Error: "There is not enough disk space on C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$ to install Service Pack 3".

Original Title: There is not enough disk space on . . . to install Service Pack 3.

I am running MS Windows XP Home Edition (32-bit), version 2002, on my computer. My computer is a Macbook with an Intel Core2 Duo CPU T7800 @ 2.60Ghz with 2.98 GB of RAM. The Mac OS is 10.5. I am running Windows through Boot Camp. My Boot Camp/Windows disk partition is 74.8 GB in size, with 10 GB of free space. Windows crashed on my computer several weeks ago and I had to reinstall it. I had previously been running Windows with Service Pack 3, and it had worked fine (until it crashed for no readily apparent reason). I reinstalled Windows through Service Pack 2, and it works. However, I am unable to reinstall Service Pack 3. Whenever I try, I receive the following message: "There is not enough disk space on C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$ to install Service Pack 3. Setup requires a minimum of 4 additional megabytes of free space or if you also want to archive the files for uninstallation, Setup requires 4 additional megabytes of free space. Free Addditional space on your hard disk and try again." As I mentioned previously, I currently have 10 GB (that's gigabytes, NOT megabytes) of free space in the Windows partition of my C drive. What do I do?

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Answer

Santosh Y

Hi davidbmitchell42,

Adding to J W Stuart MVP’s suggestion:

I would suggest you to try the steps below and then try installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 by downloading its standalone package from Microsoft Download Center.

Download Windows XP Service Pack 3

Important: This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article: Back up the registry

To be on safer side you may also create a restore point.

a. Click Start, click Run, type “regedit” (without quotes) and then click OK.

b. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup

c. On the Edit menu, point to New, and click String Value.

d. In the text box under the Name column, type "BootDir" (without quotes) and press ENTER.

e. Right-click the name BootDir, and then, click Modify.

f. In the Edit String Value dialog box, type the drive letter for your system drive, and then click OK.

For example, if your system drive is C: then, type "C:\" (without quotes).

g. Close Registry Editor and restart the computer.

h. Install Windows XP Service Pack 3 that you downloaded.

Hope this helps.

Thanks and Regards,
Santosh Y – Microsoft Support
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Error: "There is not enough disk space on C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$ to install Service Pack 3".

Replies (13)

Question Info

Error: "There is not enough disk space on C:\WINDOWS\$NtServicePackUninstall$ to install Service Pack 3".

Replies (13) 

Question Info

Replies (13)