There are two ways to get rid of Windows 10 after upgrading to it from previous version operating system: rollback and complete removal systems. The first method involves a return to a previously installed OS, and the second, discussed below, will help erase all mention of the system from hard drive without installing another Windows versions.
Removing a Windows 10 system
Removing a system from a hard drive can be done in three ways:
- via BIOS and bootable media;
- through the execution of commands;
- across third party program.
You can save documents and other items that are not stored on the main partition of the hard disk using any method. It is only necessary to determine in advance which partition carries the operating system, and which contains all the other files.
Since the names of the drives required to work with them on the command line may differ from those you see on home page explorer, you need to know the correct names in advance:
We remove Windows 10 through the execution of commands
- Using the official Microsoft tool To upgrade to Windows 10, create a bootable flash drive. We will not use it to install the system, but use it to go to the command line.
Create a bootable flash drive with Windows 10 - Insert the created media into the computer, restart the machine and go to the BIOS settings.
- In the BIOS, change the boot order so that the first place in it is the name of the installation media you created. This is necessary so that when the computer is turned on again, it starts loading not from the hard disk, but from the flash drive, entering the OS installation program.
Move the bootable flash drive to the first place (1st Boot Device) - Save your entries in BIOS changes and exit it.
Save changes and exit BIOS - When the program Windows installation 10 will load, use the key combination Shift + F10 to load the command prompt.
Hold down the key combination Shift + F10 to go to the command line - Since you already know the number of the partition to be deleted, use the sel part 2 command to select it. If you don't know which section to delete, then go back to above instruction and find out the name of the partition where Windows 10 is currently installed.
Execute the sel part 2 command - Run the del par override command to erase the partition selected in the previous step. Done, the system is removed, now you have a hard drive filled only with files located on additional partitions.
Execute the del par override command
Removing Windows 10 via BIOS
This method is similar to the previous one, since the first three steps are repeated.
- Create a Windows 10 installation flash drive using the official Microsoft install tool for their OS.
- Insert the flash drive into the computer, start the reboot and go to the BIOS.
- Change the boot order of the computer by putting the created one in the first place. installation media, save your changes and wait for the computer to turn on the system installation program.
Move in BIOS installation flash drive first on the list - In the first step of installing Windows 10, choose your preferred language and other options.
Choose required parameters language - In the second step, confirm that you want to start the installation. We will not install the system, but use this program to clean up the disk.
Click the "Install" button - Input license key skip it, it's useless to activate the system now.
Skip the step with entering the key - Choose any OS version.
Choose any version of the operating system - miss license agreement by accepting it.
We accept the terms of the license - Select manual installation type to be able to work with hard drive.
Choose manual installation - A window will open with a list of hard disk partitions, click on the "Disk Setup" button to see additional buttons.
Click the "Disk Setup" button - Select the partition with the installed system and use the "Format" button to erase all data located on the selected partition.
Select a partition and click the "Format" button
Done, the system is completely removed, and the partitions with backups, third party files and other elements remained untouched. If you want to clean the hard drive completely, then format them right there. After you've finished working with disks, you can close the program and start using the cleaned disk to your advantage.
Through a third party program
To edit disk partitions, a third-party will be used. EaseUS program, which you must download and install from the official website of the developer. There is no Russian language in it, but all actions will be described in detail below. Please note that after deleting the main partition using this program, the computer will enter reboot mode to make all changes, but will not be able to exit it, because the system will removed. Instead, it will throw an appropriate error confirming that the disk is empty.
Removing a previous installed system
By default, when switching from an old operating system to a new one, the Windows.old folder is created, in which all necessary files to restore the previous installed OS. It is needed so that, if desired, the user can easily return to old version systems using standard Windows features without having to reinstall the system. The folder is automatically deleted after 30 days from the date of the transition to a new OS, but you can delete it earlier by following these steps:
- Using a combination Win keys+R on the keyboard, launch the Run window.
Press the Win + R combination to open the Run window - Use the cleanmgr command to switch to the disk cleanup program.
Run the cleanmgr command - Click on the "Clean up system files" button. Please note that for this action you must be logged in to the systems under account administrator.
Click on the "Clean up system files" button - Check the "Previous Windows installations" checkbox. Don't forget to uncheck all other checkboxes so you don't accidentally delete extra files.
