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General discussion

Can't delete Windows.old after 8.1 Pro to 10Pro Update

May 13, 2017 6:02PM PDT

After 2+ years of running Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit on my desktop - Intel Core i7 4770K, 16GB DDR3 RAM, 240 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD as C drive, WD Black 1TB hard drives - I decided it was time to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit. Installation was done from the Full version on USB. While the installation had a few annoyances, all went well. Oddly, about 3 days after the upgrade attempts to delete the Windows.old file failed with "Access denied" notice. However, I noticed today, 5/13/17, that the file was no longer on my C (SSD) drive. Has anyone on this forum experienced similar behavior? Overall, I'm satisfied with the upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. It is my 3rd such upgrade. Thanks for your support.

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Sorry no.
May 13, 2017 6:14PM PDT
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Re: Can't delete Windows.old after 8.1 Pro to 10Pro Update
May 14, 2017 7:45PM PDT

Bob,

I tried the method at the Link, and it worked. Thanks for your usual effective advise.

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Yep, I've Seen It Here...
May 15, 2017 11:02AM PDT

On one computer here, after removing the "Windows.old" folder using the "Disk Cleanup" method, and restarting the computer a couple of times, the folder simply wouldn't be deleted. I could open the folder and find nothing inside, but the folder itself continued to be visible in "File Explorer". On that particular computer, I was having a few other strange glitches so I decided to run "Chkdsk /f /r /x" from an elevated command line.

After chkdsk was run, logged into the computer and the Windows.old folder was gone and so were the glitches. I really don't know why but we're seeing a few other issues that are cleared up after running chkdsk.

Hope this helps.

Grif