Delete the old version of windows 8. How to delete the windows old folder (old Windows)

Today there will be a post on how to remove the old Windows and cleanly install the new operating system. I'll tell you how to completely remove Windows. For some reason, many people don't understand this.

What does it mean to demolish Windows?

Removing Windows means formatting the disk with Windows installed and installing it on a blank disk. In simple terms, demolishing Windows means correctly removing the old Windows.

Windows installers are divided into 2 types.

The first ones write it to disk. Launch the disk from under the old Windows and begin the installation. This WRONG SOLUTION installation of any Windows.

To properly install Windows Xp, 7, 8, 10, you will need to run the disk or bootable USB flash drive AFTER restarting the computer and BEFORE loading the old Windows.
First, you need to restart your computer and go into bios. In some cases, you need to set support for a USB adapter in the BIOS settings (if the keyboard and mouse do not respond to pressure and the disk with the Windows installation does not start)

After this, you need to set either disk loading or flash drive loading (depending on what you are doing the demolition of Windows and a clean installation of Windows)

If the key is not pressed, then you should set usb support (this is written above)

So, the disk began to load. We wait and press Next. We need a moment when we can delete partition C:

Windows is demolished after deleting the C: partition (most likely Windows is installed there)

Now, select the unallocated area and install Windows there.

This way you will remove ALL operating systems from your computer and install just one. This method is suitable for any Windows Xp/7/8/10. Now you know how to properly remove Windows and install a new Windows Xp/7/8/10, as I advise you to do in every manual!

P.S: This method is suitable for installing any builds of Windows. It is recommended to install any build of Windows according to this manual. Do not run the disk under Windows, load it correctly!
All the best

If you installed a new Windows operating system (any version), now when you try to turn on your computer, you probably first see a menu with the choice of the desired OS. This occurs if the hard drive has not been formatted. To prevent this from happening again, simply remove the unnecessary version and only one version of Windows will remain on your computer.

Formatting a partition is the simplest and most obvious way

Before starting any actions, download information that is important to you onto removable media or one of your hard drives.

Reboot the system and make sure that the second OS is no longer there. If, when trying to format a disk, the system gives an error, then you can try using additional utilities for such operations, for example, the Acronis Disc Director program. It needs to be downloaded, installed and launched. It will delete everything itself, and then automatically reboot the system.

How to remove unnecessary OS from boot

How to remove seven or eight if you upgraded to ten

Usually, a standard utility for deleting old (temporary or junk) files is sufficient for these purposes. For example, CCleaner. But if the previous version is still taking up space, then follow the steps that will remove the remnants of the old OS completely.

1. Go to the taskbar and search for “Disk Cleanup”. Select the desired shortcut.
2. In the tab, mark all temporary data and enable the clear function.
3. To delete data from the previous system, click on the “Clean up system files” option. It is located at the bottom left.
4. You will need to select the disk on which the old operating system is located.
5. When you see all the files you need to delete, there will be a “Previous Windows installations” item. This is the item you need to select.
6. Clean and reboot the computer.

After these steps, it is already very difficult to roll back to the previous version of Windows, so make sure that you decide to permanently leave Windows 10.

How to remove old Windows without programs

This method will allow you to remove the old version without using programs - manually.

How to edit boot.ini

• wait information when download option is selected;
• information about the operating system that is turned on first by default if the user does not make a choice:
• additional parameters.

As always, we start by loading into the version of the operating system that should remain the only one on the computer.

1. Find “My Computer” on the desktop and click to open the characteristics.
2. Select “Properties” - look for the “Advanced” option.
3. Next we find “Download and Recovery”. Click on “Parameters”.
4. In the new window, select “Edit”. The boot.ini file will open using Notepad. It is very advisable at this stage to save a copy of this file just in case and put it on one of the disks. Don't forget to rename it - Boot.old. Now you can forget about the copy and return to the boot.ini file for editing.
5. Find a line in the file indicating that the menu displays two operating systems to choose from. It needs to be removed.
6. Now let's save the changes we just made. Click “Save As”, keeping the name as it was originally.

How to remove unnecessary Windows XP?

We boot into the operating system that we plan to keep.

1. On the “My Computer” icon, look for the “Properties” option using the right mouse button.
2. Now find “Advanced”. There will be a “Options” function.
3. We mark the operating system that we plan to remove and confirm our actions.
4. Let's go to the section where the old Windows is located.
5. We delete the Windows folder, editing with program files and Documents and Settings. You will see pop-up warnings indicating that these are system files and that they are read-only. You can safely ignore them and continue deleting.

