[Pro] service pack files

hello everyone,

i am looking at some of the hidden system files on my PC (xp service pack 2 )in parrticular ntldr.....there is one ntldr right off the c directory dated 2001
and another ntldr in c:\windows\servicepackfiles\i386 the later is dated
2004 the 2001 is 245 KB and the 2004 is 244 KB with the different dates i am assuming they are different...MY QUESTION
i am assuming the newer service pack file is being used, is this correct?
2) how is the new ntldr recognized by the rest of the system?
3) why isnt the original just overwritten, ?
4) how much other duplication is there in the service packs?

thanks john

The files in "c:\windows\nothing|something\i386" are used by Windows XP when/if you try and recover your system. If the "i386" folder is missing, Windows XP will prompt you to insert your Windows XP CD. If your Windows XP CD does not contain SP2 (Service Pack 2), you'd also then need to go to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and download/reinstall all available updates.

Also, when you try to add a Windows component (for example, Fax Services), Setup tries to locate the "I386" folder that contains the source files.

Note: This "I386" folder name is hard-coded into the Windows XP Setup program.

Cannot Install Windows XP from a Folder That Is Not Named i386
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307064&sd=RMVP

NTLDR is an abbreviation for the NT Loader program which is loaded by the Operating System (NT/2000/XP/Server 2003) on startup from the boot sector (in the root directory) of the drive being booted from. More info here:

Wikipedia: NTLDR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTLDR