What to do with windows old. Extra Windows old folder how to delete

The methods described below work with everyone, and we will study minor differences in the process in detail and take them into account.

Important: make sure that there is nothing valuable left inside this folder, because... it stores all the documents you used on previous version. Check folders such as "Downloads", "Documents", etc.

Uninstall via Windows

Method 1. System tools.

To do this, we will use the Disk Cleanup function.

1. Open My Computer.
2. Select the system drive (the one on which Windows is currently installed). If you don’t know, Windows will tell you:

3. Right-click on it and select “Properties”.
4. Click the Disk Cleanup button. The system will scan all files available for cleaning. This may take from a few seconds to 10 minutes or more.
5. Now click on “Clean up system files”. The scan will be re-scanned.

6. In the list, find the item “ Previous installations Windows".

7. Check it and click OK. The system will ask you to confirm the action, answer with consent.
8. Once completed, restart your computer if necessary.

Method 2. Folder permissions.

If you simply try to delete a folder, you will most likely receive a message that says “You need to request permission...”. To prevent this from happening and you can safely delete Windows.old like any other file on your computer, do the following:

For Windows 7:

1. Right-click on the folder, select “Properties” → “Security” → “Advanced”.

2. In “Advanced Settings” go to the “Owner” tab and click “Change”.

3. Now you can specify a new owner for the folder. Select your account from the list. If you don’t know what it’s called, open the Start menu and look under the profile icon.
4. Having selected the account, check the box next to “Replace owner of subctontainers” and click OK.

5. Wait until the end of the procedure, at the end of which the system will notify you about the successful change of rights:

6. Now all that remains is to return to Extra options, but already on the “Permissions” → “Change” tab.

7. In the new window, click “Add”. On the tab that opens, enter the name of your account, then click on “Name Check”. If successful, the profile name in the search window may change slightly and will be underlined. The latter means that the record was found. Click OK.

8. Now you have a window in front of you in which you indicate what rights are available to this account. Check the box next to “Full access”, then OK.

9. You will see the window from step 7, but now there will be one more entry in the list - your login. Select it and check the “Add permissions” and “Replace all permissions” checkboxes. OK.

10. If one or two windows appear asking you to confirm the continuation of the operation, answer “Yes”, after which the system will quickly issue the necessary permissions.

11. Is it possible to delete the entire “Windows old” folder now? Yes, this time the system will warn that everything will be deleted permanently. This indicates the presence the necessary rights. We confirm, and the job is done.

For Windows 8 and Windows 10:

1. Everything is the same here, only in step 2, instead of the “Owner” tab, there is a line of the same name, next to which you need to click on “Change”.
2. Then a window will open in which you will not need to select from the list, but enter your user name yourself, as in step 7.

3. After that, look at the Permissions tab, click “Add”.
4. In the “Subject” field, click “Select” and enter the user name again. OK.
5. Below we set “ Full access", and click OK.

The option to remove Windows.old appears only if this folder exists on the computer. The screenshots show the same version of the program, but in one case there was Windows installed on top of another, in the second there was only one Windows 7 on the computer.

Conclusion

The method of setting folder permissions may seem the most confusing, but it is still the most correct, because allows you to delete the old Windows folder even if something went wrong. For example, if the system installation fails or if a manual removal attempt fails.

For many PC users, often after updating or re Windows installations the "Windows.old" directory appears if, for example, you upgrade Windows 8 to Windows 10. This folder stores all files of the previous OS, as well as all user and program files. All this information takes up a lot of space on your hard drive. Depending on the amount of user data of the previous OS, in some cases this directory can reach tens of gigabytes. Therefore, we will try to understand this issue in detail.

The system saves the previous version for further opportunity to return to her(perform the so-called Downgrade). As a rule, this opportunity is temporary, and if you do not use it, the folder will be deleted automatically.

Figure 8 removal process

Let's look at an example of deleting the "Windows.old" directory after upgrading Windows 7 to Windows 8. To do this let's go to our local drives by pressing Win + E. Choose local disk With installed Windows and go to its properties, as shown in the figure.

In the disk properties window, click the button.

The Disk Cleanup analysis window should appear.

After this, the “Disk Cleanup (C:)” window will appear, where you should press the key Clean system files.

If you click this button, the system will estimate the volume of files being deleted, and we can move on to the next window. Here you need to check one box, as shown in the figure.

In our case, the files of the previous OS are 7.92 GB. Once the appropriate item is selected, you can safely press the OK button. Disk Cleanup will start, which will delete all files from the previous OS.

The process of deleting a folder in the top ten

Deleting a directory in 10 is very similar to the process of erasing a folder in 8. We also go to the explorer. Select the local drive “C:/” and go to its properties.

We also click on the button.

After clicking on the button, we will see the same window as on the figure eight, only a slightly different design.

Press the same key Clean system files and move on to the next window.

