How (and why) to delete the Windows.old folder
A question from a Sync reader: Marc, l just installed Windows 7 and even though I chose a complete install instead of an upgrade, there is still a Windows.old directory on my PC that’s 60 Gigabytes! But it won’t let me delete it manually. What to do?
No problem, and I noticed this exact same thing myself when I upgraded from Windows Vista to Windows 7.
If you don’t need any of those old files anymore — I already backed up my important documents, photos, and such onto an external hard drive — then it’s perfectly safe to delete this folder on your PC called C:\Windows.old.
If you can’t delete it from Windows Explorer, then here’s a quick way to remove it and recover your 60GB of hard drive space:
1. Click on the Start button and in the search window, type “Cleanup” (no quotations necessary) and then press Enter.
2. Check off what you’d like deleted from your hard drive, and be sure to select the one that says “Windows.old.”
3. When you’re done, click “OK” at the bottom of this window and you’ll find you’ve recovered all that hard drive space.
That’s it!
Filed Under: Computers & Software > Tutorials
Tags: 7, delete, directory, drive, folder, hard, how, old, remove, Vista, Windows, xp
Well…I think your both idiots for upgrading to Windows 7 at all, why make Bill Gates even richer…we should all be boycotting his crap.
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iI agree whole heartedly
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It’s a little off the subject of the post but what would Doug & Steve suggest instead of upgrading to windows 7 and why? I’m not a big fan of vista but telling people to “boycott Bill Gates’ crap” and calling the buyers idiots isn’t really much of an argument…
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Whats wrong with progress? you do have an option of NOT BUYING windows 7, you do have to admit you may want to stay in the past with your beta machine your rotary dial phone and don’t forget the aerial for your black and white tv, if not for progress we might still be working with our Commodore computer boy Im glad I bought xp maybe one day might even think about Windows 7.
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First of all, buying Windows 7 does NOT make people idiots.
The purpose of buying Windows 7 is NOT to make Bill Gates richer. The purpose is to be able to USE Windows 7, and I suppose Windows 7 is better than older operating systems in many ways.
Doug, if you think whoever buys something Microsoft and makes Bill Gates richer is an idiot, then I suppose you don’t own anything at all, because buying something will make another person richer. If you hate making people richer, then you should be living out in the streets, because I’m sure you wouldn’t want to make your house builders rich, I suppose?
Doug, your comment is also completely off-topic. I advise you to post rude things elsewhere, NOT on a well-respected blog.
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I totally agreee, its not making Bill Gates richer, but getting a
better OS that works not likw Vista. Besides, you get the OS free
when you buy a PC, so I guess Doug must have a very old PC.
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Windows is never “free”, it’s included in the price of the PC. Buy a MAC.
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a mac???? ewwwwww…..that’s a step back…..PCs will live forever….
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Let’s rephrase: MacOS is never “free”, it’s included in the price of a Mac. Don’t buy a Mac.
There are valid arguments for going for a Mac, but that isn’t one of them.
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yes MacOS is included, but it’s a much more stable,virus free and proven OS. Vista and now 7 are just trying to mimic what MacOS has been for years (decades).
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I’m glad that they finally came up with something a little better than Vista, my computer is a few years old now and I was holding out because I never wanted Vista. I was looking at Macs, but the price is killer on those, even refurb’ed ones.
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Since this is turning, into a Windows 7 love fest I too am smitten with the Ultimate version the encryption is fairly solid and one of he major neat-o’s is automatic resizing of a program window when it is dragged to either side of the screen. For the most part MS has gotten this one right and improvements will come. And I really like the new interface and the dark days of Vista are dead though it might be a while yet before we can say “…eat my dust Mac…”
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I also had planned to up-grade my 2-yr old Vista to Windows7 but it turns out I can’t do that because my Vista program has never been able to successfully download Service Pac #1. The Windows 7 procedure states that Vista must have SP1 installed before attempting a Windows 7 download.
I’ve tried countless times to download SP-1 over the past 8 – 10 months but each time it reaches 99% in the “Configuring Stage” – it shows “DID NOT INSTALL – REVERTING CHANGES”.
So, without an up-graded VISTA, I can’t download the WIN.#7 program. Does anyone have a suggestion to help me get out of the trap I’m in with VISTA?
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If you can download from another computer do that & then burn the file to DVD as a disk image. You may be able to do a clean install from that.
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Hi Erv
Without getting into a protracted discussion of what you have and have not done check out this MS site perhaps your answer is here. Also, check out tomshardware.com, majorgeeks.com, eldergeeks.com, dototv.com and put the following into the Google search: vista refuses to install service pack 1 with or without quotes or some variation of the same query.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/bb738089.aspx
take it into a shop if you have to Windows 7 is definitely worth the upgrade out of Vista.
