Windows Old: what is this folder and can it be deleted. Temp folder - what is it? Can I delete the Temp folder? Can I delete a folder

It is not uncommon for users to find on system disk new folders on your computer that weren't there before. One of these folders is the Windows.old folder. Inside this folder, there are usually three sub folders: Windows, Documents and Settings, and Program Files.

If you also found the Windows.old folder on your computer, then this material should help you. Here you will find out what this folder is, why you need it and whether you can delete it.

When faced with the Windows.old folder, users first of all wonder what this folder is. In fact, everything is very simple.

The Windows.old folder appears after updating the operating system Windows systems to more new version... For example, such a folder will appear if you upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10. With full reinstalling Windows the Windows old folder does not appear.

The fact is that during the update, new system files are written to the system disk, those that are needed for the new version operating system... Whereas the old files are not deleted, but moved to the Windows.old folder. This is done so that, if necessary, you can return to old version operating system without a complete reinstallation.

When installing Windows operating systems of the seventh version and higher (for example, after XP), users saw a lot of innovations. In particular, this concerned the appearance of some incomprehensible directories that were not previously on the system disk. One of these is the PerfLogs directory. What kind of folder with this name is displayed in "Explorer" or in another file manager will be discussed further. To understand this, let's first consider why this directory was created in the system.

What is the PerfLogs folder on the C drive?

This directory was first introduced into the file structure only in Windows 7. On this moment it is present in all recent operating systems. But what is the PerfLogs directory used for? What is this folder in Windows 10, as well as in Windows 7 or 8?

To understand its purpose, you just need to decipher the abbreviation of the name. The first part (Perf) is derived from the English Performance, which can be interpreted as "design" or "performance", and the second (Logs) denotes logs, or special system reports, corresponding to the performance log.

What data is stored in the directory

Thus, speaking about what the PerfLogs folder is, it is easy to understand that it is a save location. special files, in which the results of the performance tests, if any, are recorded.

Separately, it should be noted that the more tests are carried out, the more more files is saved there. And they, in turn, can be quite large, since old reports do not disappear anywhere. In other words, new reports are not overwritten. Ultimately occupied volume disk space can increase significantly.

Default settings

What the PerfLogs folder is in Windows 7 or higher ranked systems is a little clear. Now a few words about the nuances that every user of a computer system should know.

The fact is that initially there is no information in this directory (it is empty or takes up minimal space). These reports appear only after performance tests have been performed using the operating system. They are mainly used after some time, when the system begins to significantly slow down or cause failures at the system level, which entails an increase in the load on hardware resources. Thus, the more often you run tests, the larger this directory will be. However, all of this applies only to Windows instrumentation. Therefore, in order not to clutter up the system partition, it is better to use third-party utilities for performance testing.

Viewing log files

Many users would like to view full reports, for example, to find out the reasons for the degradation of system performance. But it is not possible to open the files in the PerfLogs directory just like that (no programs are associated with their extensions by default in Windows).

So what is the PerfLogs folder if you can't open its contents? The problem here is that this directory belongs to the performance monitor service, but not the one that is in the "Task Manager", but the one that is presented as a hidden standard application.

You can call it through the usual Run menu by entering the perfmon command, that is, the abbreviated name of the performance monitor. In the monitor itself, you need to use performance counters, divided into groups, where you can see the results of all checks.

In this case, test files are loaded automatically, but the overall report result for all categories is stored not in the main directory, but in the Diagnostics subdirectory, which is located in the System folder of the main directory (PerfLogs). Thus, you do not need to open files one at a time.

Is it possible to delete the PerfLogs folder

Let's say a few words about the possibility or impossibility this action... Since, as already noted, the files contained in a directory can take up too much disk space, many users have a completely natural question about whether it is possible to get rid of this directory.

You can delete a folder with all files and subdirectories, but this will not affect the performance of the operating system. The user will only lose the ability to view the results of the checks, if he carried them out. As for the folder itself, even after deleting it, the operating system will automatically create the directory of the same name upon restart using its own automated tools for restoring settings (registry entries, folders and files). It will be located in the same place where it was remote folder... As in the default settings, this auto-generated directory will initially be empty! As soon as you start checking the system for performance, you will immediately get an increase in its size. Conclusion: it is not worth doing checks too often, so as not to increase the amount of information in the PerfLogs folder, then it will not interfere.

If the decision to delete the folder is made, but you cannot delete it using the standard method in Explorer, you can use the Unlocker program or log into the system under the administrator's account. It’s even easier to activate it to log in via command line to immediately assign yourself all admin rights. But the command console itself should initially be launched only with administrator rights.

