When updates are installed by XP what happens to the files that are downloaded. I would like to delete those while still keeping what the updates did. I would also like to delete the backup files that some of the updates create.
You can remove these files/folders using a nice little app called ccleaner: http://www.ccleaner.com/

The files/folders in question will in your /WINDOWS directory (be sure to show hidden files to see them). They typically start with $NTUninstall....

In ccleaner, the option under System called 'Windows Log Files' is the option that removes them.

Run ccleaner in Analyze mode first, and go through the list before deleting.

TEk