Windows 10: Mystery activities inside Windows.old

On Oct22 I updated 1703 to 1709 and windows.old was created, as expected. 20gig.
I did not get rid of it yet - just watching for it disappearing in 10 days, but it's still here.

Now, things get insteresting: Yesterday I noticed there is stuff written to it on Nov4.
2 directories: Software distribution and in system32/driverstore/filerepository with 25 files.

Today, Nov7, filerepository vanished. And Software distribution has 19 files.
So much for a static state of windows.old. That's a mystery to me.
What's going on? If I wanted (I don't) to revert back to 1703 - how can that be done when it changes?

:)

 

"old Windows" files

I chanced upon this while searching for Windows.old

Are the 3 steps applicable to Insider Previews as well?

As an Insider, with the latest build in my system, I wonder what is stored in Windows.old. Is it the previous Insider Preview Build, or the original/standard Windows 10?

 

Windows 10 upgrade deleted all my old files! Hundreds of gigabytes!

Usually, Windows does create Windows.old 1 , Windows.old 2 but this holds for Insider builds only-Not sure of Windos7-8-10 though.

Have you searched for the files in Windows.old?

 

I have a bunch of Software distribution files in my Window.old also. All the other stuff has been erased so no going back.

Jim *Cool

 

Did you erase other files or did Windows do it?
And WHY would they write into a directory that's supposed to be for going back to pre-1709 state?

 

Windows did it. I just happen to check it one day as I was expecting it to disappear.

Jim *Cool

 

Thanks. Interesting that Windows did it.
Still watching this madness.
My windows.old is still here, and still has 19 files added Nov4 -
C:\Windows.old\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\f875fbb4cab0384277a81aa667874b95

 

Most likely what you are seeing is due to the use of hard links for some of the system files. When files with hard links are updated, all of the linked instances appear updated (of course, since a hard link is simply an additional filesystem reference pointing to a single file). If files that Windows currently uses and actively updates have hard links into Windows.old, it appears as if files in that folder have been updated (which they have, in a sense).

 

Yesterday I did a Disk Cleanup on C: and it removed Windows.old.
I have Macrium images if I ever have to go back.

Jim *Cool

 

Windows cleared the contents of windows.old today. It's no longer 20GB.
The stuff that remained are 19 software distribution folders, 1.7GB, from Build 16299.15 of the first 1709 job.
I followed the directory and file dates back to the initial 1709 build, which, soon after got replaced by Build 16299.19.
So at least I know what happened. Why they modified Windows.old on Nov4 I will never know.
Anyway, today I ran disk cleanup and it's now gone.
I, too, have images so I needed windows.old like a hole in the head.

 

I saw this earlier this year on some upgrades when, for whatever reason, the current runtime kept insisting on using drivers from the Windows.old folder tree rather than the new environment. The only way I was able to fix it was to boot to the install media, run the repair option, go to the command line, and then forcibly delete the Windows.old contents. I had to start from the bottom of the file hierarchy and work my way to the root level, BTW, to get everything removed. If all else fails, that's always an option.
HTH,
--Ed--

 

Ed, That's interesting. In post #6 Pirx said something similar to what you just wrote.
I didn't have to go through the hoops you described. Disk cleanup seems to have taken care of deleting. I rebooted, and so far no issues. Of course I won't know for sure till the next patch tuesday if windows will want to see those downloaded updates in windows.old. I suspect nothing will happen.