inflated windows/installer folder

Hi!
I use Windows XP Home edition and Office 2003 Pro.
For months I couldn't install the Update for Office 2003 (KB907417) and
Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB911961). The automatic updater
would download them and the installation would fail, over and over again.
I now found what the problem was (OSE.exe was missing), fixed it and
installed the updates.
But in C:\Windows\Installer there are hundreds of copies of the patches that
were downloaded and whose installation failed. The folder size is almost 4 GB!
When running Norton antivirus the file count on C used to be around 200,000.
Now it is more than 1.7 million. And the virus scan takes hours.
Does anyone know how I can restore my computer's file count to normal?
Thanks!

The contents of your DataStore folder may be the problem.

1. Delete the contents of the DataStore folder
2. Click Start.
3. Choose Run.
4. In the Run box, type: %windir%\SoftwareDistribution
5. Click OK.
6. Open the DataStore folder.
7. Delete all contents of the DataStore folder.
8. Close the window.
9. Reboot and revisit the Windows Update web site.


Your installation issue typically occurs when the previous Microsoft Office
components are corrupt. To correct the detailed error, I suggest that you manually
install these updates. For your convenience, I have listed the steps below.

1. Please download the updates to the desktop. For your convenience, I have listed the link of each update below:

Update for Outlook 2003 (KB913807)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB913161)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en

Security Update for Excel 2003 (KB905756)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en


2. Double click the downloaded updates to install them.

Note: Have your Office 2003 CD available as you may be prompted to
insert it in the CD drive.

After finishing the above steps, please try to access the Microsoft Update
site again to see whether you have successfully installed the updates.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------ÂÂ*----------------

"mir" wrote:

| Hi!
| I use Windows XP Home edition and Office 2003 Pro.
| For months I couldn't install the Update for Office 2003 (KB907417) and
| Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB911961). The automatic updater
| would download them and the installation would fail, over and over again.
| I now found what the problem was (OSE.exe was missing), fixed it and
| installed the updates.
| But in C:\Windows\Installer there are hundreds of copies of the patches that
| were downloaded and whose installation failed. The folder size is almost 4 GB!
| When running Norton antivirus the file count on C used to be around 200,000.
| Now it is more than 1.7 million. And the virus scan takes hours.
| Does anyone know how I can restore my computer's file count to normal?
| Thanks!

Thanks for your reply.
My issue is actually *not* installation: I solved the problem I had, and
already installed the updates.
The problem is that after all those failed attempts of automatic updates to
download and install the updates, there are hundreds of copies of those same
updates left in my c:\windows\installer folder.
The question is if I can delete them, and how.

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:

> The contents of your DataStore folder may be the problem.
>
> 1. Delete the contents of the DataStore folder
> 2. Click Start.
> 3. Choose Run.
> 4. In the Run box, type: %windir%\SoftwareDistribution
> 5. Click OK.
> 6. Open the DataStore folder.
> 7. Delete all contents of the DataStore folder.
> 8. Close the window.
> 9. Reboot and revisit the Windows Update web site.
>
>
> Your installation issue typically occurs when the previous Microsoft Office
> components are corrupt. To correct the detailed error, I suggest that you manually
> install these updates. For your convenience, I have listed the steps below.
>
> 1. Please download the updates to the desktop. For your convenience, I have listed the link of each update below:
>
> Update for Outlook 2003 (KB913807)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
>
> Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB913161)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
>
> Security Update for Excel 2003 (KB905756)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
>
>
> 2. Double click the downloaded updates to install them.
>
> Note: Have your Office 2003 CD available as you may be prompted to
> insert it in the CD drive.
>
> After finishing the above steps, please try to access the Microsoft Update
> site again to see whether you have successfully installed the updates.
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows - Shell/User
> Microsoft Community Newsgroups
> news://msnews.microsoft.com/
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------ÂÂ*----------------
>
> "mir" wrote:
>
> | Hi!
> | I use Windows XP Home edition and Office 2003 Pro.
> | For months I couldn't install the Update for Office 2003 (KB907417) and
> | Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB911961). The automatic updater
> | would download them and the installation would fail, over and over again.
> | I now found what the problem was (OSE.exe was missing), fixed it and
> | installed the updates.
> | But in C:\Windows\Installer there are hundreds of copies of the patches that
> | were downloaded and whose installation failed. The folder size is almost 4 GB!
> | When running Norton antivirus the file count on C used to be around 200,000.
> | Now it is more than 1.7 million. And the virus scan takes hours.
> | Does anyone know how I can restore my computer's file count to normal?
> | Thanks!
>
>

In my initial question I wrote that I installed the updates. The problem is
the mess left behind...
The DataStore folder is not the problem. I cleaned that one.
The problem is this:
There are hundreds of copies of *identical* patches in Windows\Installer. On
my virus scan today, Norton listed 2.1 million files! When I ran the scan
without Windows\Installer there were just over 200 thousand.
I can't believe that Windows really needs all those copies of the exact same
patch.

