Windows 10: Still unable to delete old system files

Discus and support Still unable to delete old system files in Windows 10 Network and Sharing to solve the problem; A while ago I moved to using an SSD as my main boot drive but kept my HDD as storage. I didn't want to wipe it so all of the old windows files are... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Network and Sharing' started by Evan Lapp, Apr 7, 2021.

  1. Evan Lapp Win User

    Still unable to delete old system files


    A while ago I moved to using an SSD as my main boot drive but kept my HDD as storage. I didn't want to wipe it so all of the old windows files are still on the drive. I have tried taking ownership of the files and also running the takeown command in an admin command prompt. It worked, but now the files are unable to be deleted without administrator permission even though I am the only user and admin on this computer. Program files and Program Files x86 are taking up a lot of space and I want to free it up. How can I actually delete these files?

    :)
     
    Evan Lapp, Apr 7, 2021
    #1
  2. Ferdz Amp Win User

    Unable to delete temporary files

    Hi Sumit,

    Looks like you are running out of storage space, let's walk you through the steps of running
    Disc cleanup for your Windows 10 device.

    To delete temporary files, kindly follow these steps:

    • Press the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
    • Type in Disc cleanup and press Enter.
    • Under Files to delete, select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it.
    • Select OK.

    If you need to free up more space, you can also delete system files:

    • Press the Windows key to launch the Start menu.
    • Type in Disc cleanup and press Enter.
    • In Disk cleanup, select Clean up system files.
    • Select the file types to get rid of. To get a description of the file type, select it.
    • Select OK.

    If the suggestions above didn't work, feel free to post back so we can further troubleshoot.
     
    Ferdz Amp, Apr 7, 2021
    #2
  3. jellyroll Win User
    How to delete inactive System Image Restore Points in System Restore

    Windows 10 64-bit.
    When I click "show more restore points" in System Restore I see a bunch of old "system image restore points" that were deleted in past and do not correspond to any currently active restore points. Clicking any of these old restore points, I simply get an error message saying they could not be found, and to select another restore point instead.I would like to delete these restore points listings but have been unable to do so.
    So far, I have tried steps mentioned below without any luck :

    Disk Cleanup through (CStill unable to delete old system files :) Properties
    Disable System Protection (OFF and ON) in System Protection for OS (CStill unable to delete old system files :)
    Disk Space Usage to minimum (slider button all the way to the left then 'Delete all restore points for this drive'),
    Delete all shown Restore points in CCleaner (the problem ones do not show here),
    Reset Windows Backup to Default in Windows 10 with 'Reset_Windows_Backup.bat' utility.

    Any suggestions highly welcome.
     
    jellyroll, Apr 7, 2021
    #3
  4. Still unable to delete old system files

    Windows old files deleting

    Hi,

    Thank you for posting your query at Microsoft community. I will be glad to assist you.

    I suggest you follow this steps and check if it helps.


    • Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, click Disk Cleanup.

    • If you're prompted to choose a drive, click the drive you just installed Windows on, and then click OK.

    • In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, click Clean up system files.

    • If you're again prompted to choose a drive, click the drive you just installed Windows on, and then click OK.

    • Select the Previous Windows installation(s) check box, and any other check boxes for the files you want to delete, and then click OK.

    • In the message that appears, click Delete Files.
    Hope this helps.

    For further assistance, you can post your query in Microsoft Community.

    Thank you.
     
    Rakesh Narayanaswamy, Apr 7, 2021
    #4
Thema:

Still unable to delete old system files

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