Windows update change download location

Question

Is there a way to change the download path of windows updates?

(I want to protect my SSDs from unnecessary writes.)

Edit:

I read a lot of articles about SSD in the last 6 months, and I came to the conclusion, that it is not necessary to protect the SSD this way from the writes. A modern SSD withstands at least 500TB write during it's lifetime, so these few GBs of data does not really matter. http://techreport.com/review/27909/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-theyre-all-dead/3

Solution 1

I haven't tested this, but what about a symlink?

net stop wuauserv mklink /j c:\windows\softwaredistribution d:\other\desired\location net start wuauserv

Solution 2

The updates are automatically downloaded to the WINDOWS\Software Distribution\Download subfolder. They are then unpacked to the drive which has the most free space available and installed from there. The contents of the Download subfolder are periodically flushed.

There's no way to redirect where the updates are downloaded to due to Security concerns.

---

After reading a post of meatspace I have found this one:

• Start>Run
• type cmd and press enter
• type net stop wuauserv and press enter
• type rename c:\windows\SoftwareDistribution softwaredistribution.oldand press enter

Creating a symbolic link using Junction (Download)

In this example the software distribution folder will be redirected from C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution to the D:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution

• Creating the Junction

To create the target directory from the command prompt

C:\md D:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution

To create the Junction

C:\junction C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution “D:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution”

• Restart the Windows Update Service

• type net start wuauserv and press enter

Comments

[Bryan Boettcher]

By the time your SSD is out of writes, it will be so woefully obsolete it won't matter. The little dust from Windows Update will do nothing to appreciably change its lifespan.

[Imran Juma]

@insta Thanks, you might be right, but I'll try it. Maybe that one or two days of lifetime will matter, who knows...

[Leo Chapiro]

Good idea, take a look: blogs.msmvps.com/jeffloucks/2010/09/19/…

[meatspace]

Junction predates mklink. I think both are good but in this case the native solution is probably preferred (assuming it works, of course.)

[Imran Juma]

@meatspace Thanks! I'll try it. Why do I need to stop windows update service? I configured it to download only when I say to do so, so I guess that part is not necessary. I'll try that too. :-)

[Imran Juma]

@meatspace It works perfectly. You have to set manual update (you don't have to stop the service, just be sure it is not using the folder), move the folder to the different drive and set the symlink. After that it is even possible to detach that drive. I prefer the native solutions either.

[theMayer]

This is a nice step-by-step, but why not just use mklink /D ?

[Leo Chapiro]

This is the answer of @meatspace and has been accepted.