Select the same checkbox and click OK.

As you can see, the process is similar to the first one with the eighth version of Windows. In this example we have 8.36 GB freed, which is a good result.

You should also remember that when you delete the “Windows.old” directory, user data and files of installed programs are erased. The structure of subfolders with files from the previous OS is shown below.

These files can be multimedia data, Word documents or Excel. Therefore, before deleting this folder, you should save the important data contained in it.

Removing the Windows.old folder using CCleaner

Most the best option is a system cleaning program CCleaner. This program can be downloaded for free from the official website www.piriform.com/ccleaner. Installing the program is quite simple and even a novice PC user can handle it. After starting the program, you should select the item “Cleaning” in the “Cleaning” tab. Old installation Windows" as shown below.

Now click the Analyze button. This is necessary for CCleaner to analyze the files that need to be cleaned and display them full list into the program window. In the figure below, the line containing files from the “Windows.old” directory is highlighted.

After clicking the Cleanup button, the program will completely delete the old OS files.

Manual removal

Now we will describe the manual deletion process, that is, if you deleted a directory using the Delete key. By deleting the folder using Delete keys, you can see a message like this.

This message means that we do not have permission to delete this directory. To correctly set the appropriate rights, go to the folder properties on the tab " Safety».

Now click on the Advanced button. You should be taken to the Additional Security window for this folder.

As you can see from the picture, the owner of our folder is “ SYSTEM" Therefore, you need to select the owner of the user with whom you logged into the system and click the Apply button. After applying the rights, you can delete “Windows.old” using Explorer with the Delete key.

Removal using TakeOwnershipPro

You can delete the “Windows.old” directory using a simple utility TakeOwnershipPro, which you can download from http://www.top-password.com/download.html. After installing the utility it will appear as a separate item in the Explorer context menu A. To delete a directory, go to context menu for the folder to be deleted and select the item “ TakeOwnershipPro».

After clicking, a program window will launch where it will scan and assign rights to files and directories in order to subsequently remove them.

The scan may take two minutes or longer, depending on the size of the folder being deleted. After waiting for the scan to complete, click the Take Ownership button. After which the folder will be permanently deleted in about two minutes.

Conclusion

After reading this material, you should no longer be wondering why I can’t delete the “Windows.old” folder. By doing this, you will free up gigabytes. free space on your hard drive. I would also like to remind you that by deleting this directory, you delete all user data from the previous OS. Therefore, if necessary, you need to do backups this data.

Video on the topic

The question of how to remove Windows Old in Windows 10 often arises among users, and read the answer further in our article.

Despite the fact that in the operating room Windows system, regardless of its version and the hardware capabilities of the device, problems often occur, there is always an option on how to fix them - simply, which will return the computer to original state. This safe operation– it saves all user files, but deletes any installed programs and drivers (or vice versa installs). An absolutely indispensable feature for any PC user, but what to do if problems arose during installation or updating of the operating system. Even in this case, a “Plan B” is provided. It lies in the fact that when installing new system or after Windows updates 10, all old files are saved in special folder Windows Old, and can be used for full . But it’s worth figuring out what kind of Windows Old folder this is, and whether it can be deleted on Windows 10.

Why do you need to delete the Windows Old folder?

This is again an excellent precaution, if not for one “but”. In some cases, the size of this folder can reach 20 GB. And if in the case of full-fledged hard drives it may not a big problem, then, for example, when working with netbooks it can create certain difficulties. It is normal if the Windows Old folder appeared after installing Windows 10. Fortunately, it is recommended, but not required, which means that it can be easily deleted. But if you want to keep it, you can keep it just by knowing.

How to delete the Windows Old folder in Windows 10 using standard means?

Of course, this is done using various programs, like CCleaner, but why resort to third-party software if the system itself copes with this task perfectly. For removing Windows folders Old, you need to open the properties of the system drive C. In the “General” tab that opens, next to the histogram of disk space, click on “Disk Cleanup”. A short scan will take place and the required tool will open.

By the way, you can get to it using the “Run” dialog box or the combination Win + R and the phrase “cleanmgr”. Choose required disk and click "OK".

The tool that opens, as you can see, can also be used for periodic cleaning of the system. IN in this case You need to click on “Clean up system files”. Then in the list find the item “Previous Windows installations" old. With a high degree of probability, this element will occupy several GB, which can be deleted here. Again, even here in system files, you can freely select any elements without fear that deleting them will result in some system errors. However, they can significantly free up disk space.

Also, you can either remove this directory using Explorer or using another file manager, however, there is a high probability that there will be problems with access rights certain files, and some of them will not be deleted. It is better not to use this method.

Using the Command Line

To delete a folder Windows Old you can use the command line. To open it, use the system search or in the Run dialog box (Win + R), enter “cmd” and click OK.