Finally

That's it for the PerfLogs directory. What kind of folder is on the system drive and what it is intended for, I hope, now it has become clear. As for deleting a directory, the choice is up to the user. If you sometimes need to view the results of a report to compare tests at different time points, it is better not to touch the catalog. If space on the system partition is extremely limited, the directory can be deleted. And remember that for the normal operation of any system of the latest generations, it is necessary to keep at least 10-15% of the total system disk free. In the presence of powerful processors and large volumes random access memory, and also to reduce the use of the system partition, you can simply turn off virtual memory (deactivate the use of the paging file).

Many face the problem of shortage free space on your hard drive. Especially often the disk on which the operating system itself is installed becomes clogged. This is due to the fact that there are a lot of folders on it, which the system itself fills with the information it needs. This problem It is also relevant for Windows 7. You can clean up system folders from unnecessary garbage either manually or using special programs.

Windows 7 system folders: the need to clean up and the possible consequences

Each of the system folders has its own purpose and stores information of a certain kind. Before clearing the disk, carefully read what function this or that folder is responsible for, otherwise you may lose important data or severely harm the operating system, which will lead to its breakdown:

System Volume Information - by default, this folder is hidden so that the user does not accidentally add unnecessary files to it and damage existing ones. It stores restore points that are created periodically after a certain period of time. Thanks to them, in the event of an unrecoverable error in the system, you can roll back all changes and Windows updates and everything in it until the moment when everything worked fine. So think about whether to delete restore points, maybe someday they will be very useful to you;

Temp - This folder is also hidden by default. It contains all temporary files, that is, information about passed games, application settings, cache, passwords, and more. You can clear the entire folder or delete only some of its components, if you are sure that they are definitely not needed anymore;

Temporary internet files is one of the subfolders located in the Temp folder. It stores all temporary files related to the browser: passwords, history, cache, cookies, modules and add-ons. Also if you are using offline mode in your browser Internet Explorer after deleting this folder, previously saved sites will no longer be available without an Internet connection;

Winsxs is a folder that stores information about system updates. If you install updates, this folder will retain the previous version of the updated process or program. It is needed in order to roll back the computer to previous version when no errors occurred in the work. It is worth cleaning it only if you are not going to update the computer, since there is always a risk of getting a critical error during the update;

AppData - this folder stores data about all third-party programs. If you have installed any application or game, then all settings and actions performed will be recorded in this folder. You can selectively delete files belonging to programs you no longer use;

System32 is a very important folder and should only be cleaned as a last resort. It contains data on system settings and many programs installed in Windows by default ("Notepad", "Calculator" and others);

Drivers is a subfolder located in the System32 folder. Responsible for storing most of the drivers installed on the computer;

Pagefiles.sys is not a folder but a file. It is needed to swap the RAM. The point is that many computers do not have enough RAM to run large programs. For such cases, this file exists. It is not recommended to delete it, because after that some applications will stop working due to lack of RAM;

Assembly - it contains one of the Microsoft versions.NET Framework for compatibility various programs written in different programming languages. Deleting this folder may cause the system to freeze or some third-party applications may not turn on;

Installer is a folder that contains applications necessary for the correct removal or updating of other programs. It also stores patches, updates and other files designed for the full operation of applications;

DriveStore - folder with drivers required for correct work computer components such as video card, processor, keyboard, mouse. If updating the current drivers leads to the failure of one or another component, then this folder also stores the drivers of previous versions, just in case;

Downloads - the folder into which all files are downloaded by default. If you started the browser for the first time without assigning a different folder through the settings, then all downloaded files will be sent to this location. This is one of those folders that you need to clean up regularly;

folders with media files - this item includes folders such as "Videos", "Music", "Pictures". By default, they store desktop screensavers, standard pictures, videos and music of Windows 7. Their contents can be safely deleted or moved to a more free disk;

Windows is a folder, the deletion of files of which will certainly lead to a breakdown of the operating system. It is not worth clearing up disk space at the expense of the contents of this folder;

Downloaded Program File - This folder contains modules downloaded when using the Internet, that is, ActiveX controls and Java applications;

"Trash" - the folder where files are sent before they are permanently deleted. This folder should be cleaned as often as possible, almost daily;

"Quick Access" is the folder where thumbnails are stored recently open files for quick access to them;

"Desktop" - everything that you save to the desktop is also transferred to the disk with the operating system in the "Desktop" folder of the same name.

