$NtUninstall Folders in Windows directory?

Infopackets Reader Fran X. writes:

" There are a lot of $NtUninstall folders in my Windows directory. What purpose do they serve and can I delete them from my hard drive? "

My response:

I looked on my own hard drive for these directories, but didn't see any.

Curious as to what would cause this to happen, I decided to search Google.com for "$ntuninstall in windows folder". After a few listings, I found a newsletter article from Lockergnome.com which held the answer to Fran's dilemma. From the Lockergnome web site:

" Question: In the Windows folder, there are many folders (all in blue) that start out with $NtUninstall. What are these, and can they be deleted? Answer: Yes, they can be deleted but I wouldn't do that unless you need hard drive space. Those $NtUninstall folders are created when you install a Microsoft Service Pack, a hot fix, or certain security updates.

Do you remember when you were installing that latest Microsoft Service Pack and it gave you the option of archiving the files it was replacing? Well, if you left the option on 'Yes,' then it made a $NtUninstall folder so that you could uninstall the service pack, and it would replace itself with the old files during un-installation.

Now you understand why I say to just leave them there unless you need hard drive space... nothing is more frustrating than to have to live with a problem or format a machine just because you can't uninstall a service pack or hot fix. " (Source: Lockergnome.com)

As Chris Pirillo states, removing these folders may not be a good idea. If you're looking to save some hard drive space, I *highly* recommend that you use a program called Window Washer. I've had numerous people take the time to email me and thank me for recommending the program. One of the most recent comments I received was from AllstonDave, who writes:

" Based on your recommendation, I ... downloaded Window Washer. So far, I'm very impressed: it freed up almost 1 gig of hard drive space [the first time I ran it]. Thanks for all the great info in your newsletters. "

You can find out more info about Window Washer here:

Webroot's Window Washer Review