Only a windows media player process is using the folder. Mar 05, 2018 how to delete softwaredistribution folder in windows 10. Then you can unlock and delete the file from your windows system immediately, which is real convenient. Jul 30, 2012 wsus reset and delete softwaredistrib ution folder this script has been tested however, use at your own risk. Software distribution folder resetrenameempty like a boss. Nov 07, 2010 how to delete a folder in windows from the command prompt this will show you how to permanently delete a folder in vista, windows 7, or windows 8 using the rd or rmdir command from within a command prompt. Softwaredistribution folder duplicated on second drive in windows updates and activation since the win10 anniversary update, i have a duplicate softwaredistribution folder on my b drive which is where i store all my files. Open the command prompt as administrator, then run the following commands to restart the. How to uninstall and reinstall windows updates online tech tips.
How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows 10. Search for command prompt, rightclick the result, and select run as administrator. Delete corrupt windows update folder windows forum spiceworks. Delete it, and at best youll just have to watch and wait while the same data is sucked back down the next time you update your pc. What if i accidentally delete software distribution folder in. Make sure to restart these services after performing an operation on this folder. When its finished, you can rename softwaredistribution folder or simply delete it. Jan 04, 2020 i am trying to delete a user folder for a user who doesnt exist on the system any longer. Softwaredistribution folder delete in windows tek eye. Delete everything inside the software distribution folder you can also cut paste them to another location in case you want to place them back again. For this folder please delete all the files like you did on the. After the services are restarted, the folder will be recreated. Delete softwaredistribution folder fix windows update error by deleting software distribution folder deleting softwaredistribution folder is the common solution in fixing a windows update error. Windows vista enterprise windows 7 enterprise windows 7 service pack 1 windows server 2008 enterprise windows server 2008 r2 enterprise windows server 2008 r2 service pack 1 more.
If you have already installed all the windows updates for your system then you can delete the contents of the download folder. Jan 08, 2010 delete files and folders permanently with eraser. This article explains how windows uses the softwaredistribution folder and covers cleaning the folder to help free up disk spa. Once the software distribution folders and files have been deleted go back to the administrator command prompt and type in the following command. Delete or rename software distribution folder on windows. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows. First of, never ever delete the softwaredistribution folder. This topic is about the different ways to reduce the size of the winsxs folder on a running version of windows 10. Disk cleanup of software distribution downloads folder. When deep cleaning windows to recover disk space, performing a softwaredistribution folder cleanup is one task that may help.
I have not been able to unlock, rename or delete the folder. I have checked disk usage and a huge amount is being used by windows software distributiondownloads which, i think is the temporary file for the windows updates that have already been installed. I am using windows vista home and am trying to save disk space. How to delete vista windows software distribution folder.
I have this folder on an xp sp2 desktop here at work and the subfolders of that. Open your windows command prompt in admin mode run as admin and there enter the following commands one by one which will eventually stop the windows update service and the background intelligent transfer service. Is it safe to delete the sub folders in software distribution. Whoever said deleting the contents of this folder prevents you from uninstalling earlier updates is plain wrong. Vista how do i deleterename the software distribution folder. Learn how to remove, delete, rename or empty the contents of software distribution folder in windows 1087.
Mar 05, 2005 i recently i noticed my windows partition was filling up with stuff in the c. Search for command prompt, rightclick the result, and. Right after installing it, a new option named force delete will appear in the context menu. I am not familiar with how windows uses stuff from this directory. Im thinking if its safe to delete these sub folders under software distributions to free up my harddisk. Nov 04, 2016 while you do not want to touch this folder under normal conditions, you may need to empty its contents should you find that your systems datastore and the download folder have got desynchronized, resulting in your windows updates not working pro. Jul 24, 2012 empty the software distribution folder. Script or command to delete contents of software distribution folder.
Jun 24, 2016 hi, been trying to run disk cleanup on c drive of our windows 2008 server so as to remove files in c. Type the following command to stop the windows update service and press enter. Background intelligent transfer service windows update once these services are stopped, you can delete the code c. So, in order to perform any operation on this folder, you need to stop these services.
