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Windows Update Temp Storage

w1retap

w1retap

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I'm having a problem on a small network (~25 PC's) with the way Windows Update is working.

When the updates come out for Windows, it uses the network drive as the temp storage location. It really bogs down the network and slows the network drive to a crawl. I assume it pushes the temp storage to the network drive because it has the most available storage space.

I have been searching the MS help databases and googling all sorts of different things, but I can't come up with a solution. I want to specify where the temp files for the Windows Updates go so I can force it to stay on that individual workstation's hard drive without slowing down the network drive.

I'm hoping someone here knows of a registry edit or some fix to be able to force Windows Updates to go only to the workstation's hard drive and not the network hard drive.

** NOTE: This is at a school district, so they don't have a windows update server or anything. The network is all ghetto-rigged and they don't have money to buy anything. **
 
this doesn't sound right at all.... I don't think the windows update services would use an outside drive for caching updates unless it was told to. Are you setting up some sort of environmental variables (intenntionally or unintentionally) that tell windows to use outside drives for temp files (right click my computer - properties - advanced - environmental variables) Are you possibly using roaming profiles?

By default, windows update downloads the patches to the C:\Windows\software distribution folder. It'll store the uninstall files under folders such as c:\windows\$NtUninstallKB942763$ (hidden folders). I've NEVER seen any machine do anything otherwise... even with a WSUS server, the same rules apply.

What type(s) of output is it putting on your network drive? (folder and filenames) Are you sure the server for your network drive isn't the originating source of these files?

One other thing is windows update traffic should never be able to slow down a network... at least not until you're dealing with 500 or more computers... unless you've got an ancient network of like token ring, or 10 base T, I doubt ~25 pcs doing windows updates are your problem... perhaps a virus or spyware program is the cause...
 
The network drive is one of those piece of junk NDAS network drives. It shows up as a regular hard drive on the PC's. Since it has the most free storage available, I think it is pushing the windows updates there for some odd reason. I know it going to the drive, because when it is installing certain windows updates, it shows "T:\" as the temp storage unpacking location. (T:\ is the network drive). Also, when windows updates come out, I can access the T:\ network drive and it shows the temporary windows updates in folders in the root directory of the drive. They'll just be a folder called "872la2k6a7ips2" or something, with all the windows update temp files inside. After the updates install, it will disappear.
 
I believe what the OP is experiencing is those tricky little a3r09udfklajf309434 folders that are created when some updates are installed.

Ever notice in the root of your system drive that some random folders pop up with log files in there?

I am researching this issue -- will post back later.
 
@ Demon - no roaming profiles or anything like that.

@ LoStMaTt - Yes.. those are what I'm talking about. It's like the temp unpacking location for windows updates, and it just creates a what looks to be random folder name to store the files in as it installs them. I think it is defaulting to whatever has the most storage space available. And that is what I need to change so I can specify for it not to use the network drive.
 
Sorry to bump a year-old thread, but did anyone ever find a solution to this?

I've got my larger drive dedicated to keeping my games and larger programs in their own unfragmented partition, but those pesky Windows Update files keep going there. (This actually became a pretty big problem when that SATA cable got loose and Windows Update was trying to use a drive that was intermittently unavailable.)

Most importantly though, I just find it irritating that this is out of our control. It seems that if we can set our temp directory via environment variables, we should be able to control the location of the Windows Update temp files as well!
 
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