specifying the SP2 upgrade download location

[name]

Hi.

Unfortunately I made the mistake of installing windows xp pro on a
partition that is too small and consequently I'm constantly short on
diskspace and this problem is driving me nuts. How can I configure
windows to download (and if possible also install) upgrades on a
different partition that has lots of space available?
Windows seems to download the SP2 upgrade to
WINDOWS/SoftwareDistribution/Download and I want to specify a
different location where the SP2 upgrade should be downloaded.
Is there any way to do this?
Also, is there any way to reduce the size of the WINDOWS directory?
Are there any directories with lots of files that are not absolutely
essential that can be deleted to conserve diskspace?

Thanks in advance for any help with this issue, kind regards, Niek

[Rock]

name wrote:

> Hi.
>
> Unfortunately I made the mistake of installing windows xp pro on a
> partition that is too small and consequently I'm constantly short on
> diskspace and this problem is driving me nuts. How can I configure
> windows to download (and if possible also install) upgrades on a
> different partition that has lots of space available?
> Windows seems to download the SP2 upgrade to
> WINDOWS/SoftwareDistribution/Download and I want to specify a
> different location where the SP2 upgrade should be downloaded.
> Is there any way to do this?
> Also, is there any way to reduce the size of the WINDOWS directory?
> Are there any directories with lots of files that are not absolutely
> essential that can be deleted to conserve diskspace?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help with this issue, kind regards, Niek

SP2 needs alot of space for the install. See this link:
The hard disk space requirements for Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=837783

You would be better off enlarging the partition either by doing a clean
install and creating the larger partition at install time or using one
of the third party partition managers that that can do this with XP
installed, such as Partition Magic or BootitNG.

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

How large is the windows partition?
4 - 5 gb is the minimum for just Windows and appropriate updates.
Larger if you also store data or install applications.

This may help:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm
And:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm

If the drive has space, you can use a 3rd party program to increase the size
of C drive:
http://www.bootitng.com/
http://www.symantec.com/partitionmagic/

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/


"name" > wrote in message
. ..
> Hi.
>
> Unfortunately I made the mistake of installing windows xp pro on a
> partition that is too small and consequently I'm constantly short on
> diskspace and this problem is driving me nuts. How can I configure
> windows to download (and if possible also install) upgrades on a
> different partition that has lots of space available?
> Windows seems to download the SP2 upgrade to
> WINDOWS/SoftwareDistribution/Download and I want to specify a
> different location where the SP2 upgrade should be downloaded.
> Is there any way to do this?
> Also, is there any way to reduce the size of the WINDOWS directory?
> Are there any directories with lots of files that are not absolutely
> essential that can be deleted to conserve diskspace?
>
> Thanks in advance for any help with this issue, kind regards, Niek

[Ken Blake]

In ,
name > typed:

> Unfortunately I made the mistake of installing windows xp pro
> on a
> partition that is too small and consequently I'm constantly
> short on
> diskspace and this problem is driving me nuts. How can I
> configure
> windows to download (and if possible also install) upgrades on
> a
> different partition that has lots of space available?
> Windows seems to download the SP2 upgrade to
> WINDOWS/SoftwareDistribution/Download and I want to specify a
> different location where the SP2 upgrade should be downloaded.
> Is there any way to do this?


You're perhaps best off ordering a free SP2 from Microsoft
instead of downloading it.


> Also, is there any way to reduce the size of the WINDOWS
> directory?
> Are there any directories with lots of files that are not
> absolutely
> essential that can be deleted to conserve diskspace?


There are several things you can do. Turning off hibernation, if
you're not using it, will help. Reducing the minimum size of the
swap file from the default will help. Reducing System Restore
from its default of 12% will help (but give you fewer restore
points).

But realize that over time, the problem will become worse. As you
install more software, you will increasingly need more space on
the partition. Sooner or later, you're going to have to do
something about increasing its size, so you might as well think
about doing it now.

You can't change the size of partitions non-destructively
natively with Windows, but you can do with third-party software
such as Partition magic and Boot-It Next Genration. BING comes
with a 30-day free trial, so you may want to download and use it
to accomplish what you want to do within that 30-day period.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

[Ken Blake]

In ,
name > typed:
> Hi.
>
> Unfortunately I made the mistake of installing windows xp pro
> on a
> partition that is too small and consequently I'm constantly
> short on
> diskspace and this problem is driving me nuts. How can I
> configure
> windows to download (and if possible also install) upgrades on
> a
> different partition that has lots of space available?
> Windows seems to download the SP2 upgrade to
> WINDOWS/SoftwareDistribution/Download and I want to specify a
> different location where the SP2 upgrade should be downloaded.
> Is there any way to do this?


Sorry, I neglected to mention that if you download SP2 from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=049c9dbe-3b8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&displaylang=en

or http://tinyurl.com/6ubys

you can specify the download location.

But because it's a very big download, I recommended ordering the
CD instead.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup