I can't delete the folder with the old Windows. Extra Windows old folder how to delete
Often, PC problems are solved by reinstalling the operating system or updating it. After such actions, a folder with old version OS, it is a kind of backup copy and contains all the files of the previous software. The only disadvantage of this folder is that it takes up a lot of space on your hard drive and in case you urgently need to free up space, the best solution will be its removal. However, many users have encountered this situation and know that using standard methods files are not deleted. Today we will figure out what it isWindows.old, how to removeunnecessary folder. Let's look at a few effective methods removal.
As mentioned above, the folder appears immediately after updating to a new version of the operating system or after it complete reinstallation. The first thing that confuses users is the huge weight of the file; some, due to inexperience, even believe that this is a consequence of activity malware or . Especially after standard methods fail to remove Windows.old.
In fact, the object is completely harmless and in some cases may even be useful to the user; from there you can take the necessary data, for example, the user’s profile. Typically, the folder is located in root directory system disk and the only trouble is that it takes up a lot of space (sometimes up to 20 GB of memory). Moreover, if such a folder already exists at the time of updating or reinstallation, then a replacement does not occur, but a new document with individual serial number. In this connection, even more space on the hard drive is consumed.
In general, the mission of the Windows.old folder is to give the user the opportunity to restore some necessary files or roll back completely to previous version OS, if there are problems with the current one. That is, this is a complete archive of the previous installation and if you are sure that there will be no need for it (there is no need to restore old files, a new operating system behaves perfectly and pleases with performance, etc.), then it can be removed without harm to the system.
Windows.old, how to remove
So, we figured out what kind of folder this is and how it appears on the PC. If the user is sure that it is no longer needed, then you can safely proceed to deletion. Attempts to free up space using conventional methods lead to failure, since such a procedure requires special rights. Next we will look at what methods allow you to get rid ofWindows.old, how to remove Not necessary files, read on.
Recommendations for Windows 7
First, let's look at the removal instructions desired folder for version 7 of the operating system. There is nothing complicated here, just follow the step-by-step algorithm described below.
It is worth noting that these actions are not always enough. Often, after such manipulations, the contents of the Windows.old folders simply disappear, while the folder itself remains in place and is displayed in Explorer. To completely remove empty objects, just call command line and write a task to be executed in it: rd /s /q c:\windows.old. Then press Enter and wait for the command to complete, this takes a few seconds and then you won't see anything elseWindows.old, how to removeshe will also stop bothering you. 
Removal for OS version 10
IN this section we will look at the possibilities for the 1803 April Update, which introduced convenient additions, allowing you to quickly solve the problem. We will also offer standard method, suitable for 10 as well as 8 versions of the operating system.
Windows 10 1803 April Update
This OS version adds the long-awaited automatic cleaning disk and at the same time retaining the ability manual organization process. So, to solve the deletion issue, follow the described algorithm.
All that remains is to wait for the process to complete and make sure that the object we need is deleted from hard drive and no longer takes up space on it. This method is much more convenient than that available in previous versions of the OS; it does not require administrator rights and performs uninstallation without unnecessary difficulties.
Previous Windows versions 10 and 8
If you updated the operating system and did not launch it, then you will definitely find Windows.old among system folders. IN in this case you need to act as follows.
As a result, all contents of Windows.old will be deleted; to completely clean up the disk and delete an empty folder, just use the method described for version 7 of the OS and run the command rd /s /q c:\windows.old.
Not all users can see the Windows.old folder. It appears only for those who recently reinstalled the operating system, but did not format it during the installation process system disk, as a result, there was an overlap of one operating system with another. The same folder may appear when the user wants to update his Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Perhaps there would be no problems with this folder if it did not take up too much space. Even if you have a large enough hard drive, you are unlikely to agree to just give up several tens of gigabytes of free space.
And for those users whose hard drive cannot “boast” large sizes, the desire to get rid of everything unnecessary will be incredibly high, since it will be difficult to work on a computer with an almost full system disk.
It is for this reason that many people ask whether it is possible to delete the Windows.old folder, and also how to do this directly, especially if there are no practical skills.
Before deleting the Windows.old folder in Windows 10, it is important to understand what role it plays in the operating system and what benefits it could bring to the user.
Due to the fact that Windows.old appears on the system drive only after reinstalling the operating system or upgrading to Windows 10, it is easy to guess that this folder contains “greetings from the past,” or, more precisely, files and settings corresponding to the previous operating system .
If for some reason you are no longer satisfied Windows version 10, you can roll back your system, returning everything previous settings, as well as successfully restoring all previously saved documents, music, videos, photos.
Because it is in this folder that documents that were previously saved on the desktop or in “My Documents” can be saved. This is what explains why the Windows.old folder is accompanied by such a large size.
So, if you have finally made sure that you are not going to leave the version of Windows 10, you have not saved any important documentation on the system drive, you can safely delete the annoying folder.
Disk Cleanup
Most users are already familiar with the Disk Cleanup tool, as it allows you to get rid of unnecessary garbage. This is the tool that will solve your problem.
To launch this interesting tool in Windows 10, you just need to simultaneously hold down two keys: “Win” and “R”. You can also use the “cleanmgr” command.
Now the “Disk Cleanup” window will open, at the bottom of it there will be a “Clean up” button. system files", click on it. A second window will open in which it is important for you to find the line “ Previous installations Windows", in the checkbox next to this parameter, be sure to check the box.
All that remains is to traditionally press the “Ok” button, the system will again ask you to confirm again that you really want to perform such actions. If you haven't changed your mind, click on "Delete files".
The system will warn you that the folder being deleted contains important files, allowing you to roll back the system back to the previous version. Again, if you haven’t changed your mind, click the “Yes” button, after which the system will meekly begin the removal process. In a few minutes the system disk will please you a large number free space.