You should know that the software distribution folder is an essential component for windows. This article will explain what it is, can you delete, rename or modify this folder or not and how. This is probably something that is simple to answer but in case i screw it up, there could be large consequences so. How to delete a folder in windows from the command prompt this will show you how to permanently delete a folder in vista, windows 7, or. You can also use this method to reduce space used on your servers. Sep 19, 2019 actually, its safe to delete files found in the software distribution folder, so long as it has already done its job with windows update. How to delete software distribution folder on windows 10. Sep 14, 2014 deleting items in download folder posted in windows vista. Mar 17, 2009 that folder contains stuff that makes windows update go. Deleting this folder is often a step for troubleshooting windows. Otherwise, sometimes theres a corrupted file folder in a subfolder, which has a name that windows explorer cant process because the name doesnt match the file table or something. If this happens you can delete or rename the folder and it will be recreated in the same location. It works on windows xp, windows vista, and windows 7.
If you delete this folder, it will automatically be recreated next time windows updates check for updates. If your os doesnt allow you to perform the operation, try to use unlocker utility or other thirdparty tools. Try the steps mentioned below, to rename the catroot2 and software distribution folders. One commonly asked question is, can i delete the winsxs folder to regain some disk space. Deleting this folder is often a step for troubleshooting windows update. Mar 29, 2020 if youre using vista or windows 7, the kodyaz website, recommended in a microsoft support thread, provides instructions for its removal. If you only want to remove cached updates, do not delete it, and utilize one of the methods below. Delete temporary files in windows vista computerstepbystep. Can we delete all folders and files in the above folder. To delete the content inside the softwaredistribution folder, do the following. Make sure that the windows distribution folder is empty. This can be caused by some update files being downloaded and become corrupt. What is software distribution folder and how to delete or. After the commands have been executed try to delete the software distribution file and folders again.
Vista how do i deleterename the software distribution. Microsoft windows operating system use softwaredistribution folder to download and manage the updates applicable to your os and applications. Verify that the new software distribution folder created when you restart the update service is approxiamtely 1. Wise force deleter unlock and delete access denied file. Blue letters means the folder is compressed, although that shouldnt cause a problem with deleting. If you are just looking for stuff to delete you can empty the softwaredistributiondownload. You can also instead rename the software distribution folder. We recently had to change the name of our wsus server, actually rebuilt it and used a different naming convention. Apr 08, 2007 the software distribution folder in drive c windows is consuming huge space in my harddisk and i noticed that it only includes already installed updates for my applications or softwares. You are now restarting the services you previously. How to delete your temporary files in windows vista using command prompt and windows explorer.
On occasion windows updates fail and refuse to install some updates. Mar 11, 2020 yes, it is safe to delete, but the next time when windows checks for updates, it will basically start from scratch and check everything. Ive never had a problem deleting the contents of this folder, but i just realized that the disk cleanup wizard, even if i set it to delete windows update files, doesnt touch it. Software distribution folder is managed by windows update agent wuagent and background intelligent transfer service bits. Deleting this database simply removes the windows update history for the computer. This can be handy if you cannot delete the folder using the normal methods. Guess ill have to live with it, or take my hd to another computer to delete it. Nextcomment sauvegarder sa licence oem pour windows 7 ou vista. How to delete vista windows software distribution folder quora. Once these services are stopped, you can delete the c. On the machine on which i type this the entire thing accounts for 83mb of hdd space, which is roughly, oooh, 0.
There is a negative side when you delete your software distribution folder, though. You already may have heard about the software distribution folder. How to clear the softwaredistribution folder on windows 10 and. Oct 04, 2005 hi there, does anyone know if it safe to delete the contents of the c. How to address disk space issues that are caused by a large. Script or command to delete contents of software distribution. Software distribution folder posted in windows xp home and professional. Theres never a good reason to manipulate or delete files andor folders in there, unless you really have an issue with windows update. Choose all file in softwaredistribution folder, right click on it and press delete. Rename or delete software distribution folder in windows 10. Safe to delete downloads in softwaredistribution folder. Script wsus reset and delete softwaredistribution folder. Its simply where windows update downloads updates before it goes about installing them.
This folder is where windows downloads all of your windows updates to. Delete softwaredistribution folderfix windows update. Delete softwaredistribution folder fix windows update. Solved folder wont delete in vista howto geek forums. Windowssoftwaredistributiondownloads is it safe to. Apr 17, 2018 how to address disk space issues that are caused by a large windows component store winsxs directory content provided by microsoft applies to. This is probably something that is simple to answer but in case i screw it up, there could be large consequences so i thought i would. Actually, its safe to delete files found in the software distribution folder, so long as it has already done its job with windows update. Windows update once these services are stopped, you can delete the c. Rename or delete the software distribution folder in windows 1087. If you delete the whole folder, it will automatically be downloaded again, along with the files needed for windows update. Delete softwaredistribution folderfix windows update error.
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