Can I delete the Windows.old file?

If you do an upgrade using Windows Vista, you end up with a directory called “Windows.old”. Sometimes, this folder can be quite huge! So, many people ask if they can just delete the folder. In a word: yes.

However, there is a quick and easy way to do it.

1. Go to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup

2. When it asks “Which Files to Clean Up”, select “Files from all users on this computer”

3. Select the drive where your “windows.old” is located.

4. Windows will scan the drive and calculate how much space you can save by deleting some files.

5. Select “Previous Windows Installation(s)” in the “files to delete” list. Select OK.

After it does it’s work, you should no longer have the “windows.old” folder, and you should have reclaimed a bit of hard drive space.