Guest mpysr Posted July 24, 2007 Posted July 24, 2007 I have an old laptop with limited disk. Microsoft persuaded me to upgrade to Service Pack 2, but the process aborted with the message that there wasn't enough disk. (Started with 700 MG free, but that's not enough, apparently.) Here's the problem. I now have 150 MG less free space, and that appears to be due to growth in: C:/Windows/$hf_mig$/ I've looked around for information about this folder, but haven't gotten a clear answer. My understanding is that $hf_mig$ is for Service Pack 2 use. But I'm content to live, and take my chances, with the existing Service Pack 1. Can I remove all the folders inside $hf_mig$ ? That's the big question. Here is the little question. What is a Service Pack? Is it *only* a collection of patches, or something more? If I have *some* components of Service Pack 2, but it aborted before completion, am I running with a degraded Service Pack 2, or what?
Guest TaurArian [MS-MVP] Posted July 24, 2007 Posted July 24, 2007 Re: Yet another person confused about $hf_mig$ Description of the contents of Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 software update packages http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;824994 %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder From the above article:- When a security update, critical update, update, update rollup, driver, or feature pack installs GDR 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. So leave that folder alone. You can however tidy up other areas - Tidying up after installing SP2 http://aumha.org/win5/a/sp2faq.php#after and/or http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm#Removing_the_uninstall_information Removing the uninstall information http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm Save Space After Installing Updates About SP2 - List of fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=811113 WinXP SP2: What's New for Internet Explorer and Outlook Express http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/ieoeoverview.mspx -- ==================================== TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2008 - Australia ==================================== How to make a good post: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm Defending your machine: http://defendingyourmachine2.blogspot.com/ http://taurarian.mvps.org/index.htm Emails will not be acknowledged - please post to the newsgroup so all may benefit. "mpysr" <Mark.Poyser@gmail.com> wrote in message news:1185257907.616210.97270@z24g2000prh.googlegroups.com... |I have an old laptop with limited disk. Microsoft persuaded me to | upgrade to Service Pack 2, but the process aborted with the message | that there wasn't enough disk. (Started with 700 MG free, but that's | not enough, apparently.) | | Here's the problem. I now have 150 MG less free space, and that | appears to be due to growth in: | | C:/Windows/$hf_mig$/ | | I've looked around for information about this folder, but haven't | gotten a clear answer. | | My understanding is that $hf_mig$ is for Service Pack 2 use. But I'm | content to live, and take my chances, with the existing Service Pack | 1. | | Can I remove all the folders inside $hf_mig$ ? | | That's the big question. | | Here is the little question. What is a Service Pack? Is it *only* a | collection of patches, or something more? If I have *some* components | of Service Pack 2, but it aborted before completion, am I running with | a degraded Service Pack 2, or what? |
Guest mpysr Posted July 24, 2007 Posted July 24, 2007 Re: Yet another person confused about $hf_mig$ TaurArian: Thank you for your informative reply! (and the many links) I'll opine here a little about the issue. This is not to be critical of your help, but to say a few things about MS in general. In the link provided (and qoted in the reply), I read: (Files are copied to the $hf_mig$ area.) "This supports migration to the appropriate files if you later install a hotfix or service pack ..." What is meant by "migration to the appropriate files"? I've heard of migration to an appropriate *place*, but not migration to a *file*. What is a hotfix? >From the same link: "When a security update, critical update, update, update rollup, driver, or feature pack installs GDR version files, the hotfix files are also copied to the %windir%\$hf_mig$ folder." Which reads as if hotfixes are a superset that include security updates, general updates, etc. But when you go to Add/Remove programs, there are at least three species: Windows XP Hotfix Windows Security Update Update for Windows Which would imply that a Security Update is *not* a hotfix. Or is it? I'll close with a puzzle. If a subsequent update is requested and would noirmally use the contents of a now-deleted folder, why can't the old folder and contents be brought in again? (Especially these days with high-speed connections.) If I can, say, write all the $hf_mig$ folders to a CD, remove them and then copy them back, isn't that something that the OS could do as well? In fact, wouldn't that make it a more robust OS? Is $hf_mig$ something that was developed for the old days when D/Ls took forever?
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