windows.old folder takes up space on my drive

[cadre]

There is a folder on my brand new desktop called "windows.old" which is using most of the space on my C: drive. Anyone have any idea what this is and how I get rid of it?

Thanks for any help.

[ub6424]

Hello @cadre 

Sorry to hear that you are having problems ... I would like to help you.

(1) Quote: "

WHAT IS WINDOWS.OLD FOLDER?
Windows.old folder contains all the important files (user data, Program Files, Windows files, etc.) from the older version of Windows that was installed on your computer. Generally speaking, these files serves as temporary files on your computer and are not used by the current Windows installation. So that means you can get rid of it and it will not affect the present state of the new OS.

However, before deleting it, I would suggest you to browse through the folder and make sure you don’t have any important files in there. Having done that, you can go ahead and delete the folder. But deleting it might not be as straightforward as you hoped.

"

Old but good guide:

What is Windows.Old Folder and How to Delete it Safely

(2) If you want to be 100% sure, copy the folder c:\windows.old to a big external <USB hard disk> and after that follow the guide to delete the old folder.

Kind regards

[cadre]

Thanks for your reply. I just bought this computer new last week, I don't understand why there would be an old OS lurking on the SSD drive. Does that mean this was a used computer sold as new? And why would HP leave something so huge as to nearly fill the entire drive? Should I return this desktop?

[ub6424]

Hello @cadre 

---

@cadre wrote:

Thanks for your reply. I just bought this computer new last week, I don't understand why there would be an old OS lurking on the SSD drive. Does that mean this was a used computer sold as new? And why would HP leave something so huge as to nearly fill the entire drive? Should I return this desktop?

---

No, that is not the case.

(1) I assume that HP originally installed Windows 10 (base image) and then upgraded to Windows 11 before shipping. That would explain the old folder.

(2) Run c:\windows.old\system32\winver.exe

--->>> Send screenshot of winver message dialog

(3) Open PowerShell

How to Open PowerShell as Admin on Windows 11

Send me the output of the following PowerShell command:

(Get-Command c:\windows.old\system32\winver.exe).FileVersionInfo.FileVersion

Kind regards