Can anyone help me? All the knowledge database has to say about the
mysterious creation of duplicate patches of office updates (sometimes over
100 copies!) is "Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem".

Thanks!

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" wrote:

> The contents of your DataStore folder may be the problem.
>
> 1. Delete the contents of the DataStore folder
> 2. Click Start.
> 3. Choose Run.
> 4. In the Run box, type: %windir%\SoftwareDistribution
> 5. Click OK.
> 6. Open the DataStore folder.
> 7. Delete all contents of the DataStore folder.
> 8. Close the window.
> 9. Reboot and revisit the Windows Update web site.
>
>
> Your installation issue typically occurs when the previous Microsoft Office
> components are corrupt. To correct the detailed error, I suggest that you manually
> install these updates. For your convenience, I have listed the steps below.
>
> 1. Please download the updates to the desktop. For your convenience, I have listed the link of each update below:
>
> Update for Outlook 2003 (KB913807)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
>
> Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB913161)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
>
> Security Update for Excel 2003 (KB905756)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
>
>
> 2. Double click the downloaded updates to install them.
>
> Note: Have your Office 2003 CD available as you may be prompted to
> insert it in the CD drive.
>
> After finishing the above steps, please try to access the Microsoft Update
> site again to see whether you have successfully installed the updates.
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows - Shell/User
> Microsoft Community Newsgroups
> news://msnews.microsoft.com/
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------ÂÂ*----------------
>
> "mir" wrote:
>
> | Hi!
> | I use Windows XP Home edition and Office 2003 Pro.
> | For months I couldn't install the Update for Office 2003 (KB907417) and
> | Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB911961). The automatic updater
> | would download them and the installation would fail, over and over again.
> | I now found what the problem was (OSE.exe was missing), fixed it and
> | installed the updates.
> | But in C:\Windows\Installer there are hundreds of copies of the patches that
> | were downloaded and whose installation failed. The folder size is almost 4 GB!
> | When running Norton antivirus the file count on C used to be around 200,000.
> | Now it is more than 1.7 million. And the virus scan takes hours.
> | Does anyone know how I can restore my computer's file count to normal?
> | Thanks!
>
>

mir wrote:
> In my initial question I wrote that I installed the updates. The
> problem is the mess left behind...
> The DataStore folder is not the problem. I cleaned that one.
> The problem is this:
> There are hundreds of copies of *identical* patches in
> Windows\Installer. On my virus scan today, Norton listed 2.1
> million files! When I ran the scan without Windows\Installer there
> were just over 200 thousand.
> I can't believe that Windows really needs all those copies of the
> exact same patch.
>
> Can anyone help me? All the knowledge database has to say about the
> mysterious creation of duplicate patches of office updates
> (sometimes over 100 copies!) is "Microsoft has confirmed that this
> is a problem".

And it recreates if you delete them manually (even in safe mode)?

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

no, it doesn't. There are a few large groups of identical files created at
the same dates and times.
All of them are patches of Office update. They have no subject in the
properties summary, but their titles are something like this:
Office 2003 Patch;outlfltr;6518;FullFile;ALL

I moved the duplicates to a new folder inside Windows\Installer. Some of
them were read-only; those I did not move.
If the next office update is successful, I am considering burning the moved
duplicates to CDs and deleting from my computer.

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> mir wrote:
> > In my initial question I wrote that I installed the updates. The
> > problem is the mess left behind...
> > The DataStore folder is not the problem. I cleaned that one.
> > The problem is this:
> > There are hundreds of copies of *identical* patches in
> > Windows\Installer. On my virus scan today, Norton listed 2.1
> > million files! When I ran the scan without Windows\Installer there
> > were just over 200 thousand.
> > I can't believe that Windows really needs all those copies of the
> > exact same patch.
> >
> > Can anyone help me? All the knowledge database has to say about the
> > mysterious creation of duplicate patches of office updates
> > (sometimes over 100 copies!) is "Microsoft has confirmed that this
> > is a problem".
>
> And it recreates if you delete them manually (even in safe mode)?
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
>