Files in the Windows OLD folder. Windows OLD: What is this folder and can you remove it. Delete Windows OLD folder through the built-in cleaning program

After installation new version Windows on the system disk you can detect the Windows.old folder. Sometimes it takes tens of hundreds of GB, while paying from it - no. Files and settings are saved in this folder. previous version Windows, incl. Files from Documents and Settings and Program Files folders. Delete the folder of Windows.old is not only possible, but also need. but in conventional method Make it will not work. We will tell about the options for solving the problem.

Preparation for removal

Do not forget to copy files of windows folders.old, for example, documents. It is usually in the root directory of the disk C. and only after nothing valuable will remain in it, you can proceed.

Removal through "Disk Cleaning"

This is the easiest and an effective way Get rid of an unnecessary folder. Open the Start menu and select Computer.

Right-click on the disk with and select "Properties". In the General tab, click on "Clearing Disk". Wait for the end of the program analysis.

Mark the checkbox "Previous windows installations" Click OK and wait for the operation.

Useful: if windows.old appeared after windows updates 8 to the new version, it will be automatically deleted in 28 days.

Delete via the command line

You will need administrator rights. If there are no default, log in as admin. Press Win + R combination, enter cmd. Click OK.

In the black CMD window, enter " RD / S / Q C: \\ Windows.old"And press" ENTER ". Or copy the command and click in cmd. Right mouse button - the team immediately will appear there. After removing the directory, close command line.

Removal using Unlocker Program

This little one free program Allows you to delete any files and folders that cannot be removed by this or to other reasons. It will cope with Windows.old, if the first two ways did not work. You can download the program

Open the downloaded file, select the version for your system (32 or 64 bits) and run Unlocker.exe.. it portable version Programs that do not require installation no 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 appears on the success of the operation.

Useful: how to know the discharge of your system? Open the "Start", click the right mouse button to "Computer" and select "Properties". In the "System" section you will see the type of computers' bit.

Removal through an installation or restoring disk

This method should help if from under the operating OS for some reason the removal of Windows.old is blocked. Insert installation disk Windows or disk to restore the system and restart the computer. When the language selection window appears, press SHIFT + F10 to call the command line. Enter "RD / S / Q C: \\ Windows.old" and press "ENTER".

From under wednesdays Windows PE Disc C can change the name, for example, on D. Therefore, do not be surprised if the command does not detect the folder immediately. Just replace C on D and repeat the operation.

In the future, use disk formatting before installing new WindowsIn order to avoid the appearance of huge folders.old and the difficulties associated with their removal. By the way, if you have repeatedly reinstalled Windows without formatting, there may be several such folders, with the names of Windows.old.000, Windows.old.001, etc. Delete them as the usual.old, without forgetting to save the desired files.

Owners of computers moving to the new Microsoft operating system with the index "10" by updating the "seven" or "eight", always detect the Windows OLD folder in the system terder section disk. This directory occupies a significant amount of memory on the hard drive, calculated by gigabytes, and in some users and dozens of gigabytes of disk space. At the same time, this catalog cannot be uninstalling this directory.

Below is represented detailed description About the causes of Windows OLD, which is for the bulk folder and for which it is needed. At the very end of the article, the user can familiarize himself with step by step leadership About how to competently get rid of Windows Old and free the precious gigabytes of the memory space of the hard drive on the system disk.

Purpose catalog

The directory appears after the operating system is updated to the new and contains all the Windows modification data. They need that the user has the ability to roll back to the previous version of the OS, but this function only works within one month after the upgrade, because after this period is the system in automatic mode Getting rid of an agent directory to exemplate space in the system section.

The directory contains inside 3 the following folders:

1. "Program Files", where all applications are saved, which functioned in old windows;
2. "Documents and Settings" in which the user files and user settings are stored;
3. "Windows" with all system files of the old modification of the operating system.

All contents of the directory are available to the user through the conductor, so within one month after updating the system, it can enter Windowsold and copy yourself required files From the previous version of the OS.

Rollback with Windows.old

The owners of the PC, who have some difficulties in working with the new "tenth" version of the OS, for example, it happens most often due to problems with computer equipment, it is available to return to Windows 7 or 8 due to the presence of a special directory.

For this purpose, the following sequential steps will be performed:

1. Open settings and go to the update section and security where to click on "Restore";
2. The menu is displayed from the rollback key to the old modification of Windows by clicking on which the system will automatically return the previous version of the OS.

