Mysterious second Windows directory suddenly appears

I just received an error message on a large D partition that I am running
out of disc space.

When I looked in windows explorer, I discovered that a mysterious second
Windows directory has suddenly appeared.

It is completely full of all the usual Windows directories and files and
even has a couple of patches in it! Specifically a $hf_mig$ directory
containing KB898461, an $MSI31Uninstall_KB893803v2$ directory containing
files dating from 23rd March 2007 and an $NtUninstallKB898461$ directory.

Actually the most recent service pack on the C: windows partition is
$NtUninstallKB929338$ dating from before the one on the D drive!

I did go into the Restore console in March sometime to do a wincfg but cant
imagine that could have created a whole new Windows installation?

Can't say my installation is the most stable around, with occasional crashes
but no amount of running spybot, adaware or SFC seems to rectify this and it
doesn't happen TOO often.

What can I do about this directory and how do I delete it to get the space
back?

Open a Command Prompt and issue:

Set System

What does it say?

John

news.microsoft.com wrote:

> I just received an error message on a large D partition that I am running
> out of disc space.
>
> When I looked in windows explorer, I discovered that a mysterious second
> Windows directory has suddenly appeared.
>
> It is completely full of all the usual Windows directories and files and
> even has a couple of patches in it! Specifically a $hf_mig$ directory
> containing KB898461, an $MSI31Uninstall_KB893803v2$ directory containing
> files dating from 23rd March 2007 and an $NtUninstallKB898461$ directory.
>
> Actually the most recent service pack on the C: windows partition is
> $NtUninstallKB929338$ dating from before the one on the D drive!
>
> I did go into the Restore console in March sometime to do a wincfg but cant
> imagine that could have created a whole new Windows installation?
>
> Can't say my installation is the most stable around, with occasional crashes
> but no amount of running spybot, adaware or SFC seems to rectify this and it
> doesn't happen TOO often.
>
> What can I do about this directory and how do I delete it to get the space
> back?
>
>

"John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:eLAPZnhdHHA.2316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Open a Command Prompt and issue:
>
> Set System
>
> What does it say?
Sorry for delay on this but (I dont think this is related), just after
posting, my HDD died. I have now used partition commander to copy the whole
drive to the new one.

Set System shows c: and the Windows directory being c:\windows. I suppose
it must be OK to simply delete this whole second directory and then hope
that windowsupdate will see the lack of those critical updates and reinstall
them?

The only slight relevance of the HDD crash was the fact that something had
mysteriously resized my whole D partition to just over the amount actually
used and left all the rest as free unformatted space. This would of course
have been relevant to why I suddenly ran out of space but not to how that
second windows directory got there. I wonder if this situation has ever
happened before?

> John
>
> news.microsoft.com wrote:
>
>> I just received an error message on a large D partition that I am running
>> out of disc space.
>>
>> When I looked in windows explorer, I discovered that a mysterious second
>> Windows directory has suddenly appeared.
>>
>> It is completely full of all the usual Windows directories and files and
>> even has a couple of patches in it! Specifically a $hf_mig$ directory
>> containing KB898461, an $MSI31Uninstall_KB893803v2$ directory containing
>> files dating from 23rd March 2007 and an $NtUninstallKB898461$ directory.
>>
>> Actually the most recent service pack on the C: windows partition is
>> $NtUninstallKB929338$ dating from before the one on the D drive!
>>
>> I did go into the Restore console in March sometime to do a wincfg but
>> cant imagine that could have created a whole new Windows installation?
>>
>> Can't say my installation is the most stable around, with occasional
>> crashes but no amount of running spybot, adaware or SFC seems to rectify
>> this and it doesn't happen TOO often.
>>
>> What can I do about this directory and how do I delete it to get the
>> space back?
>

news.microsoft.com wrote:

> "John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
> news:eLAPZnhdHHA.2316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
>>Open a Command Prompt and issue:
>>
>>Set System
>>
>>What does it say?
>
> Sorry for delay on this but (I dont think this is related), just after
> posting, my HDD died. I have now used partition commander to copy the whole
> drive to the new one.
>
> Set System shows c: and the Windows directory being c:\windows. I suppose
> it must be OK to simply delete this whole second directory and then hope
> that windowsupdate will see the lack of those critical updates and reinstall
> them?
>
> The only slight relevance of the HDD crash was the fact that something had
> mysteriously resized my whole D partition to just over the amount actually
> used and left all the rest as free unformatted space. This would of course
> have been relevant to why I suddenly ran out of space but not to how that
> second windows directory got there. I wonder if this situation has ever
> happened before?

Not sure what happened. Rename the folder and then see what happens.
After a few days if things appear to be none the worse delete the
renamed folder.

