Hi I have a remote server (w2k3) that is running out of disk space, I have cleared down as much as I can (logs etc) but I'm still short on space. The server is due to be retired in less than one month so I want to avoid rebuilding/replacing it. There is a directory in C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution\download that contains a lot of files and folders such as 343abbfe210fceba.... etc some are blue, some are black. Is is safe to delete these files and folders? Another option I have is to move the pagefile.sys to another partition, but only having 90mb left I'm reluctant to have to do this because I don't know how windows will handle it. Any advice? Thanks Paul

I would move them first as a precaution, and if there are no problems delete them. you can delete any user profiles you don't need. you can also delete temp internet cache and empty the recycle bin. Roy Mayo | MCSE

"Another option I have is to move the pagefile.sys to another partition, but only having 90mb left I'm reluctant to have to do this because I don't know how windows will handle it." ??? Not sure what you mean by Windows handling it? If you can move the pagefile off of the system drive, that would be helpful in your situation for a quick fix. However, not having the pagefile on the system drive limits you in not being able to capture a full dump in the even of a BSOD. Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.

Well JM, as there is only 90mb left I don't know if Windows will use up any space in the process of moving it to D drive. I guess it won't but if it does then its crash time. I'm not that fussed about having the crash dump info, I'd rather the server didn't crash due to low disk space! :) Roy, yeh good idea, there is plenty of space on D I could move them to the only caveat being that if I move them and the server crashes then that is a problem. Does anyone know if those files are risky to move? Thanks Paul

%sysvol%\windows\SoftwareDistribution\download is where your windows updates are stored. if you stop the windows update service, you will be able to delete this folder. if you want to be on the save side, make a backup of the folder first, but so far i have not experienced problems with deletion of the SoftwareDistribution folders content. moving the pagefile is the better solution i guess. it wont crash you pc, it requires a reboot though

%sysvol%\windows\SoftwareDistribution\download is where your windows updates are stored. if you stop the windows update service, you will be able to delete this folder. if you want to be on the save side, make a backup of the folder first, but so far i have not experienced problems with deletion of the SoftwareDistribution folders content. FZB - have you done this before, did it help a disk space issue? - thanks

to resolve disk space issues i havent deleted the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder yet, i did so with wsus client problems before though. if you have doubts, you can try this on a workstation before, clients that get updates via any wsus/windows update source do have that folder as well. to resolve disk usage on servers, usually moving pagefile is a nice "quick and dirty" fix, as is compressing the log files of iis (if its installed, though you mentioned you deleted the logs already). you can also search in your windir if you have a memory.dmp from a crash. usually i also take a look at my disk with windirstats to check out if theres huge files that arent needed (http://windirstat.info/index.php). you sometimes find log files that way you hadnt on your radar

Hi, Files stored in SoftwareDistribution folder are updates. If they are not installed yet, Windows Updates will download them and store them to the folder again. Meanwhile you can try to check log files to see if they are large. If so, backup them to another drive if needed so that you can delete them from system drive. Also do a disk cleanup to clear temp files, re-install third party programs (if exists) to other drive, disable Hibernate, remove a part of VSS snapshot should also help and release hard disk space. Here are several articles you can have a look to see if WINSXS or blobs.bin files are large in your system. What is the WINSXS directory in Windows 2008 and Windows Vista and why is it so large? http://blogs.technet.com/b/askcore/archive/2008/09/17/what-is-the-winsxs-directory-in-windows-2008-and-windows-vista-and-why-is-it-so-large.aspx What is blobs.bin and why does it grow? http://blogs.technet.com/b/joscon/archive/2010/04/19/what-is-blobs-bin-and-why-does-it-grow.aspx Reduce the size of the WinSxS folder with vsp1cln.exe and compcln.exe http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/itdojo/?p=1060Shaon Shan| TechNet Subscriber Support in forum| If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.com

Paul, Since you are not interested in the crash dumps, I would still recommend that you move the pagefile.sys. Quick and Easy solution without worrying about which files to delete. Even if you have 0 bytes left, it will not crash due to moving the pagefile itself. I think this approach is safer than deleting any files on the system drive, initially. Once you have some breathing room, I would conitnue with the other recommendations listed in this thread which include removing unecessary temp files, log files, etc... Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.