How to extract user files from windows.

Requires several following actions:

1. Open in the "Computer" conductor and go to the system volume "C";
2. Find and log in to the "Windows.old" directory;
3. Then go to the "Users" directory and then to the folder with the username - here are your files saved when working on the previous version of the OS.

Destination procedure from "Windows.old"

Due to a significant amount of memory of this directory of this directory, making sure that in a regular functioning new systemThey decide to get rid of her on their own. In some users, this catalog takes more than 10-20 GB.

It follows with the administrator rights of the system to produce the following actions:

In the case when the first removal option did not work, you can apply another method. To do this, you need to call the context menu from "Start" and log in to the "Command Line (with the Administrator's Rights)". Next, print "RD / S / Q C: \\ Windows.old" and click "Enter". After that, the directory will be completely removed.

After updating the operating room windows systems A copy of its copy is created in which all installed updates are integrated. Source operating system, for example, to roll back when problems occurred for a month before the previous version, is stored in the "Windows.old" directory, which is located at the root system Disc (As a rule, this is a disk with the label "C:"). The same happens when installing a new operating system on top of the old, that is, when the user is loaded not from the installation disk / flash drive, but starts installing from under the running Windows.

Is it possible to delete the windows.old folder?

Naturally, such a catalog occupies a significant amount of space, sometimes up to 15 and even more gigabytes (for example, when updating Windows 8 to the 10th version, the folder takes about 20 GB), which is unacceptable for the system disk (after all, most users give system section no more than 30-60 GB). If you are not going to do before the previous version, for example, the test period has expired 30 days after Windows 8 update to 10-ki, then we don't need a Windows.old folder, and you can easily delete it in order to free a dozen-other gigabytes of space on the system disk.

In order to make sure that the considerable amount of free space of the system disk occupies exactly the Windows folder, it is necessary to check whether it is present and how much space it takes.

How to find a folder of windows.old?

1. To do this, launch the Windows Explorer and go to the "C:" disk.
2. Next, select this directory if it is present and call its context menu.
3. Select the "properties" from the dropped menu.

Paragraphs 2-3 can be combined: highlight the directory and clamp the "Alt + Enter" key combination.

1. We look at its files in the "Size" paragraph.

How to delete a Windows.old folder?

Method 1. How to remove windows.old?

In order to erase the Windows.old folder with all its contents, perform the following steps.

1. Run the window windows Explorer Any method and go to the "My Computer" directory.
2. Then select the "C:" system disk and call its context menu with the right mouse button and select "Properties" from the drop-down parameter list.

You can also select the disk and press the combination of the "Alt + Enter" keys to call the "Properties" dialog box of the selected object.

1. In the first tab of the window "Properties: Local disk (C :) "called" General "Click on the" Cleaning Disc "button.

4. Waiting until the operating system analyzes its contents to count the space and search for garbage files.

Several tens of seconds, the maximum of the pair of minutes, the "Cleaning Disk" window will open.

1. Meet the objects that can be deleted and noted unnecessary in your opinion checkmarks.
2. Below click on the button "Clear system files"(The action requires the rights of the administrator if the action is executed from the account with limited rights).

The system disk cleaning program calculates a place that without causing any harm to the operating system can be deleted. The operation may take up to several minutes with a large volume of the system disk.

1. In the "Cleaning Disk ..." window that opens, we put a tick near the "Previous Windows Settings" item, where the volume occupied by the files occupied by the previous operating system (in our case it is about 24.5 GB).
2. To erase from the Windows.old directory computer, click on the "OK" button.

9. In the next dialog box with a warning, agree to perform the operation by clicking "Delete Files" or clicking "Enter" on the keyboard.

After that, the operating system will start removing the Windows.old folder with all files.

Method 2. Deleting a folder Window.old by the usual method

Delete a directory with files of the previous OS can also be the most common method, while having administrator rights, but Zraza needs to be opened to the window.old directory and all its subdirectories are full access to any operations with them.

1. Call "Properties" of the Window.old folder as in previous methods.

2. Go to the "Security" tab.

3. Select the computer administrator from the list "Groups and Users".

5. In the "Advanced Security Settings" window, for the Windows.old directory, go to the tab with the name "Owner" and click the "Change" button.

