Deleting windows.old

[maniacalpha1-1]

I've reinstalled Win 7 a couple of times and it creates that Windows.old folder in which it quarantines a copy of your old install, so I've got 2 that are hanging around. Clicking them to delete is too large to do at once, I deleted everything inside them parts at a time until there was nothing visible, but right clicking properties of the 2 folders shows they still contain a couple GBs of files each, and deleting them fails still, it still dumps more in the recycling bin than it will accept and I can't see those remaining files to delete them in small chunks.

Also, I was considering buying an SSD and using this one as the secondary storage for non-speed-essential files. Now, very few of the files on my HDD are important and I have them well backed-up, so I was thinking I could completely wipe that HDD if were to get an SSD so that it would be completely fresh. I have never done any advanced work with storage devices like this, how do you wipe a drive for that purpose, knowing of course that I'm going to put a new install of windows on a new SSD? Can you wipe it when the HDD is currently your only drive, leaving you with no OS and ready to set up the SSD with it as secondary storage? This would be a bit of extra work to delete those pesky folders, just curious how hard it would be to wipe it to get em off...

I do also need to know how to delete those things in case I do get an SSD, I don't want stuck windows.old files wasting SSD space...

 

[thescreensavers]

First off, if you ever reinstall an OS, you should do a format, what you did was just a copy over and you can have some performance decreases. An Install never feels right unless its fresh.

Very simply back up your HDD and unplug it. Plug in your SSD and you want to do a install on it. Make sure to select "Quick Format" as you do not want to do a full format.

Once the OS is installed, Plug your HDD back in and it will show up, just right click in my computer and click "Format" for your HDD make sure "quick format" is unchecked. ( for an SSD you never want to do a full format, just quick)(But no formatting is needed as the SSD drive is fresh when you receive it.)

You could also wipe your HDD via bootable disc. By a Program Called "Boot and Nuke"

But imo installing the OS on the SSD and formatting the HDD while on the new installation makes more sense.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

How do you do a format instead of a copyover? When I've had to do that, I just popped my windows install cd back in and followed what it said.

Probably dumb that I don't know, I'm still amazed I built the computer yet am clueless with software...

Er...with only the HDD now, what would happen if I attempted to right click and Format in My Computer? Would it go through with it?

 

[sxr7171]

In the install just delete the partition and let it re-partition. In other words install on the "unpartitioned space".

As for deleting a large volume of files at once, this is never an issue. If you read the dialog box it will say that the folder is too big for the Recycle Bin. But you can always delete it anyway.

If you need to clean a drive in Windows right click it and format it.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

I ordered my SSD, will get here tomorrow. Rather than wipe my current HDD which will become data drive, can I simply delete the windows folder once I've booted up with Windows on the SSD?