Video: what files can be deleted on the system drive

What not to do when cleaning up system folders

Please read the specifics of the above folders carefully. Before clearing one of them, consider if its contents will be useful to you in the future. Some folders, like Windows or System32, shouldn't be touched at all. And don't try to clean up folders by simply deleting their contents. This will lead to the fact that the remnants of them will remain in the computer's memory, which in the future will begin to litter and overload the system. There are only a few folders that you can manually clean up:

"Basket";

"Downloads";

"Images";

"The documents";

"Video";

"Music";

"Desktop";

Temp and Temporary internet files;

AppData.

Do not under any circumstances delete the folders themselves, this will lead to critical errors in the system, you only need to erase their contents. Also, before clearing system folders, make sure you can free up memory by other methods, for example, by uninstalling third-party applications and games.

Methods to clean up Windows 7 system folders

If you do decide to clear HDD from accumulated third-party files, it is easiest to use the built-in Windows functions... There are two initial options - standard and advanced cleaning.

Standard cleaning

Using the standard cleanup method, you will get rid of the following files and folders:

Downloaded Program File;

cache, temporary browser files loaded in offline pages;

game statistics, application settings, temporary files created by various applications;

"Basket";

"Fast access";

system restore points.

To carry out standard cleaning hard disk, follow these steps:

Right-click on the disk you want to clean up and go to the "Properties" section.

Opening the properties of the system disk

In the window that opens, go to the "General" section.

Go to the "General" section

In the Disk Cleanup section, select the files you want to get rid of and click OK.

Select the files you want to delete

Also, if you go to the "Advanced" tab, you can delete all system restore points except the last one. To do this, in the "System Restore and Shadow Copies" section, click the "Cleanup" button.

Click the "Clear" button in the "System Restore and Shadow Copy" section

Extended cleaning

Using the advanced cleaning option, you will delete the following folders and files:

temporary files created when installing third-party programs;

Debug dump files - files created by the Windows debugger, a program that fixes errors in the system;

old files of the Chkdsk application - excess leftovers of files that appeared on the computer during a hard disk check;

files from the previous Windows versions- located in the Windows.old folder if you updated the version of the operating system;

error reports, history of errors encountered;

system update log - files designed to resolve errors that occurred when updating Windows.

To perform Advanced Disk Cleanup, follow these steps:

Open through Windows search"Command line". Click on its icon with the right mouse button and select the "Run as administrator" section.

Run "Command Prompt" as administrator

Type in the cleanmgr command and press the Enter button on your keyboard.

We register the cleanmgr command

In the list that opens, select the drive you want to clean up and click OK.

Select the disk on which to perform cleaning

Check the files you want to erase and click OK. Selecting the files to be deleted

Video: Windows Disk Cleanup

Disk cleanup using third-party programs

Before proceeding to manual cleaning each folder separately, you should use the special third party programs, created to automatically search and clean the disk from unnecessary files:

Download CCleaner from the developer's official site and install it on a free disk.

Download the CCleaner app

Launch the application and go to the "Cleaning" section.

Go to the "Cleaning" section

On the left side of the program there is a list, here we mark all the sections that we want to get rid of.

Selecting the sections to be cleaned

We press the button "Analysis" and wait for the end of the process.

Press the button "Analysis"

Press the button "Clear". In the top header of the program, we can see how much memory is approximately free on the computer.

Before deleting files, you can view their details

Video: Deleting System Files Using CCleaner

Features of cleaning individual system folders

If the previous cleaning methods did not solve your problem or you need to clean one of the folders selectively, then find it in the sections below and follow the instructions.

But many folders are hidden by default so that the user doesn't accidentally damage them. To display hidden folders in the general list, do the following:

Open File Explorer.

Opening the explorer

Expand the Tools menu.

Expand the "Service" menu

Go to the "Folder Options" section.

Go to the section "Folder Options"

In the window that opens, go to the "View" section.

Go to the "View" section

Uncheck the box next to the words "Hide system-protected files" and put it in front of "Show hidden files, folders and disks ".

Changing the parameters of hidden folders

Winsxs

Cleaning the Winsxs folder on Windows 7 is done through a standard disk cleanup. This method has already been described above. Before starting the cleanup, you are presented with a list of files that you can delete. Check the section "Files backup update package ".

We mark the "Files of the backup copy of the update package"

Video: how to empty the Winsxs folder in Windows 7

System Volume Information

To clear the System Volume Information folder, you must first access it:

Click on the folder with the right mouse button and go to the "Properties" section.

Open the properties of the System Volume Information folder

In the window that opens, go to the "Security" section.

Go to the "Security" tab

Click on the "Change" button.

Press the button "Change"

In the opened settings, click on the "Add" button.

Click the "Add" button

In a special field, enter the name of your account and click the OK button.

We register the username

In the list "Permissions for the group ..." put a tick in front of the words "Full access".

