diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows-validation.yml b/.github/workflows/windows-validation.yml
index 91e6e5f2c..b764d0cf8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows-validation.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows-validation.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-name: Basic validation
+name: validate Windows installation
 
 on:
   push:
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         cache: [false, true]
-        go: [1.20.1]
+        go: [1.20.1, 1.20.5]
+    name: 'Setup ${{ matrix.go }} cache: ${{ matrix.cache }}'
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
@@ -26,6 +27,23 @@ jobs:
           cache: ${{ matrix.cache }}
         name: v4-cache-${{ matrix.cache }}
 
+      - run: |
+          if [ -e 'D:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64' ];then
+            echo 'D:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64 should not exist for hosted version of go';
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          du -m -s 'C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64'
+          # make sure drive c: contains the folder
+          size=$(du -m -s 'C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64'|cut -f1 -d$'\t')
+          if [ $size -eq 0 ];then
+            echo 'Size of the hosted go installed on drive c: must be above zero'
+            exit 1
+          fi
+        shell: bash
+        name: Hosted go should not have link
+        if: ${{ matrix.go == '1.20.5' }}
+
       - run: |
           du -m -s 'D:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64'
           size=$(du -m -s 'D:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64'|cut -f1 -d$'\t')
@@ -44,6 +62,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
         shell: bash
         name: Disk usage
+        if: ${{ matrix.go != '1.20.5' }}
 
       - run: |
           echo $PATH
@@ -54,8 +73,8 @@ jobs:
             echo 'which go should return "/c/hostedtoolcache/windows/go/${{ matrix.go }}/x64/bin/go"'
             exit 1
           fi
-          if [ $(go env GOROOT) != 'C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\1.20.1\x64' ];then 
-            echo 'go env GOROOT should return "C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\1.20.1\x64"'
+          if [ $(go env GOROOT) != 'C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64' ];then 
+            echo 'go env GOROOT should return "C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\go\${{ matrix.go }}\x64"'
             exit 1
           fi
         shell: bash
diff --git a/dist/setup/index.js b/dist/setup/index.js
index 0e94fd132..c495bcd58 100644
--- a/dist/setup/index.js
+++ b/dist/setup/index.js
@@ -61466,8 +61466,8 @@ function installGoVersion(info, auth, arch) {
         }
         // for github hosted windows runner handle latency of OS drive
         // by avoiding write operations to C:
-        const isHosted = (process.env['RUNNER_ENVIRONMENT'] = 'github-hosted');
-        if (isWindows && isHosted) {
+        const isHosted = process.env['RUNNER_ENVIRONMENT'] === 'github-hosted';
+        if (isWindows && isHosted && fs_1.default.existsSync('c:\\') && fs_1.default.existsSync('d:\\')) {
             const defaultToolCacheRoot = process.env['RUNNER_TOOL_CACHE'] || '';
             const substitutedToolCacheRoot = defaultToolCacheRoot
                 .replace('C:', 'D:')
diff --git a/src/installer.ts b/src/installer.ts
index bc39e79be..ea30780b2 100644
--- a/src/installer.ts
+++ b/src/installer.ts
@@ -189,7 +189,6 @@ async function installGoVersion(
 
   // Windows requires that we keep the extension (.zip) for extraction
   const isWindows = os.platform() === 'win32';
-
   const tempDir = process.env.RUNNER_TEMP || '.';
   const fileName = isWindows ? path.join(tempDir, info.fileName) : undefined;
 
@@ -204,8 +203,8 @@ async function installGoVersion(
 
   // for github hosted windows runner handle latency of OS drive
   // by avoiding write operations to C:
-  const isHosted = (process.env['RUNNER_ENVIRONMENT'] = 'github-hosted');
-  if (isWindows && isHosted) {
+  const isHosted = process.env['RUNNER_ENVIRONMENT'] === 'github-hosted';
+  if (isWindows && isHosted && fs.existsSync('d:\\') && fs.existsSync('c:\\')) {
     const defaultToolCacheRoot = process.env['RUNNER_TOOL_CACHE'] || '';
     const substitutedToolCacheRoot = defaultToolCacheRoot
       .replace('C:', 'D:')