Command line
If you have already repeatedly resolved issues with uninstallation software products, then you know for sure that there are several alternative options conducting uninstallation processes. Similarly, you can delete the Windows.old folder in several ways.
Another uninstall option is the command line. To launch it, click right key mouse on the Start icon. After this it will open additional menu, in which you need to find the “Command Line” parameter, click on it.
Write the command in it: “RD /S /Q C:\windows.old”. If the folder is not located on the C drive, then in the command, instead of this letter, write the one that indicates the drive where the unnecessary folder is saved.
All you have to do is press “Enter”, the process will automatically start, and in a few minutes you will be happy with the result achieved.
Uninstall using CCleaner
Now download boot file, install CCleaner on your PC and then run it. In the window that opens, on the “Windows” tab, find the line “ Old installation Windows", check the box next to it, then press the "Cleanup" button.
The program will ask if it is possible to delete “Event Logs”, agree with this too and continue the cleaning process.
In a few minutes CCleaner program will introduce you detailed report indicating what she was able to remove. In addition, she will indicate how much space she managed to free up. Believe me, this figure will impress everyone.
So, the process of deleting unnecessary documents, including folders with saved files previous systems, will be easy if you follow the recommendations of experienced users.
After installing a new version of Windows, you can find the Windows.old folder on the system drive. Sometimes it takes up tens or hundreds of GB, but there is no useful load from it. This folder stores files and settings of the previous version of Windows, 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 the necessary files from the Windows.old folder, such as documents. It is usually located in the root directory of 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 Windows updates 8 to the 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 mouse button - the command will immediately appear there. 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”, right-click on “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. Insert installation Windows disk or system recovery disc and restart your computer. When the language selection window appears, press Shift+F10 to open the 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.
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. Click on it right click mouse 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 Windows installations”.
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 Additional options, but already on the “Permissions” → “Change” tab.
7. In the new window, click “Add”. In 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 old folder with Windows even if something goes wrong. For example, if the system installation fails or a manual removal attempt fails.
Very often, after installing a new operating system, the Windows.old folder appears on the hard drive, which cannot be deleted in the usual way, since the rights to uninstall belong to the administrator of the previous OS.
Often this folder takes up quite a lot of space, in some cases tens of gigabytes, because it contains information from the previous operating system. Of course, if you have a modern hard drive with 1 TB of memory installed, then you may not notice the shortage free space. However, if every GB is valuable to you, then you will most likely try to get rid of the Windows.old folder.
Why does it appear on the computer? This happens due to the fact that when installing the OS, you do not format hard drive. As a result new version"Windows" is installed on the previous one.
The Windows.old folder can be deleted in several ways, which you will learn about after reading this article.
Uninstall using Disk Cleanup
Right-click on Windows.old and select “Delete”. A window will appear warning you that this cannot be done. You can get rid of the folder where past Windows installations are located by using the Disk Cleanup function.
Open Start, then click All Programs. Now go to the “Standard” section, and then to the “System” subsection, where you will find the “Disk Cleanup” item.
You can open it much faster by pressing Win+R and entering the command cleanmgr. Then select the system hard drive and click OK.
Now you will need to wait until the system analyzes how much space can be freed up, but you are interested in how to remove Windows.old from your computer, so check the box next to “Previous installations”.
Confirm your choice by clicking Enter. Depending on the size of this folder, cleaning will take some time.
Uninstall via command line
There are situations when Windows.old is not removed by the Disk Cleanup utility, or some folders remain that cannot be gotten rid of. In such cases, it is better to use Call it by simultaneously pressing Win and R. Then you need to enter cmd.
Note: all actions must be performed while under account administrator.
If you have Windows 7 installed, then enter the command: takeown /F C:Windows.old* /R /A. Wait for it to be processed and enter the following: cacls C:Windows.old*.* /T /grant administrators:F. The final stage is the command: rmdir /S /Q C:Windows.old.
In “eight” you only need to enter one command: Rd /s /q С:Windows.old. As you can see, in the second case the whole process will take a little less time.
Now you know whether it is possible to remove Windows.old and how to do it using the command line.
Deleting a folder manually
If it was not possible to uninstall this folder using the methods described above, then try manual removal. In order to perform this operation, you will need administrator rights.
Right-click on the folder and go to Properties. Here you need the Security tab and the Advanced button. Now open the “Owner” subsection and click “Edit”. Select the “account” under which you logged in and check the box next to the option that allows you to change the owner.
You are interested in the “Permissions” subsection, where you will need to specify the “Full Control” option.
After all the manipulations have been done, you can delete Windows.old using the Delete button. Certainly, this method will take you a little more time, but usually it will really help solve the problem.
Uninstall using the installation disc
Is there any other way to remove Windows.old if none of the above methods help? You can use the installation disk. Insert it into the DVD-ROM and press restart OS.
To open the command line, hold down Shift and F10 at the same time. If you don’t know what disk your system is installed on, then run the diskrapt command. Now you need to enter one more: list volume.
Select the hard drive on which the OS is installed (as a rule, it has large size), and enter Exit.
Yours further actions depend on what operating system you have installed. You will need to register last command(you already know for “Seven” and “Windows 8”). The final stage is to restart Windows.
Of course, there is one problem here - the user does not always have installation disk, so you can apply other methods. In most cases, they help get rid of the Windows.old folder.
Conclusion
Now, after reading this article, you can delete the Windows.old folder in any way convenient for you. After this, you will notice that several gigabytes of free space have appeared on your hard drive, which you can use to install important applications or interesting games.
If you are a novice user, then most likely it is better for you to use the Disk Cleanup utility, since you do not need to register various commands or log in with an administrator account. In other cases, you can uninstall Windows.old via the command line.