Deleting restore points
Restore points are created by the system in automatic mode and manually. They are needed so that it is always possible to roll back the computer to a certain state, when all functions and processes are fully functional. Over time, there may be too many points, and they take up some of the disk memory, so they should be deleted:
What to do if an error occurs during deletion
If, when trying to delete a system or a folder located in it, an error appears with the code 0x80004005, then the reasons for this may be the following:
- virus;
- breakage of system files or registry data.
File recovery
Fixing the Registry
By default, the system stores files initial version registry, designed just for recovery in the event of a malfunction. They are located along the path Primary_Drive:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack.
What to do if nothing helped
In the event that none of the above methods helped, roll back the system through restore points or return to initial settings. Please note that some personal data will be lost, so create it in advance backup.
There are several ways to remove a system from a disk, using bootable media or a third-party program. Getting rid of Windows will result in you getting a hard drive clean of systems, but with user files on it, unless you erased them separately. You can also delete restore points and the folder with the previous version of Windows. Deletion problems are solved by checking for viruses, restoring system files and the registry.
If you suddenly upgraded your Windows version 7, 8 or 8.1 to Windows 10, then expect your C drive to replenish undeletable standard means Windows.old folder. In fact, this folder appears at the root of the disk so that you can restore some files, undo updates, and return to the previously installed operating system if you wish. In this way, Windows.old folder is nothing but full archival copy your previous version of Windows. Which means given folder can take tens of gigabytes.
If you really upgraded to Windows 10 on your own and do not plan to roll back the system to the previous version, and also want to free up space on your hard drive, then you can safely delete Windows.old folder.
However, here it turns out that just deleting the Windows.old folder will not work. Therefore, we begin "dancing with a tambourine." In this article, we will consider how to delete windows.old folder in windows 10.
How to delete the Windows.old folder using the Disk Cleanup utility
Press the key combination on the keyboard Win+R (for those who don't know Win, it's a button in the lower left corner of the keyboard, between Ctrl and Alt, looks like the Start icon). The Run window opens. In the input field we write cleanmgr and press Enter on the keyboard or OK in the window.
In the next window, specify the drive on which our operating system is installed (as a rule, this is drive C), selecting it from the list, and press the button OK .
We are waiting for the Disk Cleanup utility to estimate the volume disk space to be removed.
Click on the button Clean up system files
The cleanup utility will once again start evaluating the amount of data to delete. This will take some time. Can you get some coffee?
Finally, we see a list of what can be deleted. Tick off Previous Windows installations And Temporary files Windows installation . Click the button OK
The Disk Cleanup utility will issue a warning about whether we really want to delete files (no, we just ran it to suffer nonsense). Agree by clicking on the button Delete files
The Disk Cleanup process starts. By tradition, we are warned that this may take some time. We wait...
After the folder operation is completed Windows.old And $Windows.~BT will be completely removed. Hooray.
It also happens that simply by waiting 30 days from the date of the upgrade to Windows 10, the Disk Cleanup utility will independently check your HDD and automatically delete the Windows.old folder. But are we going to rely on it?
How to delete the Windows.old folder via command line
The second way to delete the Windows.old folder is to use command line.
An important condition for the successful completion of this process is run command prompt as administrator. To do this, press the key combination on the keyboard Windows + X . will appear context menu, in which we select the item Command Prompt (Admin)
In the opened window Administrator: Command line for removal Windows folders.old you need to run the following command (enter carefully :))
RD /S /Q "%SystemDrive%Windows.old"
There is another option delete Windows.old folder via command line running as administrator. To do this, execute the following commands one by one:
cd C:
attrib -r -a -s -h C:Windows.old /S /D
rd /s /q Windows.old
takeown /f Windows.old /a /r
If you upgraded from Windows 7-8 to Windows 10, or installed a new build, then a Windows.old folder appeared on your system C drive, which contains a copy of the old Windows installation and is quite large in size. This article will show you how to remove Windows.old in Windows 10.
If you delete this folder, you will not be able to roll back the system to previous build Windows. If you do not plan to return to previous versions of Windows, and if you do not like the fact that some folders occupy more than 10GB on the system disk, use one of the methods indicated in this article.
Remove Windows.old using settings.
One of the most simple ways Windows.old removal that doesn't require a third party software is to use the system settings:
1. We go to the "Start" menu, select "Settings";
2. Open "System";
3. On the left side, select "Storage", and from right side click on drive C (that is, select the drive on which Windows is installed);
4.After scanning, the system will show what and how much space is taken up on this disk. Using the down arrow on your keyboard - scroll down the list and open "Temporary files";
5. Check the "Previous version of Windows" box and click "Delete files" (in this menu you can also delete junk in the trash, downloads, etc., in other words, clean the disk from unnecessary stuff).