We issue full access to folder

We press successively the buttons "Apply", OK.

Now let's move on to the properties of the computer.

Go to computer properties

Go to the "System Protection" section.

Go to the "System Protection" section

Select the disk containing the System Volume Information folder and click the "Configure" button. We indicate the path to the folder.

Press the button "Configure"

In the window that opens, click the "Delete" button. We can also set the maximum amount of memory allocated for this folder by moving the corresponding slider.

We successively press the buttons "Apply", OK.

DriversStore

To remove outdated drivers from the DriversStore, follow these steps:

Open a command prompt as administrator through Windows search.

Opening the command line

Write the command pnputil.exe –e and press Enter on your keyboard. This command will open you a list of all drivers installed on your computer. Remember the number of the one you want to delete.

We register the command pnputil.exe –e

Close the command line and reopen it also as administrator.

Add the command pnputil.exe -d Oem # .inf, where instead of the pound sign (#) there will be the number of the driver to be removed. If you try to remove the driver of the device currently connected to the computer, a corresponding notification will pop up. Remove the device, or use the –f code in the command to remove the affected driver. But remember that without a driver, the connected device may stop working.

We register and execute the command

Installer

The Installer folder may contain files necessary for the system or programs, but there is a special third-party application PatchCleaner that automatically detects what can be removed from the content:

Download the PatchCleaner app from any trusted site.

PatchCleaner searches for obsolete update files and allows you to move them to another media or completely remove them

Launch the program and click the Browse button to start searching for the folder.

Click the Browse button

We indicate the path to the Installer folder.

Specify the path to the Installer folder

After the program analyzes the folder, information will appear about how many files are still in use and how many of them can be deleted. The program will also calculate how much space will be freed up on the disk. Press the Delete button.

Press the Delete button

We confirm the action by clicking the Yes button.

We confirm the action by clicking on the Yes button

Pagefile.sys

If you are sure that the computer can handle the required tasks without the Pagefile.sys paging file, you can remove it by following these steps:

We open the properties of the computer.

Go to the section " Extra options systems ".

Go to the section "Additional system parameters"

In the window that opens, go to the "Advanced" section and click the "Options" button.

Press the button "Options"

In the window that opens, go back to the "Additional" section and in the subsection " Virtual memory"Press the" Change "button.

Click the "Change" button in the "Advanced" tab

Uncheck the box next to the words "Automatically select the amount of swap memory" and select the option "Without swap file", press the "Set" button.

Setting the required parameters

We reboot the computer. The sys file will disappear, and with it the additional RAM.

Restart your computer

Folders with history, cache and browser cookies

Browser files may occupy a large number of disk space. The easiest and safest way to remove them is through the settings of the browser itself: We mark the files. which need to be removed from the browser history

We select the parameter "For all time" and press the button "Clear history".

We set the parameter "For all time" and clear the history

Disk cleanup problems

If, after you have deleted any files from the system folder, errors appear or the computer starts to slow down, there is only one thing to do - perform a system restore. This could have happened due to incorrect disk cleaning or deletion required files... System recovery is possible only if the computer has restore points:

Start your computer in safe mode.

We start the computer in safe mode

Search Windows for the System Restore app.

Open the "System Restore" application

In the window that opens, click on the "Next" button.

Press the button "Next"

Select one of the restore points. It is better to roll back the system to the point where all processes worked as well as possible.

Choosing a restore point

Video: Windows 7 Recovery

What to do if there is no "Clean up system files" button

If you try to free up disk space after standard method cleaning, you are faced with the absence of the "Clean up system files" button, which means that you have disabled UAC (control accounts), and the program starts immediately with the ability to clean up system files. That is, clicking the "Clear system files" button gives you administrator rights and, along with them, the ability to edit and clear system folders. But if UAC is disabled, then you have access to changing system files immediately and you do not need to press any additional buttons.

If the button "Clean up system files" is missing, account control is disabled

If you want to clean up disk space or are sure that a part of the virus has survived in the system files, then the operating system itself has a standard and extended disk cleanup function for this case. You can also use third-party programs or clear each folder separately. But do not delete everything, otherwise it will lead to a breakdown of the computer, and the only way out is to roll back the system to the last restore point.

Every person who has a computer sooner or later has a problem with a lack of memory on the hard drive. Because of this, the PC may slow down. This inconvenience makes us think about removing unnecessary files and programs and cleaning the computer from other unnecessary garbage.

First of all, games, photos, films, etc. go to the basket. Their absence will not affect the operation of the system in any way. In other words, anything on user drives (such as D or E) can be deleted. However, the C drive is not recommended to make any changes at all.

