Windows 10: Can't Delete Windows.old folder or subfolders.

Well the question now is how the folder appears. Does it appear normal or is it greyed out to an extent? Are you seeing the Control Panel icon on it by chance?

When simply going to rename the Windows.old folder often you have to take ownership first and the extension you saw there taked onto the end of the folder name immediately saw the Control Panel icon replace the standard folder icon and no longer any option such as the Security tab which would be needed and quite necessary in order to take ownership over it.

With the upgrade to the latest build just seen to I was first able to rename the new Windows.old folder to "Windows.Personal" and then rename the bogey back to the original Windows.old name where I am now able to use the right click Take Ownership option to see the folder removed. The icon also changed back from the CP to the standard folder icon on the spot!





Once you are able to get that far where you can then open it up to reveal the usual folders you can start dumping the subs on the spot by first taking charge over each one individually. That would right clicking on each of the following sub folders and watching as each sub under those is seeing the ownership grabbed up. The users folder and boot.txt file were the first nuked manually while waiting for the others to be finished being the Program Files, Program Files(x86). ProgramDara, and the Windows folder itself from the previous build.





In a flash once the command prompt like windows stopped seeing the scrolling text for each item all but the Windows sub folder was recycled in seconds following the rename back to the Windows.old name.





As the Windows sub is getting nuked prompts for files now no longer found appear as the that gets cleaned out which will then only leave the main behind. For not seeing on C at all you may have to adjust the view tab setting under the Folder options for protected system file, Hidden files, etc. there.

 

Thanks to all who input on this issue. Edited original post with what solved the problem!

 

Darn it... All that happened was the Folder, sub-folders and programs withing got Properties changed to Hidden, shows it back in C:\ and cannot delete because it says it's not there. WTH??

 

I'm still trying to get one last sub folder nuked before I can finally see the first renamed Windows.old folder tossed. The manual op as well as the OWN THIS option in the right click menu has been slow going but will see results. The "...____" folder was gone in a flash despite the intentional rename since it was done by the user not something that happened in Windows.

One option? Enable the Hidden System Administrator and boot into that account to see if you then can nuke it! The download of the reg mod for taking ownership works there as well as when logged into your regular account.