Remove Hotfix Backups

When you install updates from Windows Update, backup folders are created for the files that were replaced during the update. These are created so that you can easily uninstall a particular Hotfix, if it causes problems with your system. If your system is running stable and you don't need to uninstall the hotfixes, then you can safely remove the backup files to free up disk space.

The Remove Hotfix Backups application was designed to be a small utility that will locate the Hotfixes that have created backup files on your system, and will remove those backups. It will also removes the associated Registry entries for these items in Add/Remove Programs.

NOTE: This utility does NOT remove application specific hotfix backups (Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Media player and etc.). It will only remove hotfix backups that are specific to the Windows XP operating system.

You may not notice an immediate recovery of disk space. This is because the backup files are protected by System Restore. When they are deleted, System Restore places a copy in the most recent, or a new, restore point. As older restore points are flushed out, and new ones created, you'll see the space gain.

This is a one-way operation. If you remove the Hotfix backup files and the Registry entries, it cannot be undone, unless you back up these items manually.