Can I delete old service packs?

[wolfman]

I need to make some room in the computer, so I was looking in the "add/remove" programs listing under size and use. I noticed that I have SP 2.5, 3, 3.5 and I think 5. If you keep the most current, can you delete the others. The are pretty large in size. I never know which programs that you don't know are safe to delete or not.

[BC_Programmer]

No. For one thing, those probably aren't service packs, they sound more like .NET framework components.

Sure, you could remove them, but then you'd just have to reinstall them when you figure out which programs you have needed them installed in the first place.

[patio]

However...
You can delete the $NTuninstaller$ files for those service packs...which won't affect the SP's at all...

They are usually in blue and do take up alot of space.

[BC_Programmer]

However...
You can delete the $NTuninstaller$ files for those service packs...which won't affect the SP's at all...

They are usually in blue and do take up alot of space.

True, but last I checked there was no Service Pack 2.5, 3.5, or 5 for windows... More to the point, chances are, they are in fact referring to .NET Framework components versions 2.0, 3.5, and 4; the latest releases of these are all a "Service  Pack" to the .NET framework of the corresponding version, so to the uneducated observer might appear to be "service packs".

Also, on that note, removing a Service pack in Add/remove programs will uninstall that service pack, leaving you with a system from before it was installed. You can use Disk Cleanup to remove old Service pack uninstallation files. (the ones patio notes, which do take up quite a bit of disk space)