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Windows.old?

Beeeyeee
By Beeeyeee
in Troubleshooting
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Go to solution Solved by Altecice,

Re-installations of windows over old windows versions will cause this folder (Also upgrading from 8 to 8.1 will do the same). Run disk cleanup as administrator > allow it to scan C: > click the button 'clean up system files' and select C: again > select the Windows.old folder at the bottom and click ok. 

 

It should be gone after that :)

Posted

hey so I installed some new RAM into my laptop, then started it up, and it wouldnt boot to the desktop no matter what I tried. but I finally clicked an option ( I forget what its called). what it did was removed all externally installed programs but kept all of the pre-installed applications and my personal files.

 

Once I did that it booted fine and I reinstalled all of my applications. but in the process I was informed my HDD was almost full! its a 500GB and it was about 75% full before. now its about 90% I took a look in the files and under This PC > Windows (C:) there are two specific folders "Windows" and "Windows.old" Could I delete the Windows.old? I tried to move it to the recycle bin but it wouldnt let me.

 

any help would help! (obviously) :P

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Open windows.old. What's in there?

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Sounds like you reinstalled windows over top of itself. This moves all your previous installation into it's own isolated Windows.old folder.

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hey so I installed some new RAM into my laptop, then started it up, and it wouldnt boot to the desktop no matter what I tried. but I finally clicked an option ( I forget what its called). what it did was removed all externally installed programs but kept all of the pre-installed applications and my personal files.

 

Once I did that it booted fine and I reinstalled all of my applications. but in the process I was informed my HDD was almost full! its a 500GB and it was about 75% full before. now its about 90% I took a look in the files and under This PC > Windows (C:) there are two specific folders "Windows" and "Windows.old" Could I delete the Windows.old? I tried to move it to the recycle bin but it wouldnt let me.

 

any help would help! (obviously) :P

Windows.old are the files from a previous install of Windows. If you no longer need them, then go ahead and delete them.

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windows.old is usually a place where files are stored from a previous os, mainly after an os reinstall

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Sounds like you reinstalled windows over top of itself. This moves all your previous installation into it's own isolated Windows.old folder.

This. Windows.old will contain the files of your old install.

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  • Solution

Re-installations of windows over old windows versions will cause this folder (Also upgrading from 8 to 8.1 will do the same). Run disk cleanup as administrator > allow it to scan C: > click the button 'clean up system files' and select C: again > select the Windows.old folder at the bottom and click ok. 

 

It should be gone after that :)

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