Windows.old removal video

Quite recently, when a new version of the OS and a system update first appeared, many people became interested in the question of how to remove old windows in Windows 10, and today we will talk about all the ways to delete an archive folder.

Windows.Old is a storage of components and files of the “previous” previously installed system. This folder is created when installing the system on the same partition where the operating system was previously installed or when updating to a new build. Also, this is a backup copy of the data necessary to return to a previous version of Windows (in case of an update) or restore personal files when reinstalling the system on the same partition.

Unfortunately, restoring applications in case of reinstallation is not possible (by standard methods). Basically, personal data will be stored here (Users folders, respectively Downloads, Documents, Photos, desktop, etc.), application settings (*Outlook pst files, saved games, application configurations), application data (databases) .

The folder is stored from 10 to 28 days, depending on the actions performed.

• 10 days – update of the “tens” to the new build (1511->1607, 1607->1703). This period is necessary for a painless return to the previous version of the system.

As part of the cleanup, these applications may delete or clear the Windows.Old folder, making it difficult or impossible to return to a previous version of the operating system.

• 28 days – this period is provided after an update (7 -> 8; 8.1 -> 10, etc.), as well as in case of reinstallation to the same partition (where the OS was previously installed or there was a system folder with files).

If all files have been transferred or the OS update was successful, and this folder is simply in the way and takes up free space on the disk, then use the following recommendations to delete it:

• Uninstalling via the Options window
• Removing via Disk Cleanup
• Uninstall via Command Line

Uninstalling via the Options window

To clear your disk of an unwanted folder through the Options menu, follow these steps:

Removing via Disk Cleanup

Also, disk cleanup can help you; to do this, follow these steps:

Uninstall via command line

If the above methods did not help, then we will delete it through the command line window:
Call window Command line by entering cmd in the search or Command line, run the application as Administrator and enter the following commands one by one:

• takeown /F C:\Windows.old\* /R /A
  A lengthy redefinition of rights to the contents of the folder will take place. You will be asked to confirm your actions by pressing the Y key.
• cacls C:\Windows.old\*.* /T /grant Administrators:F
  You will be asked to confirm your actions by pressing the Y key.
• rmdir /S /Q C:\Windows.old\
  Removing the Windows.Old folder

Windows.Old can store both personal data from past Windows installations and can store a “backup” copy of the operating system so that it can be returned to a working state in case of an update error or unforeseen situations, such as turning off the lights. If you are sure that you will no longer need this folder, then feel free to delete it, according to the instructions that were described in this article.

Although the Windows operating systems are incredibly popular, they still cannot boast of long-term stable operation. So, in some cases, the need to reinstall occurs several times a month - it all depends on the programs the user is working with.

In light of this, it is not surprising that many are interested in the question of how to remove old Windows. The fact is that installing a new system on top of an existing old one is highly not recommended, since this rarely eliminates software errors and failures; rather, it adds new ones. Starting with the Vista operating system, Microsoft developers took into account the wishes of users and added a special feature to the installer, which made it much easier to figure out how to remove old Windows.

Advanced installation mechanism

Before we tell you how to uninstall old Windows, let's analyze the behavior of the installer on Win XP (and earlier) and Vista (and later) systems.

When installing old systems on a hard disk partition where a copy of the system was already present, the installer prompted the user to make a choice - erase the existing Windows folder or start installation in a directory with a non-standard name. In both the first and second cases, all data from the “Documents” section, “Desktop” and other key folders were lost. I had to learn how to remove the old Windows while keeping the files I needed. With the advent of Vista, the situation changed: the installer, having discovered a copy of the system, renamed it to Windows.Old and moved all related folders there. The significance of this small innovation for end users cannot be overestimated - it is revolutionary.

How to remove the old oneWindows 7

Depending on the system being installed, the preparation also changes. Let's consider a more complex option, when Win XP is installed on the hard drive. The easiest way to save any files from your previous system is to prepare media with a bootable version of the LiveCD.

