$NtUninstallKB(number)$ files

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broomey3

New Member
I used Eraser recently to cleanse the unused space on my hard disk. When the program ran, I noticed that it seemed to be erasing a lot of $NtUninstall(KB*****)$ files.
I know that these files are important for the removal of Microsoft Updates and are identifiable by the number shown in brackets.
I stopped the program immediately, as I was worried that I would erase these files as well, and thereby prevent my ability to remove any Microsoft updates in the future if I needed to.
Can anyone please advise? Can I preventl these files from being deleted, as I would like to retain the ability to remove Microsoft Updates if I need to. Who knows? It may prevent me from having to re-install Windows again!!
Thanks
 
Don't worry. The erasing of free space does not delete files on your hard drive. What you were probably seeing is the erasing of cluster tips. The files will not be deleted unless you specifically tell eraser to delete them
 
In our next version (v6?) we'll try to make it extremely user friendly and not include these extra messages unless the user specifically asks for it. Eraser may be an advanced security tool, but I feel that advanced tools should not be out of the reach of the novice!

Joel
 
Thank you for the reply. I do not understand the term cluster tips. Would the Eraser program erase the cluster tips of the $NtUninstallKB(****)$ files? If so, would this damage the files in any way?
I want to ensure that I understand what I am doing before I try and do anything clever again.
Thanks for the help.
 
broomey3 said:
Thank you for the reply. I do not understand the term cluster tips. Would the Eraser program erase the cluster tips of the $NtUninstallKB(****)$ files? If so, would this damage the files in any way?
I want to ensure that I understand what I am doing before I try and do anything clever again.
Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Trying to explain what cluster tips are and what a cluster tip wipe is, isn't the easiest thing in the world.

The help file in the Eraser program explains what cluster tips are:


"Cluster

To be able to keep track of the data on a partition, the file system divides each partition into small blocks called clusters. A cluster is the smallest area, which can be allocated from the disk and its size depends on the file system and on the size of the partition. "


"Cluster tip

The unused area at the end of the last cluster allocated by a file is called the cluster tip (or the slack space). This unused area is present in most files because space can be allocated only as cluster sized blocks and the contents of the file rarely completely fill all allocated clusters."


The cluster tip wipe writes over the unused space at the end of the last allocated cluster for a file - it does not overwrite the actual file data. Some cluster tips cannot be wiped as the files are locked by Windows.

If you are unsure of this feature then simply do not run a freespace wipe to also include a cluster tip wipe.
 
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