Now you can close the settings, the Windows.old folder has been deleted.
Remove Windows.old with Disk Cleanup
This method takes a little longer, but is also easy and does not require any special programs.
1. In the search bar, write cleanmgr and select "Disk Cleanup" from the results found (you could also press the Win + R keys and run the cleanmgr command);
2.Select the drive on which you have Windows installed, usually drive C, select it and click "OK";
3. Below, select "Clear system files";
4. Once again, select the disk on which Windows is located and click "OK";
5. Check the "Previous Windows Installations" checkbox, and to free up more space, you can check the "Windows Setup Temporary Files" box, then click "OK";
The deletion process will begin, when Disk Cleanup is complete - the Windows.old folder will be deleted.
Remove Windows.old with ccleaner
Essentially the same way to delete the Windows.old folder as above, but with third party software. If a cleaning utility is installed on your computer CCleaner systems- use it.
1.Run the Ccleaner utility;
2. Select "Cleanup" => Windows => scroll down and in the list "Other" check the box " Old installation Windows" => then click "Cleanup" => "Cleanup" again to clear the found => in the next window, confirm the cleaning.
Everything, when the cleaning process is completed - the Windows.old folder will be deleted.
Delete Windows.old on the command line
1.Run the command prompt as an administrator: one way is to click on the "Start" menu right key mouse and select "Command Prompt (Admin);
2.Copy and paste the following commands into the command line and press ENTER after each one. (see picture below)
attrib -r -a -s -h C:\Windows.old /S /D
RD /S /Q %SystemDrive%\windows.old
After executing the commands, close the command prompt. The Windows.old folder will be deleted.
There is another way: go to advanced startup options => run the command line there => run the DiskPart command to see what letter the Windows drive has => run the list volume command and look at the volume of the disk that contains the system, remember the letter and execute the exit command to exit DiskPart. Now you need to run the command RD / S / Q "E:\Windows.old" only instead of E, specify the drive letter that you found out in DiskPart. After executing the commands, close the command prompt and click Continue.
These methods of deleting the Windows.old folder should be enough for you, if there are additions - write comments. Also write which method helped you! Good luck to you 🙂
vynesimozg.com
How to delete the Windows.old folder after upgrading to Windows 10 Anniversary
After upgrading to new Windows 10 Anniversary update you may notice that the space on the "C:" drive has become less by 10-15 GB. If you open the “C:” drive in Explorer, we will see the Windows.old folder, which occupied the same volume.
The easiest way to delete the Windows.old folder is to go to the properties of the "C:" drive and run the Disk Cleanup Wizard, select "Clean up system files" and note in the list:
- Previous Windows installations
- Windows Setup Temporary Files
At the end of the cleaning wizard, the folder with the previous version of Windows will be permanently deleted.
alexnettm.org.ua
Delete the Windows.old folder after upgrading to Windows 10
woodhummer 27.08.2015 - 20:53 Workshop
After the release of the operating room Windows systems 10, many users have upgraded their computers. And if you look at the content local disk, you can see the remaining old system files in the appropriate directory.
Where did the Windows.old folder come from?
When updating the system, the installer creates a Windows.old folder in which it places full copy previous operating system folder " Program Files» and content user profiles.
If the update is not the first in a row, all previous versions of the OS are also stored in folders called "Windows.old.000". It is not hard to guess that the contents of Windows.old can be very voluminous.
Usually, after the final transition to a new OS, this folder can be deleted, especially if you do not plan to return to the old version of Windows. Let's look at three main methods.
1. Using the system cleanup utility
In the Run window (Win + R) we write the cleanmgr command.
We click on cleaning files and wait until the utility analyzes the disk.
Then select the appropriate checkbox and click OK.
2 From the command line
Click on "Start" right click mouse, launch a command prompt with administrator rights.
Enter the command RD /S /Q "%SystemDrive%\Windows.old"
3 From the command line before booting the OS
The method is much more complicated than the previous two, be careful when using it. From the main menu, select "Reboot System" while holding down the "Shift" key.
Diagnostics:
Command line:
The computer will restart, and when next boot command line mode will start. Please note that in this mode mapping logical drives different from what we are used to, therefore, to determine the disk on which our Windows.old is located, we do this:
- Run the diskpart command;
- In the utility that opens, type list volume;
- We look at what letter is assigned to the system drive;
- We leave diskpart command exit.
