Contents

• The software distribution directory contains a series of directories that Windows uses to download, decompress and install software updates. It also contains a log file, ReportingEvents, that lists any distribution activity within the directory. You can open ReportingEvents with Notepad or another text editor.
  
  

Problems

• While having a place to download and install software updates is a good idea in theory, in this case, the practice fell short. There is no mechanism available to automatically remove the content, so when you're trying to figure out how to clear some space on your hard drive, look here. You can manually delete the contents of the folder.
  
  

Security

• Other than deleting the contents of the directory, Vista prevents you from making permanent changes to this directory. You cannot direct updates to go to an external drive. If you rename it (or delete it completely), it automatically returns at the next update. The only way to prevent this is to turn off automatic updates, but this might leave your computer vulnerable to security threats or other problems.