Nice addition to the new operating system Windows 10 is the fact . This saves all user files, settings and programs. Unfortunately, you have to pay a very high price for this in the form of deprivation of a certain part of the space. hard drive. Yes, there is a Windows.old folder that holds the old version. So the 10th generation can quite easily return to the user everything that he had before installation.
Nevertheless, old folder huge in size, as it is necessary a large number of data for correct rollback. Many users want to delete such a folder. Well, actually, Windows 10 looks so great, and all the bugs are likely to be fixed in the not too distant future. Thus, the question arises, how to remove this already to anyone unnecessary folder old to let the system breathe freely and not store an impressive pile of old junk? In this regard, there is a certain simple sequence of actions.
Getting rid of the old
The old folder on the computer is formed if the user automatically switched from Windows 7 or 8 to the 10 series. Also, it can occur if clean install without hard formatting disk. Often it corrodes into several gigabytes, which are very valuable at the current cost of hard drives.
It should be remembered that if you rub the old folder on your computer, then you will no longer be able to safely return from Windows 10 to your old system.
So such a decision should be approached very carefully. So, if all doubts are swept away, then:
- Click on Win keyboard+ R, which launches a special Run window.
- Enter the command in the window that appears: cleanmrg and click on OK.
- Thus, it starts standard cleaning disk.
- In the window that appears, click on the Clear button system files.
In this simple way, you can delete the folder called Windows.old. But Windows 10 is a tricky system, full of unpleasant surprises. Therefore, in some cases, you can simply not delete the old folder for reasons that are not clear to the user. In this case, there are countermeasures.
If it doesn't work right away
We open a wonderful command line interface, which always helps out in difficult times. Naturally, you need to do this under administrator rights. Next, enter the command: RD /S /Q C:\windows.old. Of course, this folder must be located on the C drive. Press Enter and wait for the result.
There is another way to delete the old folder. For this you should:
- Launch the Task Scheduler, which can be opened through the search.
- In the list of tasks that opens, you need to find SetupCleanupTask.
- Click on this task right click mouse and select Run from the drop-down menu.
At the end of the process, the old folder should be gone forever.
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If you upgraded from Windows 7-8 to Windows 10, or installed new assembly, then a Windows.old folder has appeared on your system drive C, which contains a copy of the old Windows installation and quite large. 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 Windows, and if you don’t 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 remove Windows folders.old 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 🙂
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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 mark 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.
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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 contents of the 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, "Program Files" folders and contents 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 old version 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
We click on "Start" with the right mouse button, launch the 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 the mode will start command line. 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.
The question of how to remove Windows Old in Windows 10 often arises from 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. This is normal if the Windows Old folder appeared after installing Windows 10. Thankfully, it is recommended but not required, which means that it can be easily deleted. 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, you need to open the properties of the system drive 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 Win + R combination 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 the 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.
A user who is attentive to system resources may find that the size of the system partition has significantly decreased due to the appearance of a certain Windows.old directory.
What kind of directory is this, what is it for, can it be deleted, and how to do it correctly - read our article.
Purpose of Windows.old
The Windows.old folder appears on system partition disk, if you install the "top ten" by updating.
In the case of the classic installation, which involves pre-formatting the disk, this folder is not present.
The Windows.old directory contains files previous system, user folders and their settings.
Within a month after installation, the user can carry out the so-called. rollback, i.e. revert to your previous operating system.
In this case, the Windows.old folder acts as backup with which the installation will be performed.
At the end of 30 calendar days from the date of installation this directory removed by the system automatic mode.
Note! Windows.old can take up quite a lot of space, this figure depends on the number of programs that were installed in the previous version, as well as the amount of personal user data that was stored on the system drive. The approximate size can be about 15 GB.
You can delete this folder if you are sure that you will not roll back to the previous Windows versions, and also don't want to wait for the system to perform the deletion on its own.
We’ll make a reservation right away that deleting a folder in the usual way will not work, and in our article we will talk about two ways in which you can achieve this goal.
The classic way to remove Windows.old
Step 1. Open explorer, select system disk(usually this is local disk C:"), by right-clicking on it, open the "Properties" item.
Open the General tab and click Disk Cleanup.
You can call the Disk Cleanup Wizard window, you can use the key combination "Win + R", then you should enter the command "cleanmgr" and press "Enter" (or "OK"), after which, in the menu that appears, select the disk with installed system.
Step 2 Go to the "Clean up system files" section. You should wait a little while the cleaning program evaluates the amount of space that can be freed.
Step 3
Check the "Previous Windows Installations" box and click the "OK" button.
In addition to this item, you can also select two other items "Update log files" and "Temporary installation files".
We confirm that we really want to delete the files and wait for some time until the end of the deletion process.