In our situation, the letter D is assigned to the system drive, and therefore the command to remove Windows.old will look like this:
RD /S /Q "D:\Windows.old"
When finished, choose to continue. Windows boot 10.
P.S.
Clean up space on your computer - delete in time junk files, including backup copies of old operating systems.
More recently, at the time of the first appearance new version OS and system updates, many have become interested in the question of how to remove windows old in Windows 10, and today we will talk about all the ways to delete the archive folder.
Windows.Old - store components and files "previous" earlier installed system. This folder is created when the system is installed in the same partition where the operating system was previously installed or when upgrading to new assembly. Also, this is a backup copy of the data necessary to return to a previous version of Windows (in the event of an update) or restore personal files when reinstalling the system to the same partition.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to restore applications in case of reinstallation ( in standard ways). Basically, personal data will be stored here (Users folders, respectively Downloads, Documents, Photos, Desktop, etc.), application settings (* Outlook pst files, saved games, application configurations), application data (databases) .
The folder is stored for 10 to 28 days, depending on the actions performed.
- 10 days - updating the "tens" to a new assembly (1511-> 1607, 1607-> 1703). This period is necessary for a painless return to the previous version of the system.
As part of the cleanup, these applications may delete or empty the Windows.Old folder, making it difficult or impossible to return to a previous version of the operating system.
- 28 days - given period provided after the update (7 -> 8; 8.1 -> 10, etc.), as well as in case of reinstallation to the same partition (where the OS was previously installed or there was system folder with files).
If all files have been transferred or the OS update has been successful, and this folder simply interferes and occupies free space on the disk, then to delete it, use the following recommendations:
- Removing through the Options window
- Removing via Disk Cleanup
- Uninstall via Command Line
Removing through the Options window
To clean the disk from an unwanted folder through the Options menu, follow these steps:
Removing via Disk Cleanup
Also, you can help clean up the disk, for this you should follow these steps:
Uninstall via command line
If the above methods did not help, then we will delete through the command line window:
Call up the window command line by typing cmd in the search or Command line, run the application as Administrator and enter the following commands one by one:
- takeown /F C:\Windows.old\* /R /A
A lengthy override of the rights to the contents of the folder will be performed. You will need to confirm the action by pressing the Y key - cacls C:\Windows.old\*.* /T /grant Administrators:F
You will need to confirm the action by pressing the Y key - rmdir /S /Q C:\Windows.old\
Deleting the Windows.Old folder
Windows.Old can store both personal data from past installations of Windows, and can store a "backup" copy of the operating system, so that it would be possible to return to a working state in case of an update error or unforeseen situations, like turning off the lights. If you are sure that you will no longer need this folder, then feel free to delete it, according to the instructions that were described in this article.
Question about how to remove Windows Old in Windows 10 often occurs among users, and read the answer to it later in our article.
Although the operating room Windows system, regardless of its version and the hardware capabilities of the device, problems often occur, there is always an option how to fix them - simply, which will return the computer to its original state. This is a safe operation - it keeps all user files but deletes any installed programs and drivers (or vice versa installs). An absolutely indispensable feature for any PC user, but what if problems arose when installing or updating the operating system itself. Even in this case, a "Plan B" is envisaged. 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 a full-fledged . But it’s worth making out what this Windows Old folder is, and whether it can be deleted on Windows 10.
Why do I 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's okay if the Windows Old folder appeared after installing Windows 10. Thankfully, it's recommended but not required, which means it can be easily removed. But if you want to keep, you can save just by knowing .
How to delete the Windows Old folder in Windows 10 using standard tools?
Of course, this is done using various programs, like CCleaner, but why resort to third-party software if the system itself does an excellent job of this task. For removing Windows folders Old needs to open properties system disk C. In the "General" tab that opens, next to the disk volume histogram, click on "Disk Cleanup". 
A small scan will take place, and the desired tool will open.
By the way, you can also get to it using the "Run" dialog box or the combination of Win + R and the phrase "cleanmgr". Select desired disk and click OK. 
The opened tool, as you can see, can also be used to periodically clean the system. IN this case 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 take up 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 cause 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 to certain files, and some of them will not be removed. It is better not to use this method.
Using the command line
To delete the Windows Old folder, you can use the command line. To open it, use the system search or in the Run dialog box (Win + R), type "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 Windows Old folder immediately after reinstalling the new system. Great chance 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.
