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Windows 7

Can I delete the Windows.old file?

Oct 17, 2010·Dustin

Estimated Reading Time: 1 min

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.

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#Delete #Windows.old
Written by
Dustin · Founder and Head Editor, News Poster
Sr. Cybersecurity Engineer - Microsoft MVP Windows Experience (2014-2015)

Dustin is the founder and head editor of MSTechpages. He started the site to help other users of Windows. He has been very active with helping others throughout the years, from USENET to Microsoft Answers to the latest Microsoft Communities as well as other internet forums such as Reddit. He is a Sr. System Administrator, holds several industry certifications and degrees.

View all 1499 articles by Dustin →

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