Windows 10: Removing old files from old HDD (including Windows files, Program Files and Program Files...

I recently migrated my Windows OS from my old HDD to my new SSD. However, there are still leftover files and folders in the old HDD, mainly from third-party applications in Program Files and Program Files (x86), as well as Windows files. I am looking to free up the spaces that they are occupying so that I can use my old HDD to store more of my personal files and folders.

How can I remove those old files and folders safely? I assume simply deleting the entire folders will still leave some hidden files behind, or might cause other problems?

Since the old programs that I had installed in my old HDD are not showing up in Settings > Apps and Features and also the 'Uninstall and change a program' function in Control Panel, I tried to uninstall the applications in my old HDD using their own uninstall.exe files that are residing in Program Files and Program Files (x86). However, some of the applications are missing the uninstall.exe file in their folders.

From my search online, some people were using the 'take ownership' command and granting of permission to forcibly remove (delete) the files, while others suggested that the Windows folder and other folders be renamed to Windows.old (or moving whichever folders that I want to remove into the Windows.old folder) and use disk cleanup to remove them after the renaming. Can both of these methods thoroughly get rid of the residues?

I stupidly tried to reinstall some programs back with their installation path changed to the old drive's Program Files or Program Files (x86) folder, thinking that I could then run the new uninstall.exe in the old drive folders and have it remove the app's contents from my old drive. Again, that did not work out into what I expected. Chrome, for example, did not give me any options to change the installation path to my old drive even after I launched the chromesetup.exe file through my old drive. For another third-party application, I successfully installed it into my old drive, but both of them still left behind files and folders in my old drive even after I have managed to uninstall them through Settings > Apps and Features or Control Panel > Uninstall and Change a Program when they finally showed up under the lists there.

So what should I do to safely remove them? Are there any other ways besides reformatting my old drive? If I follow this last resort, then I will need to move all the personal files and folders (around 400 Gb) that I still keep inside my old drive to my new SSD before I wipe the old drive clean.

Any help is very much appreciated. Please let me know if there is a need for further clarification, or the methods that I have just stated are factually wrong. Thank you in advance.

submitted by /u/ifnot_thenwhy
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:)

 

Partitioning Program Files/Program Files(x86) from Windows 10 install?

In the coming week I will be installing Windows 10 Home on my new computer. I will be using an SSD and an HDD, the SSD for the OS, programs and games and the HDD for photos, music and all the other slow stuff.
So, my question. In case the OS were to ever get corrupted, or I had to reinstall the OS for any other reason, is it possible to have the SSD set up as follows; Partition 1 - OS, Partition 2 - Program Files/Program Files((x86) plus other associated folders/files) and Partition 3 for my games, so that any re-install does not wipe out my already installed programs?

I had no problem doing this in with my XP desktop(OS in C and Progs in D, although not perfect, but was never able to do it with Windows 7.

Can it be done?

Tom.

 

Remove an OS installation without removing files?

if you used win7 default folders for your files (my docs, my pics etc.) you can find those files in [put correct drive letter for hdd here]:\users
you can keep this folder and delete from hdd
[put correct drive letter for hdd here]:\windows,
[put correct drive letter for hdd here]:\program files (x86 too),
[put correct drive letter for hdd here]:\program data

this will clear most of the old win7 from hdd.

 

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