How to delete Windows.old on Windows Vista?

How to delete Windows.old on Windows Vista?

Windows.old acts like a backup to your previous Windows files. This is useful, if you want to go back or find files that you thought you lost when performing a clean install of Windows Vista. But if your computer system is lacking on disk space, you will have to find ways to delete this, if you don't find them useful.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 have a built in tool to remove Windows.old. Disk cleanup can be used to delete this.

Follow the steps below to remove Windows.old folder:

1. Click Start button

2. Click All Programs>Accessories>System Tools

3. Click Disk Cleanup

4. When the disk cleanup dialog box opens, select Files from all users, on this computer.

5.       A dialog box will appear to ask for permission, click Continue

6.       Select the hard disk drive where the Windows.old is located.

7.       The disk cleanup will now scan your Drive C: for unused and unnecessary files.

8.       When the scan is done, check the Previous Windows Installation(s) under Disk Cleanup for C:

9. When it ask you to confirm to delete Windows.old folder and all its content, select Delete.

10. Click OK to close the Disk Cleanup dialog box.

To delete Windows.old using Command Prompt:

1. Click Start>All Programs>Accessories and then right-click Command Prompt then select Run as Administrator

2. Click Continue on User Account Control.

3. Type takeown /F <DriveLetter>:<FolderName>* /R /A and then press Enter on the command prompt.

• If you run this command, you have the ownership of the administrator group for the folder and all the subdirectories  and files of the folder.

4. Type cacls <DriveLetter>:<FolderName>*.* /T /grant administrators:F on the command prompt.

• If you run this command, administrators have the full rights to all files and folders.

5. Type rmdir /S /Q <DriveLetter>:<FolderName> and press Enter.

• If you run this command, all sub folders and all files in the specified folder are deleted.