Windows 10: Windows.old folder??

I just upgraded to W10 this past February, have gone through a couple updates already. Today I did the 2004 update, and now I have a 26 GB folder in my C:/ drive.

My main question is, can I delete this. Also, why did it create this, and more importantly, where can I go to find out exactly what else the update did to my system (other than MS's official page)?

:)

 

Removing Windows.old folder

I recently had to reinstall my OS (don't ask). Once I did there were files that I couldn't delete. Basically SecuROM files. Anyway long story short I found this workaround that I wanted to share with my fellow newbs. This will work for any file and works like a charm. Just follow the directions. *Toast :toast:
Note: there is no space between "Administrators: (F)" I just had to but one in because it kept giving me an "unhappy face"

When installing Windows Vista, Windows stores any existing installation of Windows on the install partition inside a hidden folder called windows.old. This folder could take up a large amount of disk space.

Note: Please check the contents of the windows.old folder before deleting it to make sure there are no files stored there that you may wish to keep.

Deleting the window.old folder using the disk cleanup wizard
Click start
Type: disk cleanup
Press enter
Select "Files from all users on this computer"
Follow the rest of the instructions listed on the wizard and select the option to delete the windows.old folder
Deleting the windows.old folder manually
1) Open an elevated command prompt

Click start
Type: cmd
right-click it under programs
click Run As Administrator
2) Take ownership


Change the directory to the windows.old folder (e.g. cd c:\windows.old)
Type: takeown /F . /A /R /D Y > NUL
3) grant yourself permission

Type: icacls . /grant:r Administrators: (F) /T /L /Q
4) Delete everything

Make sure you close any explorer or command windows that are looking at or inside the windows.old folder (except for the command window you are using). If you don't, you will receive an error while performing this step.

Type: cd ..
Type: rmdir /S /Q windows.old

 

windows.old

Hi Momen,

To provide the proper troubleshooting steps about windows.old, we'd like to gather additional information. Please answer the following:

• Which Windows version and build are you using? Type winver on the search bar and press
  Enter to find out.
• Were there any changes prior to the issue?
• What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far?
  

We'll keep an eye out for your response.

 

Windows.old

Hi John,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

I understand your concern and will assist you to resolve these issues.

Please follow these steps and check if that helps.

Execute the following command in the Command Prompt in Elevated mode.

• Press Windows key + X.
• Click command prompt (Run as administrator).
• In the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type the following commands. Press
  Enter key after each command:
• RD /S /Q %SystemDrive%\windows.old
• If the issue persists, I suggest you to give full permissions to the Windows. Old folder and try deleting it.

Hope this helps. If the issue remains unresolved, please get back to us and we would be happy to help.