Cant delete old windows folder :(

Not sure why this is happening to you. I mean, I know why is the foldeer there, but I don't know why you're not able to delete it. Maybe if you boot to Vista DVD and go to command prompt you can delete it.

You can delete it if you want.

Hi,

I have a directory called windows.old [6.35GB in size] created when I installed my VISTA OS following Paul Th technique of double installation. I thought that I did a clean installation. But I am now told in this forum that what I did was not after-all "a clean installation".

However I am told to leave that folder a side if I am not that pressed for space.

 

I would really like to get rid of that folder because the McAfee scan of my computer takes so much time that it scans that unaccessible folder.

 

Now I do not have any important data in the old files. But cannot get rid of them

 

Dimension 9200
Intel ViiV Core 2Duo E6400 Processor 2.13GHz 1066 MHz 2MB
Windows XP media Centre Edition 2005 now VISTA OS 32bit
Memory:2048 MB Dual DDR2 533 MHz [2x1024]
Dell Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse Dell Wireless Bluetooth
Video Card: 1GB nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2 Dual graphics card
Hard Drive: 640 GB Serial ATA RAID 0 Stripe [2x320GB 7200rpm drives with DataBurst cache]
16x DVD +/- RW
16x IDE DVD ROM

Would you mind tell me the steps to delete the folder?

Thanks a million

 snow

 

 

Dimension 9200
Intel ViiV Core 2Duo E6400 Processor 2.13GHz 1066 MHz 2MB
Windows XP media Centre Edition 2005 now VISTA OS 32bit
Memory:2048 MB Dual DDR2 533 MHz [2x1024]
Dell Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse Dell Wireless Bluetooth
Video Card: 1GB nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2 Dual graphics card
Hard Drive: 640 GB Serial ATA RAID 0 Stripe [2x320GB 7200rpm drives with DataBurst cache]
16x DVD +/- RW
16x IDE DVD ROM

 

 

Hi petkez

If you cant delete it i think you can use disk clean up and it will take care of it for you.

Good Luck

Press F12 to get the Boot Device Manager

Select Onboard USB CD ROM device

Press any key when prompted

Click Next on the Language screen

Click Repair your computer

Click on Command Prompt

Type RMDIR windowls.old

type exit

then restart

Does anybody tried deleting the folder from WinRE??? that should work.

Hi all,

I am just prior to delete this windows.old file, out of curisity

Opened My computer

Clicked the Folder windows.old

Then clicked on Programmes

Then clicked on MS office

It allows me to access the programme.

 

How could this happen?

I did not know until now that I could also open my MCE XP SP-2 programmes.

I did a [I thought a clean install] clean install of the VISTA Home Premium using Dell's Upgrade assisstant and the VISTA DVD[followed double installation]

 

This presence of windows.old folder might be protecting me from freezes others are experiencing.

This is just a thought

 

I am not at all computer knowledged.

 

 

Dimension 9200
Intel ViiV Core 2Duo E6400 Processor 2.13GHz 1066 MHz 2MB
Windows XP media Centre Edition 2005 now VISTA OS 32bit
Memory:2048 MB Dual DDR2 533 MHz [2x1024]
Dell Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse Dell Wireless Bluetooth
Video Card: 1GB nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2 Dual graphics card
Hard Drive: 640 GB Serial ATA RAID 0 Stripe [2x320GB 7200rpm drives with DataBurst cache]
16x DVD +/- RW
16x IDE DVD ROM

Hi Jerry/c3po5,

 

You do realize that Mary G will not respond. She never does when it's pointed out to her (on many occasions) that she's WRONG. But hey - it helps to increase the post count doesn't it? Just keep posting fact, fiction, opinion or pure fantasy!!!

Honestly, not sure what's the pourpose of having this windows.old

The only thing i found usefull is to go back to XP without doing a clean install. And y es, you're able to use every single application you had on XP, if you browse the windows.old folder to c:\windows\system32\regedit you'll open the Registry editor... So my advise, don't be afraid to delete it...

 

Also you can perform a CLEAN resintallation. Just remeber to format the Hard drive before start copying files...

By a reason I don't know, Dell Vista kit doesn't work as the ones you can purchase on  the store. So you can put the product key the first time... You don't need to do an upgrade to your recently clean install it.

 

I've done that way, so you can be sure it will work. No upgrade to the Vista.

 

And it will be registred to the first time you run updates...

 

Remember to format the harddrive with the advanced options.

Hi GioAguilar,

Would you mind answering three more questions?!

 

If I do the reinstallation after say the format,

Will I still be able to use the Dell's VISTA DVD[it was supposed to be for upgrade] to the clean install.

If that is the case, then should I follow Paul Thurrett technique-ie;Not registraring on the 1st install but after the so called second installation -the upgrade from within the VISTA and register.

 

I presume that I will have to register my VISTA OS again? Am I correct?

 

 

Snow

Hi Mary G

Thank you very much for that.

I remember few weeks earlier you have adviced somthing in the similar line.

I am greatful to all of you.

 Once again thanks a million.

 

Snow

Note that you might lose the ability to Hibernate after using Disk Cleanup. You then have to reenable it. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928897/en-us The Windows Old folder is not listed in Disk Cleanup anyway--correction it is listed as Previous Windows Installations. Sorry.

 

You should be able to open McAfee and choose which folders to scan and which to skip. Windows Old folder has some files you might want to access in the near future. You should leave it alone for a few weeks or so.

What

Microsoft says about windows.old and using disk cleanup to delete it.

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930527