6. In the list of users choose account, from under which you will delete the directory, and put the checkbox near "Replace the owner of sub-connecters and objects"

7. Click "Apply".

8. We are waiting until Windows completes the operation to assign new rights to all files.

9. We go to the "Permissions" tab and click "Change".

10. Select a new folder owner in the form of "Permissions".

11. Once again we click "Change".

12. In the "Permissions ..." dialog, in the drop-down list of parameters, called "apply", select the parameter as in the screenshot.

13. In the "Permissions" field, we note Full access»In the" Allow "column.

14. Click "OK".

15. In the dialog box " Additional parameters Safety for ... "checkcoas celebrate both items and click" apply ".

16. In the Warning window, "Yes".

Now the Windows Catalog can be removed by conventional windows tools: Go to the "C:" disk, select the folder and click "SHIFT + DELETE" to permanently delete the folder, confirming your intentions in the dialog box.

If you have questions about "How to delete a Windows folder.old after updating the system? "You can ask them in the comments.

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Updated computer to Windows 10? If so, you probably noticed the Windows folder on your computer, and it takes great amount Spaces on your disk C. Perhaps you even tried to delete it, but unsuccessfully, as a window appears: "There is no access to the folder. To delete the folder you need to have administrator rights. " Therefore, questions arise from users.

So, how to remove windows.old and release some space on the disk? It is easy - but not as you delete the usual folder.

I will show you three working fashion, and they are all pretty simple, so choose a method that best suits you.

Windows.old - what is it and possible to remove?

This folder contains the files you need for this way if you delete the folder - you will not be able to return to your previous OS, without process clean installation. So, if you are not going to restore the old system and absolutely sure about that, then the folder of Windows.old can be deleted and even needed.

Well, if you stay with Windows 10, then read on. If you think about returning to Windows 8.1 or 7, then let the folder still lie until you accept the final solution. However, remember that you have exactly 30 days from the date of updating the system.. After the expiration line, Windows will automatically delete Windows.old.

How to remove Windows.old: Option 1 (wait)

You could just wait and do nothing - 30 days from the moment of updating to Windows 10. Built-in utility called "Cleaning the disc" will check your hDD And automatically delete the folder. This is definitely the easiest option.

Option 2 (Cleaning the disk)

If waiting for you is not an option, you can manually run the program Cleaning a discTo clean the disk from the Windows.old folder.

To do this, follow these steps:

The disk cleaning program will now delete Windows.old from your disk. It may take a few minutes, so be patient. After completion, the reboot of the computer is not required.

Option 3 (Command Line)

If for some reason, cleaning the disk did not help, you can try to delete the Windows folder using the string command.

After installing or updated in the section hard disk Windows folder will appear with Windows.Old. It contains the files of the previous system, and delete it standard methods It is impossible. But if you need to urgently free the place, that is, methods that will help get rid of this folder.

Delete on Windows 10

Big brought Windows 10 many features, among which there is a convenient way to delete the Windows.old folder. This was made possible by improving the disk cleaning function, which can now be performed in manual mode.

After deleting the Windows folder. Automatic rollback to the previous version of the system will be impossible.

Open the Start menu and go to "Parameters". You can speed up the transition by pressing the Win + I key combination. Go to the System section and select Device Memory. In the Memory Control field, click "Release the place now."

Find and check the "Previous Windows Settings" item. Scroll up the up and click "Delete Files". Wait for the time to delete temporary files, including the contents of the Windows.old folder.

If you have not put the April update "Dozens", then this method will not suit. To delete the folder, use the method that worked on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. It continues to work after installing the April update, that is, is universal.

Removal on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1

Press the keyboard shortcut the Win + R keys to invoke the "Run" window. Enter CleanMGR and press ENTER. Select the section to which Windows is installed. You can use another way: Open "Computer", click on the right button by section from Windows, open the "Properties" and on the General tab, click "Clear Disc".

Wait for the full download of the dialog box and click "Clear System Files".

Mark the "Previous Settings" item and click "OK". If after such removal on the disk will remain empty folder Windows.old, get rid of it through the command line. Run the console on behalf of the administrator.

Run the command:

rD / S / Q C: \\ Windows.old

The letter C in the syntax of the command means the disk on which the Windows.old folder is stored. You can have another: for example, D or G. After executing the command, the empty directory will be removed.

Windows.old - system folder. But on the computer can be other directories that. They can be deleted on Windows, and on MacOS, so if you need to free the place on the disk, it will not be an insurmountable complexity.