There are quite a lot of these solutions, so there shouldn’t be any problems with choosing. You should download a LiveCD from the Internet. According to the instructions provided with it, write it to a disk/flash drive. Then boot into this mini-system and copy the necessary data. The next step is to delete the Windows, Program Files folders. If we are talking about Win 7, then you can also erase ProgramData, Users. All that remains is to reboot and start the installation. If you are installing a new version of the system, you will not need a LiveCD: after the installation is complete, there will be a Windows.Old directory on the disk, where all system data will be transferred. What you need from here must be copied, and what is unnecessary must be erased. Removing remnants of the previous system can be done through the “Disk Cleanup” function in the “Start” - “Accessories” - “System Tools” menu, indicating “Previous installations” in the list. Sometimes people who want to use the system for free are wondering how to remove the old Windows 7 activator. To do this, you need to re-run this program and select the uninstall option. Another method that is no less effective is to install a new solution simply on top of the old one. All key links will be automatically overwritten.

If your computer has been updated to Windows or the system drive was not formatted during a clean installation, the Windows.old directory will appear in the file system. You can remove it using standard tools or third-party utilities. The folder takes up more than ten gigabytes, which is why users want to get rid of it.

It must be said that the Windows.old directory should under no circumstances be deleted if you plan to return to a previous version of the OS. Therefore, it is recommended to leave it for at least a couple of months. During this time, it will be possible to test all the features of the new edition of Windows and evaluate whether it is worth rolling back the changes.

Built-in utility

Windows has a built-in utility that will help you erase an unnecessary directory. Moreover, cleaning the folder with its help is the simplest option for solving this problem. Windows.old without downloading third party products?

1. Press the Win + R combination on your computer keyboard.
2. In the Run window that opens, enter the cleanmgr command and click OK.
3. Wait while the system cleanup utility scans the files.
4. Click on the button labeled "Clean up system files." Agree to grant administrative rights to the application.
5. Once all software processes have completed, a new window will appear on the display. It will contain a list of all OS files that can be deleted without violating the integrity of the operating system. Find the text “Files from previous Windows installations” or similar in the list and check the box next to it.
6. Left-click on “OK” and wait until the utility completes.

After completing this instruction, the directory or its contents will be deleted. To check the result, open the properties of the Windows.old folder and pay attention to the numbers next to the "Size" label.

Command line

If the previous instructions did not help, you should try to get rid of the folder using the command line. This tool has absolutely no interface, and to perform any operations you must enter short text commands. using the command line?

1. Right-click on the desktop.
2. From the drop-down menu, select New > Shortcut.
3. In the "Location" line, enter cmd and click on the "Next" button. Now all that remains is to specify the desired name for the shortcut. It can be absolutely anything.
4. Right-click on the newly created element and select “As Administrator” and answer yes to the operating system question.
5. In the window that opens, enter the command RD C:\windows.old /S /Q and press the "Enter" key.

Job Scheduler

How to remove Windows.old using Task Scheduler?

1. Expand the Start menu. Find “Control Panel” in the list and left-click on it.
2. Click on "Maintenance and System" in the list that opens.
3. Now select "Administration".
4. In the window that opens, double-click on the “Scheduler” item.
5. On the left side of the utility there is a task tree. In it, find a task named SetupCleanupTask.
6. Right-click on it to open the context menu and select "Run".

The most reliable way

If none of the above instructions helped?

1. In the Start menu, click on the Restart button while holding down the Shift button.
2. In the list that opens, click on the inscription “Diagnostics”.
3. Now go to the "Advanced Options" menu and click on the item named
4. After rebooting, the text interface will open.
5. Type and then list volume. These actions will display a list of all existing sections and brief information about them. The main task is to determine which letter corresponds to the system drive, because in the recovery environment the literals are mixed up. The easiest way is to study the "Size" column to understand the correspondence between letters and sections.
6. Enter the exit command to close the console utility.
7. Now type RD /S /Q "X:\Windows.old. Replace X with the letter of the system partition.
8. When the command completes, exit Command Prompt and select Continue Downloading.

CCleaner

For inexperienced users, the instructions may seem complicated. To make things easier, you can use a third-party utility called CCleaner. It is absolutely free, and the interface is completely translated into Russian. How to remove Windows.old using CCleaner?

1. Install and launch the application.
2. Click on the "Cleaning" link in the main window of the utility.
3. In the left list, uncheck all the boxes, leaving only one - opposite the Old Installation Windows item.
4. If there is an icon with an exclamation mark in a blue circle next to the "Other" text, click on it and agree to clear the operating system logs.
5. After this, click on the “Clear” button.

It should be noted that using third-party software is the most unreliable way to delete the Windows.old directory. Such utilities cannot always obtain the necessary rights.

Having installed the tenth version of the OS, think twice before uninstalling Windows 7. Old will help restore the “seven” if you don’t like the new edition or the computer’s hardware is not powerful enough for the new software.