drive?

80 GB or 80 MB ? There's a *huge difference, Ian. <w>
WU is supposed to use the drive with the greatest free space available
for the storeage, unpacking, and installation of updates.
AFAIK, the only setting in the registry for WU refers to the location of
the Event Cache, not where the updates are downloaded to.

With hidden files, folders, and system files showing
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial62.html#winxp

navigate to WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution. [* Which drive is
WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution located on ? *]

Open the Download subfolder and post back with the number of files
present and what their total size is, please.
Do the same for the Event Cache subfolder.
Also, open the DataStore subfolder.
What is the size of DataStore.edb ?

MowGreen [MVP 2003-2009]
===============
*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
===============



Ian Hayes wrote:

> I have a friend who has a laptop with two hard drives: an 80MB 'C' drive
> and a 5MB 'D' drive. Currently there is plenty of free space on the 'C'
> drive and zero free space on the 'D' drive.
>
> For some reason when the Windows Update process is run it is trying to
> download and store files onto the 'D' drive. As there is no free space
> on the 'D' drive the Update process fails with an error. How and where
> can I change the target drive so that Windows Update uses drive 'C'
> instead?
>
> I've checked all the environment variables and they all point to drive C.
>
 
Re: Changing Windows XP update download target drive?

[All that crossposting and you omitted microsoft.public.windowsupdate
newsgroup?]

Ian Hayes wrote:
> I have a friend who has a laptop with two hard drives: an 80MB 'C' drive
> and
> a 5MB 'D' drive. Currently there is plenty of free space on the 'C' drive
> and zero free space on the 'D' drive.
>
> For some reason when the Windows Update process is run it is trying to
> download and store files onto the 'D' drive. As there is no free space on
> the 'D' drive the Update process fails with an error. How and where can I
> change the target drive so that Windows Update uses drive 'C' instead?
>
> I've checked all the environment variables and they all point to drive C.
 
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