WINUP: Not Enough Free Disk Space to Install Update Components

When you install a desktop component, you may receive an error message stating that you do not have sufficient free disk space when using Active Setup to install Windows Update components. Setup may indicate that it must have only 3,000 kilobytes (KB) of disk space to complete an installation, but then generates an error message stating that it must have 3-4 times that space to complete the installation.

This is expected behavior. During download, the desktop component files are in a compressed format (such as the .zip compressed format) and require extra space to uncompress. After the files are uncompressed into a temporary folder, the executable (.exe) files install the theme, and then the files are removed from the hard disk. After the files are removed, there is only the original figure of 3,000 KB disk space used. This process completes automatically during installation and is not visible.

To install the component, increase the free hard disk space on your computer.

To free disk space, use any of the following methods.

Use Disk Cleanup to Remove Files You Do Not Need

1. Open My Computer.
2. Right-click the disk you want to free space on, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup.
4. Click the files you want to remove, and then click OK.
   
   Note You can read a description of each file type in the area under the list.

Use Scandisk to Look for Errors That Take Up Disk Space

To look for errors that may be taking up disk space, start ScanDisk, click the drive that you want to check, and then click Start.

Remove a Windows Component That You No Longer Use

To remove Windows components that you no longer use, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs, and then click the Windows Setup tab.
   
   If you used a CD to install Windows, you may be prompted to insert it into your computer.
3. Under Components, click the component you want to add or remove.

Notes

• To add all parts of the component, select the check box next to the component.
• To remove all parts of the component, click to clear the check box next to the component.
• To add or remove some parts of the component, click Details, and then select or click to clear the check boxes for those parts.

Remove Programs That You No Longer Use

To remove programs that you do not use, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Free Disk Space by Using Drive Converter (FAT32)

To free disk space by using Drive Converter, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Drive Converter.
2. Use Drive Converter to convert your hard disk to FAT32 format.

Notes

• After you convert your hard disk to FAT32 format, you cannot use the FAT16 format again until you repartition and reformat the FAT32 drive.
• If you converted the drive where Windows 98 is installed, you must reinstall Windows 98 after you repartition the drive.
• Older disk compression software is not compatible with FAT32. If your drive is already compressed, you may not be able to convert to FAT32.
• If you convert a removable disk and use the disk with other operating systems that are not FAT32-compatible, you cannot access the disk when you use the other operating system.
• The conversion may turn off the hibernation feature. See your computer documentation for details.
• Because earlier versions of Windows are not compatible with FAT32, you cannot remove Windows 98 after the conversion.
• The conversion from FAT16 to FAT32 does not affect most programs, but some disk utilities that depend on FAT16 do not work with FAT32 drives. You are prompted if you try to run one of these utilities. Contact your disk utility manufacturer to determine whether there is an updated version that is compatible with FAT32.
• If you convert your hard disk to FAT32 by using Drive Converter, you can no longer use dual boot to run Windows NT 4.0 and earlier operating systems. However, if you are on a network, earlier versions of Windows can still gain access to your FAT32 hard disk through the network.

Free Disk Space Using DriveSpace 3

To free disk space by using DriveSpace 3, follow these steps:

1. Open DriveSpace 3. To do so, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click DriveSpace.
2. Click the drive you want to compress.
3. On the Drive menu, click Compress.
4. Click Start.
5. If you have not backed up your files, click Back Up Files, and then follow the instructions on the screen. When you are finished, go to step 6.
6. Click Compress Now.
7. If you are prompted to restart your computer, click Yes.

Back Up and Delete Files You Do Not Need

To back up and delete files that you do not need, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Backup.
2. When you are finished backing up your files, double-click My Computer.
3. Click the file or folder you backed up.
4. On the File menu, click Delete.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have deleted all the files or folders you backed up.
6. Empty the Recycle Bin. To do so, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, and then click Empty Recycle Bin.

If you follow the steps in the "Workaround" section of this article but you still cannot view or download components from the Windows Update Web site, submit a Windows Update Support Request. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ (http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/)
   .
2. In the left pane under See Also, click Support Information.
3. In the right pane under Support Information, click Submit Windows Update Support Request.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to submit your question.