Can installed XP updates be retrieved from system?

McTavish--Yes, indeed interesting info.
I tried searching for several of the recent Updates and found most, not all, as .cat files in C:\Windows\System32\CatRoot. (Essentially no files linked directly to an individual Update in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download.)
Not sure whether clicking on the .cat files would install anything. Thought it best not to try.
Of course, as mentioned, I usually Run Updates directly from MS Windows Update site, so maybe what is deposited on my PC is different than what is deposited on yours, if you first download before running.

 

Jim…The updates were done on a completely clean and new XP Home install that had SP2 slipstreamed onto the XP CD. I just went to the update page and let it do its thing to download and install automatically. I don’t know why yours should be different. I also found the .cat files where you have them and double clicking opens a window saying Security Catalog Information with various options to view and check the Signature and Certificate and VeriSign……..etc.

Was there anything at all in your Download Folder? I’ve looked in several clones in both XP Home, and Pro on my other machine, and that folder is always completely empty – except in the auto updated one. If I install the updates on a clone from the data partition then the folder remains empty.

Perhaps the install folders purge themselves after a time, or a Windows Disk Cleanup gets rid of them. Or maybe you have some cleaning app you use that trims them out.

Tony, I discovered if you right click on the update folder and choose properties and then Advanced you get the option to compress the folder, which of course turns the text blue. The perfect way to distinguish between the used and a new arrival.

 

McTavish--

Sounds like you were doing the same thing I usually do.
Here are the contents of my C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download folder
Whenever there is a sub-folder (<DIR>), I have listed its contents in the next batch.
1) Directory of C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download

07/07/2005 02:42 PM <DIR> .
07/07/2005 02:42 PM <DIR> ..
08/19/2004 09:05 AM 38,556 34d822e0c61e0d8067f37ec0ed66a15343e1a58f
01/11/2005 01:39 PM 11,624 a79bcfc22f1d4c15ae4840c3d535bd203a0a7506
06/28/2005 01:03 PM <DIR> e8f0bcd92171c9af9c66928b3a749cec

2) Directory of C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\e8f0bcd92171c9af9c66928b3a749cec

06/28/2005 01:03 PM <DIR> .
06/28/2005 01:03 PM <DIR> ..
02/24/2005 09:35 PM 14,048 spmsg.dll
02/24/2005 09:35 PM 209,632 spuninst.exe
02/24/2005 09:35 PM 22,752 spupdsvc.exe
06/28/2005 01:03 PM <DIR> update
06/28/2005 01:03 PM 4 _downloadprogress_.state
06/28/2005 01:03 PM 17 _file_to_execute_.txt
06/28/2005 01:03 PM 34 _unpacked_.state
06/28/2005 01:03 PM 50 _useselfcontained_.state

3) Directory of C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\e8f0bcd92171c9af9c66928b3a749cec\update

06/28/2005 01:03 PM <DIR> .
06/28/2005 01:03 PM <DIR> ..
05/17/2005 01:02 PM 705 branches.inf
02/05/2005 10:08 PM 4,092 eula.txt
05/17/2005 01:16 PM 9,735 KB898461.CAT
02/24/2005 09:35 PM 22,240 spcustom.dll
02/24/2005 09:35 PM 718,048 update.exe
05/17/2005 01:27 PM 517 update.ver
05/13/2005 03:05 PM 496 updatebr.inf
05/17/2005 01:18 PM 16,138 update_SP2GDR.inf
05/17/2005 01:13 PM 16,580 update_SP2QFE.inf
02/24/2005 09:35 PM 371,936 updspapi.dll

The numbers in the middle of each listing is the size of the various files in Bytes.
As you can see, no downloaded Windows Update files.

My version of WinXP is an install of a Full Retail version of WinXP Pro SP2 over WinXP Home SP2. The original WinXP Home was an OEM installation. I updated to SP2 along the way, prior to installing WinXP Pro.
Strange we should have such different results concerning what is in the C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download folder.
I do clean out TIF and TEMP quite often and occasionally use DiskCleanup.

 

Your directory Jim
C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\e8f0bcd92 171c9af9c66928b3a749cec\update\update.exe
looks like it is the install program for the "Update for Windows XP (KB898461) ".
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...E1-9A67-4B99-A65A-069B79267856&displaylang=en
This is a very recent update - 27th June 2005.

Something must be cleaning out the folder after a time. I tried a Disk Cleanup on a clone but it removed nothing, but I would guess this was because all the files were only created days ago. They probably have to be a certain age before they are removed. I’ll keep an eye on them and try Disk Cleanups later to see if they do disappear after a time.

Couple of interesting points.
A pre Service Pack install of XP does not have a SoftwareDistribution folder. So obviously things have changed from the original release of XP.

The hardware driver updates create a folder in the download folder only while the downloads are coming in and being installed. As soon as it’s finished the folder disappears. Don’t know if there are gone for good, but don’t really care on this one as they are easily sourced as separate downloads.