John

>
>
>>John
>>
>>news.microsoft.com wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I just received an error message on a large D partition that I am running
>>>out of disc space.
>>>
>>>When I looked in windows explorer, I discovered that a mysterious second
>>>Windows directory has suddenly appeared.
>>>
>>>It is completely full of all the usual Windows directories and files and
>>>even has a couple of patches in it! Specifically a $hf_mig$ directory
>>>containing KB898461, an $MSI31Uninstall_KB893803v2$ directory containing
>>>files dating from 23rd March 2007 and an $NtUninstallKB898461$ directory.
>>>
>>>Actually the most recent service pack on the C: windows partition is
>>>$NtUninstallKB929338$ dating from before the one on the D drive!
>>>
>>>I did go into the Restore console in March sometime to do a wincfg but
>>>cant imagine that could have created a whole new Windows installation?
>>>
>>>Can't say my installation is the most stable around, with occasional
>>>crashes but no amount of running spybot, adaware or SFC seems to rectify
>>>this and it doesn't happen TOO often.
>>>
>>>What can I do about this directory and how do I delete it to get the
>>>space back?
>>
>
>

"John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:uTYzhoRfHHA.4636@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> news.microsoft.com wrote:
>
>> "John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
>> news:eLAPZnhdHHA.2316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>
>>>Open a Command Prompt and issue:
>>>
>>>Set System
>>>
>>>What does it say?
>>
>> Sorry for delay on this but (I dont think this is related), just after
>> posting, my HDD died. I have now used partition commander to copy the
>> whole drive to the new one.
>>
>> Set System shows c: and the Windows directory being c:\windows. I
>> suppose it must be OK to simply delete this whole second directory and
>> then hope that windowsupdate will see the lack of those critical updates
>> and reinstall them?
>>
>> The only slight relevance of the HDD crash was the fact that something
>> had mysteriously resized my whole D partition to just over the amount
>> actually used and left all the rest as free unformatted space. This
>> would of course have been relevant to why I suddenly ran out of space but
>> not to how that second windows directory got there. I wonder if this
>> situation has ever happened before?
>
> Not sure what happened. Rename the folder and then see what happens.
> After a few days if things appear to be none the worse delete the renamed
> folder.


I would love to know what is actually going on here but anyway it does
rename OK so I cant imagine there is anything useful or working in it



> John
>
>>
>>
>>>John
>>>
>>>news.microsoft.com wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>I just received an error message on a large D partition that I am
>>>>running out of disc space.
>>>>
>>>>When I looked in windows explorer, I discovered that a mysterious second
>>>>Windows directory has suddenly appeared.
>>>>
>>>>It is completely full of all the usual Windows directories and files and
>>>>even has a couple of patches in it! Specifically a $hf_mig$ directory
>>>>containing KB898461, an $MSI31Uninstall_KB893803v2$ directory containing
>>>>files dating from 23rd March 2007 and an $NtUninstallKB898461$
>>>>directory.
>>>>
>>>>Actually the most recent service pack on the C: windows partition is
>>>>$NtUninstallKB929338$ dating from before the one on the D drive!
>>>>
>>>>I did go into the Restore console in March sometime to do a wincfg but
>>>>cant imagine that could have created a whole new Windows installation?
>>>>
>>>>Can't say my installation is the most stable around, with occasional
>>>>crashes but no amount of running spybot, adaware or SFC seems to rectify
>>>>this and it doesn't happen TOO often.
>>>>
>>>>What can I do about this directory and how do I delete it to get the
>>>>space back?
>>>
>>

news.microsoft.com wrote:

> "John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
> news:uTYzhoRfHHA.4636@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>
>>news.microsoft.com wrote:
>>
>>
>>>"John John" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
>>>news:eLAPZnhdHHA.2316@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>>
>>>
>>>>Open a Command Prompt and issue:
>>>>
>>>>Set System
>>>>
>>>>What does it say?
>>>
>>>Sorry for delay on this but (I dont think this is related), just after
>>>posting, my HDD died. I have now used partition commander to copy the
>>>whole drive to the new one.
>>>
>>>Set System shows c: and the Windows directory being c:\windows. I
>>>suppose it must be OK to simply delete this whole second directory and
>>>then hope that windowsupdate will see the lack of those critical updates
>>>and reinstall them?
>>>
>>>The only slight relevance of the HDD crash was the fact that something
>>>had mysteriously resized my whole D partition to just over the amount
>>>actually used and left all the rest as free unformatted space. This
>>>would of course have been relevant to why I suddenly ran out of space but
>>>not to how that second windows directory got there. I wonder if this
>>>situation has ever happened before?
>>
>>Not sure what happened. Rename the folder and then see what happens.
>>After a few days if things appear to be none the worse delete the renamed
>>folder.
>
>
>
> I would love to know what is actually going on here but anyway it does
> rename OK so I cant imagine there is anything useful or working in it

When I have no better explanations I blame it on Gremlins...

John