In the console that opens, you need to enter “rd /s /q c:\windows.old” without quotes. It will take a little time, but all files will be 100% deleted.

As a result, it is worth noting that it is better not to delete the Vidnovs Old folder immediately after reinstalling the new system. There is a high probability that problems will arise, and it is better to leave escape routes. And if with internal storage there are no problems in principle, then it is better to leave it in order to be sure that you will not be left without a computer with a normally working operating system at the most crucial moment. It can be used to recover data from the Windows Old folder in Windows 10.

After installation new version Windows on system disk you can find the Windows.old folder. Sometimes it takes up tens or hundreds of GB, but there is no payload from it. The files and settings of the previous one are saved in this folder. Windows versions, incl. files from Documents folders and Settings Program Files. It is not only possible, but also necessary to delete the Windows.old folder. However in the usual way It won't be possible to do this. We will tell you about options for solving the problem.

Preparing for removal

Don't forget to copy necessary files from the Windows.old folder, for example, documents. It is usually located in root directory drive C. And only after there is nothing valuable left in it, you can start deleting it.

Removing via Disk Cleanup

This is the simplest and effective way get rid of unnecessary folder. Open the Start menu and select Computer.

Right-click on the C drive and select Properties. In the General tab, click on Disk Cleanup. Wait for the software analysis to complete.

Check the box next to "Previous Windows installations". Click “Ok” and wait for the operation to complete.

Useful: If Windows.old appeared after updating Windows 8 to a new version, it will be automatically deleted after 28 days.

Uninstall via command line

You will need administrator rights. If they are not there by default, log in as admin. Press the Win+R combination, enter cmd Click "OK".

In the black cmd window type " Rd /s /q C:\Windows.old" and press "Enter". Or copy the command and click in cmd right button mouse – the command will appear there immediately. After deleting the directory, close the Command Prompt.

Removal using Unlocker

This little one free program will allow you to delete any files and folders that, for one reason or another, cannot be deleted in the usual way. It will also cope with Windows.old if the first two methods did not work. You can download the program

Open the downloaded file, select the version for your system (32 or 64 bit) and run Unlocker.exe. This portable version programs that do not require installation or disk. Just open the program, select the Windows.old folder and click OK. Specify the “Delete” command and click “Ok”. After some time, a message indicating the success of the operation will appear.

Useful: How to find out the bit capacity of your system? Open “Start”, click right key mouse over “Computer” and select “Properties”. In the "System" section you will see the computer's bit type.

Removal via installation or recovery disk

This method should help if for some reason the removal of Windows.old is blocked from a running OS. Paste installation disk Windows or system repair disc and restart your computer. When the language selection window appears, press Shift+F10 to call command line. Type "Rd /s /q C:\Windows.old" and press Enter.

From under Windows environment PE drive C might change its name to D, for example. So don't be surprised if the command doesn't detect the folder right away. Just replace C with D and repeat the operation.

In the future, format the disk before installation. new Windows, to avoid the appearance of huge .old folders and the difficulties associated with deleting them. By the way, if you have repeatedly reinstalled Windows without formatting, there may be several such folders, named Windows.old.000, Windows.old.001, etc. Delete them just like a regular .old, remembering to save the necessary files.

Have you noticed that as soon as you install a new version of Windows or update old version before Windows 10, then a folder called Windows.old appears on your hard drive? Moreover, this folder can reach very respectable sizes. You may have a completely logical question “ Windows.old - what is this folder?"This folder combines files from a previous, older version of the operating system, but they do not play any significant role in the new one.

Is it possible to delete the Windows.old folder? The answer is definitely yes. Usually this folder created for the purpose quick recovery previous version systems. If before installing a new version of Windows you forgot to copy important files from your desktop, you can find these files in the Windows.old folder. However, during the removal process, you may encounter problems. This article will describe several ways to delete the Windows.old folder.

Methods to remove the Windows.old folder from your computer

Uninstall using Disk Cleanup

If the Windows.old folder is not deleted, then this method will be the easiest and in a fast way. To do this, click on “Start” and open “Computer”.

Then select the properties of drive C and in the “General” tab and click on “Disk Cleanup”. After clicking, you will be presented with a list of files that you can check. Now just check the box next to “Previous Windows installations” and the Windows.old folder will be deleted.

Uninstall using the command line

In order to remove Windows.old using this method, you must have administrator rights. Now press the Win+R key combination and type the command in the window that appears cmd, and then click “OK”.

In the black command line window, you need to enter “ Rd /s /q C:\Windows.old" (without quotes) and press Enter. After this action, the Windows.old folder should be deleted.

Removal using the Unlocker utility

If the methods described above did not help you and you are still tormented by the question “how to remove Windows.old”, then a rather small and simple utility called Unlocker will help you with this.

First you need to download and run it. In the program window, select Windows.old and click on the OK button. Next, select the desired “Delete” command. After a short period of time, the utility will complete its task.