Beware, Windows 10 Update deletes user data from "Windows.old" folders

[Shivansps]

This looks like to be done by a bunch of amateur monkeys that does not undertand the first basic rule of an OS, do not delete anything whiout user permission.

I thanks that i have everything backed up and i have just have to deal with the annoyance of having to download over 400gb of data.

This was the thing, my old Win7 install was unable to upgrade to 10, the process will always fail, either by WU or by selecting upgrade method using a iso.

So decided to reinstall 7 over my old one, i did this many times, it always save any info on a Windows.old folder, so it did, i had 230gb free space on my system drive.

So i moved on to upgrade to Win10, selected to keep user data and apps, when it finished i had 640GB free space on my system drive and all the data on my User folder inside the Windows.old was wiped clean for no reason or warning.

 

[Kenmitch]

My guess is windows.old got written over during the upgrade to 10. How many windows.old folders is one allowed?

 

[Shivansps]

In those cases in the past Windows alwasas used Windows.old.000, 001, and so on...

Nothing in my mind whould ever warm me that something like this could happen.

 

[Raduque]

I didn't lose any user data from my windows.old folder. Granted, I only upgraded from 8.1 to 10, but I still didn't lose anything. The only folders with files in them were the Windows and Program Files folders.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I didn't lose any user data from my windows.old folder. Granted, I only upgraded from 8.1 to 10, but I still didn't lose anything. The only folders with files in them were the Windows and Program Files folders.

Yep, after my upgrade on this and other systems the only stuff left in the windows.old folder was stuff that was outright replaced by the new windows files and applications. Things like IE, WIndows Defender etc. My users folder is empty, that is to say there are no files remaining there and they are not deleted. They migrated over to my new users folder used by Win10.

 

[destrekor]

In those cases in the past Windows alwasas used Windows.old.000, 001, and so on...

Nothing in my mind whould ever warm me that something like this could happen.

Did it behave that way?

I haven't paid much attention but I have seen discussion based on the Windows 10 previews that if you wanted to maintain multiple backups, you should rename the Windows.old directories to something like Windows7.old because Windows.old would be overwrote. Then if you cared to recover, you'd make sure any windows.old directory was renamed and the install you wanted to recover you would then rename windows.old and proceed.

Maybe Windows 10 changed the process to only by default keep 1 backup unless you rename them? Or perhaps that was the usual process and for some reason you saw multiple backups. I think at one point I had had a few upgrades on an installation but I think I only had one windows.old directory... but I cannot swear by that.

 

[natgas]

I have the 'old' folder and it contains folders as always--but, all data/files are gone; every folder is empty

 

[Puffnstuff]

I have tried going to 10 twice on my desktop and ended up rolling back with the latter being just to get the product key. I'm going to do a clean install on a new drive leaving my 8.1 intact on my current drive just in case things don't work out.

 

[Shivansps]

Did it behave that way?

I haven't paid much attention but I have seen discussion based on the Windows 10 previews that if you wanted to maintain multiple backups, you should rename the Windows.old directories to something like Windows7.old because Windows.old would be overwrote. Then if you cared to recover, you'd make sure any windows.old directory was renamed and the install you wanted to recover you would then rename windows.old and proceed.

Maybe Windows 10 changed the process to only by default keep 1 backup unless you rename them? Or perhaps that was the usual process and for some reason you saw multiple backups. I think at one point I had had a few upgrades on an installation but I think I only had one windows.old directory... but I cannot swear by that.

I had to reinstall my Win7 first, so after doing a Win7 clean install all my data went to Windows.old, and i did not move it from there, there was no much reason to do so.
So after upgrading to Win10 i was left with a empty user folder at Windows.old, Win10 had no reason to touch that, the data there was NOT from the Win7 system it was upgrading, and another folder called Windows.old.000, that one had no user folder at all, just a Windows and Program Files, i can confirm that one was from the Win7 clean install.

I can also confirm my user folder at Windows.old was not enterely wiped, the basic 1st level folder structure inside "username" is there, incluiding custom folders, is that just not overwritten, i think the install attempted to move them.

Since i used the exact same user name in my original Win7 and the Win7 clean install, i think Win10 upgrade really messed up by touching the folder it should not. But why it deleted the files is the thing that makes me angry, i mean why? its stupid and very risky, let the user to worry about that mess.

BTW, you never have to rename anything, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 start creating a nearly unlimited number of "Windows.old" folders, just not sure what happens after Windows.old.999

 

[destrekor]

BTW, you never have to rename anything, Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 start creating a nearly unlimited number of "Windows.old" folders, just not sure what happens after Windows.old.999

Hmm... perhaps what I read had to do with establishing which directory is the source for a system rollback.