Windows 10: Force deletion of folders

Discus and support Force deletion of folders in Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade to solve the problem; Last week sometime, Windows 10 did an automatic update 64-bit Home Edition. I'm not sure how to find out the new version number but the update must've... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Installation and Upgrade' started by johne53, Aug 18, 2020.

  1. JOHNE53
    johne53 Win User

    Force deletion of folders


    Last week sometime, Windows 10 did an automatic update 64-bit Home Edition. I'm not sure how to find out the new version number but the update must've been a big one because I've been left with a folder on my C:\ drive calledwindows.old which I'm guessing is the previous installation..


    Unfortunately I can't seem to delete windows.old because certain folders keep telling me they can't be deleted until I obtain permission fromTrustedInstaller. This seems to happen for every sub-folder of WinSxS and several other folders too.


    So how do I make TrustedInstaller give its permission? Or is there some other way to force the deletion of folders some PowerShell feature maybe??

    :)
     
    johne53, Aug 18, 2020
    #1
  2. OLI_RAMSAY
    oli_ramsay Win User

    Trouble deleting a folder

    Thanks for the suggestion but it says "delete folder failed for E:\....." for each folder I try.

    *Confused Force deletion of folders :confused:

    Will I be forever stuck with these unnecessary folders? *Oh Well Force deletion of folders :eek:hwell:
     
    oli_ramsay, Aug 18, 2020
    #2
  3. TOPGUNDCP
    topgundcp Win User
    Unable to delete a folder - Invalid folder name


    Suggestion:
    1. Run chkdsk x: /r to make sure that there's no HD corruption.
      x: is the drive containing the folder you want to delete.
    2. Try to delete the folder again. If still does not work, go to step 3.
    3. Download: Download - Linux Mint and create a bootable USB using: Rufus - Create bootable USB
    4. Boot up with Linux Mint and try to delete the folder again.
      NOTE: Unlike WinPE. Linux does not have any Windows permission imposed to it so it is easier to delete.
     
    topgundcp, Aug 18, 2020
    #3
  4. FREDERIK LONG
    Frederik Long Win User

    Force deletion of folders

    Delete a file folder.

    In such cases it is often possible to use this 3-step process:

    1. Move the folder to C:\
    2. Reboot
    3. Delete the folder
     
    Frederik Long, Aug 18, 2020
    #4
Thema:

Force deletion of folders

Loading...

  1. Force deletion of folders - Similar Threads - Force deletion folders

  2. Deleting Folder

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Deleting Folder: Good day. I have a directory on one of my external HDDs that I have been trying to delete. Explorer can see it, but when I try to delete it, it says it can't be found. After reboot, still the same. Ejected the drive, rebooted, then plugged the drive back in ... same. I...

  3. How do I force to delete a folder?

    in Windows 10 Ask Insider
    How do I force to delete a folder?: I have been trying to get rid of one of my folders in my laptop, but whenever I click delete it says "Could not find this item. This is no longer located in [directory]. Verify the item's location and try again." Can anyone please help me? submitted by /u/Van-DarkALBERT...

  4. Deleting Folders

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Deleting Folders: Hello My iCloud Photos was syncing with OneDrive I stopped this a few weeks okay Now there are twelve empty folders on my Hard Drive which I can’t delete Windows tells me these folders that I can see are non existent Any help would be very much appreciated Thank you...

  5. Delete Folder

    in Windows 10 Ask Insider
    Delete Folder: Hello everyone, A long time ago, i downloaded some application to play games on my PC (not important) Today i wanted to do a little bit of cleaning on my PC and I wanted to delete the folder which contains application and some other stuff but it says that I can't delete them...

  6. How to force delete an IME?

    in Windows 10 Customization
    How to force delete an IME?: Hello Microsoft, I am annoyed by an undeletable IME, the middle one is a third-party IME I am trying to get rid of. [ATTACH] It has been uninstalled and no longer listed on "Apps & features" [ATTACH] In the settings of Language, it also greys out made me unable to select...

  7. Folder deleted

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Folder deleted: I accidentally clicked CTRL+Z and my picture folder was deleted. Any idea on how to recover it? It was just barely downloaded and I didn't even have a chance to back it up before the slip up. Any support is welcome!!...

  8. Forcing a delete on Windows 10

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    Forcing a delete on Windows 10: Hi, I have set up a new Windows 10 after a huge system crash. I used linux to recover my data. Since I did not want to copy Windows System files and similar I deleted them from Linux. They got moved to a .Trash folder. After a new install of Windows 10 I wanted to delete...

  9. Any way to force delete a folder, regardless of permissions?

    in Windows 10 Support
    Any way to force delete a folder, regardless of permissions?: Hello, As often happens, I have an undeletable folder on my Windows 10 PC. I am logged in as me, the only user, an administrator, but, infuriatingly, when I recently updated Windows 10, Microsoft left a trail of junk lying around, including a folder called WindowsApps. I've...

  10. some tool or something for force deleting folders

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    some tool or something for force deleting folders: hi sometimes i get stuck with a error that it cant delete a folder because of too long filename or it says it's in use when infact it isn't is there some nice tool for this? 37682