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the question was HOW TO DELETE the windows.old file. The author answered the question with a slick and simple method of recovering the used disk space…….. WHAT the hell else is there to discuss………. this is not a bash windows and bill gates forum the last time i looked
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This is a little off topic but related. I have 32 bit version of viston on a laptop and a 64 bit version on a desktop. I am getting a free upgrade to windows 7 64 bit version for the desktop. Can I do a complete install of Windows 7 on the laptop to get it up to the 64 bit version? I know I cannot do an upgrade.
Thanks for your help.
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Free upgrade will only provide you with an OEM version of the Windows 7 and only the 64bit. As with all recent Windows “media” keys, the included key is only valid for ONE computer. And with OEM, the key is valid only for the first computer that the key is used on.
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My upgrade package that I just received today has both 32 bit and 64 bit discs included in the package.
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I went to Staples and bought a copy,brought it home and made a copy and the CD Key,took it back the next day told them I only had a P2 and my computer wasn’t compatible for that type of Operating System,signed a declaration form I never made any copys and got my money back.When I signed the declaration form I never used my real name or address. Thanks Bill for the free-bee.I actually have an Acer Quad Core Computer.
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So you’re a thief… so what.
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You are exactly the type of person that I would never hire into my firm. Personal integrity is of utmost value. Honest people put that product out for honest people to buy and eventually someone will buy that exact copy, Microsoft will be alerted and when you go for an update one day, your system will take a dive. Honest forthright people never have to look over their shoulders.
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All you have to do to delete the files is boot into Safe Mode then no drivers start up.Then delete the old folder.Besides Windows 7 just sucks as bad as Vista did.XP works fine for me.If its not broke why the urgency to change.Windows Updates suck as well you download a bunch of updates then it tells you to reboot your machine,then when its all set back up you goto windows update again and they have an update for the update you just installed.Vista has been out a short time and they are already at Service Pack 2.
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Vista and Windows 7 are not worth the plastic they were made on.Just a piece of crap.Especially the folder views.You set your folder views to look all the same,and then when you shut the computer down and restart the folder views have all gone back to list style.Just a pain in the butt and some moron at Microsoft not doing his or her job properly.
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James, (or should I say “Professor” James, or “Doctor” James?) Would it be possible to get a copy of the O/S you created (or helped to program)? I’m thinking it must be pretty danged good for you to judge the “morons” at MS. In fact if all of you people are so knowledgeable and computer-savvy, why do you bother with any of these “off-the-shelf” operating systems at all? If you’ve got the “nards” to criticize, one can only assume it’s because you’re so brilliant that you don’t NEED Microsoft, Apple, or any of the rest of them.
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yes MacOS is included, but it’s a much more stable,virus free and proven OS. Vista and now 7 are just trying to mimic what MacOS has been for years (decades).
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I agree! Windows 7 has just copied all the best features of Mac OSX and is trying to make it sound like Microsoft came up with it on their own.
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I have been on line since 83 and last year bought a Mac Powerbook. Mostly cause I travel the world as part of my job and airlines are getting cranky about carry on weight. The countries I go to putting your laptop in checked is just saying good bye to it.
I am extremely dissapointed, for 2500 bucks it is a piece of junk. As a engineer I’m offended that a computer that costs this much doesnt even have a top that will sit flat, it wobbles ( and it’s not just mine checked several others). And after electricuting me many times ( not unusual I have found )the dvd burner has died after 13 months of use.
And if you want to talk sheer corporate greed even MS doesn’t hold a candle to Apple. How about their original price of 700 USD for a 2 gig stick of ram which was in reality a 2G stick of crucial ram that can be had about for about a 100 bucks under that name. Oh and by the way if you smoke around your MAC you void the warranty! And not for the sensible reason that it could effect your cooling, but for the lame we don’t want to expose the techs to the poison of nicotine.
And as for the OS, Windows for dummies, its ok for your mom but no serious poer user would ever use it esp. considering Ubuntu or other flavours of Linus are so much better for a unix style design. ( and free)
I could go on but I just depress myself for spending that kind of cash on a inferior product.
I am not alone several of my compatriots who are in my biz did buy Macs and feel the same.
Mac in my opinion is just marketing hype for people who want to appear intelligent but do not want to think.
Honestly most 600 dollar PCs will outperform and have more features than a Mac pro book ( crapbook)
but if you want to loook good in your social circles a MAC will probably work for you !
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I totally agree! My parents bought me a mac..wow, i would rather spend that money on a PC. Apple uses its name to overcharge everything Imo! Loving my Ipod classic though!:) mini HDD:P
And to many Mac fanboys here.. Get over it.Different Os for different tasks, and personal preference.
And about copying mac and so on..get over that to..It’s business! where would we be without a little copying of ideas?
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geez would have thought someone would have jumped on me for not running a spell check while slamming apple
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The pc support for software and compatibility alone is something pushng pc in front of mac.
But as far as Windows 7 goes. What happened to Vista – I blinked and missed it.
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I would like to get back on topic and ask the “(and why?)” part of the original question.
I had XP64 and upgraded to Win7 and subsequently got the windows.old folder.
All programs within the folder work fine despite the upgrade so why is it necessary to delete it at all?
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