However, there are also hidden folders in which you are allowed to make changes. We are talking about the TEMP folder (from English "temporary"). As the name implies, it contains temporary files, the deletion of which will not affect the operation of the computer in any way. Arises interest Ask- so can you delete this folder altogether, especially since it takes up so much space?

You need to remember: nothing is created so easily in a computer, and this article will help you figure out how to properly free up memory, and at the same time not harm your computer.

First you need to understand what this "temporary folder" is. It, as such, is permanent and is part of the Windows system. Removing it without fail will lead to a malfunction of the computer. But during the operation of the operating system or some programs installed by us, documents are created that accumulate in huge quantities in the TEMP folder. Thus, the files necessary for the OS are always in one place, and not scattered all over the computer.

Some files have a self-destruct function, but due to improper handling of the computer, the program crashes and cannot delete an outdated document. Such documents accumulate over time, reaching over 5 GB in size for some users.

Therefore, the question of deleting excess garbage... Only often after clearing the memory on its own, the computer, instead of working better, starts to slow down even more. And sometimes such independence ends with a trip to service center for the repair of equipment.

So the conclusion is - You cannot delete the TEMP folder, but you can clean the contents. Now you need to figure out how to free memory from this place without harming your computer, but on the contrary - by improving the quality of its work.

Options for clearing the contents of the TEMP folder

There are few options as such:

• Independently, using the "Disk Cleanup" function.
• Manually, deleting the necessary files yourself.
• With the help of special programs that analyze all documents and make their deletion harmless.

If you are counting on yourself, then it is worth following the following simple procedure (for example, Windows 7):

The same procedure can be performed differently: in the TEMP folder, use the mouse to select all documents and press the Delete key. However, in this case, the PC can knock out an error, since some temporary files may be used by certain programs. Then the necessary documents can be left simply by clicking in the window "skip".

Then all the garbage will be removed, and the files that are currently involved will remain.

Clearing TEMP content using special programs

People tend to doubt their abilities. Therefore, there is a desire to seek help from special programs performing certain tasks. There are many "helpers" on the Internet that allow you to safely clean your computer of unnecessary information.

One of the most popular PC cleaning tools is CCleaner.

Download CCleaner for free

It is easy to use, able to clean unnecessary files, while accelerating the Windows work... To start the deletion, it is enough to tick off the files that need to be deleted (in our case, temporary) when starting the software, and then the process itself will start by pressing the "Cleanup" button.

Afterword

It is important to know that any technique, if it is clogged, will sooner or later fail. And to prevent this from happening, you need to take care of her. Be careful when deleting certain files and directories because this may cause malfunctions in the system itself.

Do not forget to clean up your computer from non-persistent files from time to time. Moreover, if it is not just allowed, but highly recommended.

Hello everybody! Very often readers are interested in whether it is possible to delete a folder Windows Installer from the operating system, since its contents occupy more than 5 GB on disk (C :) and there are files with very strange names in it. Friends, in no case should you delete this folder, but it can be reduced in size by cleaning, or it is better to move it completely from the (C :) partition to another partition or physical disk.

Is it possible to delete the Windows Installer folder

In my experience, people pay attention to this folder mostly only when on disk(C :) the free space is running out, andfor some reason it is impossible. T when users start experimenting: perform the cleaning process, transfer to another disk swap file, , reduce the size of the basket, but thisonly helps for a whileand then the disk exploration begins(C :) by using . These applications quickly show the largest objects on the system drive, which usually include folders: and C: \ Windows \ Installer, the last one is removed without problems,only after some time something amiss starts to happen with Windows, when you try to uninstall a program, you get various errors.

The fact is that this folder contains information about all programs, updates, patches, redistributable packages and other components installed on your Windows. Yes, this folder can take up more than 5 GB of disk space, but if you delete it, the system will no longer have information about installed applications, the consequences of this can be very different, but they are all quite unpleasant. Therefore, delete the directoryInstaller is by no means impossible, but it can be significantly reduced, since in addition to the components necessary for the system, it also stores its used files.A special program can determine what can and cannot be deleted in this folder.There is also a more radical option, this is to move the Installer folder to another HDD partition or another physical disk.

So, the Windows Installer directory is not easy hidden folder... All its contents are protected system files! To see the folder, turn on the system,

In my case, the folder size is almost 6 GB. Too much.

Clearing the Windows Installer folder

The Windows Installer directory is instantly analyzed.

Information 273 files still used, 3.91 Gb, sayshow many files are still needed by the system and they cannot be deleted.

Information files are orphaned, 2.18 Gb, how many files can be deleted.

We press "Delete" and the program starts working.

The folder C: \ Windows \ Installer contains 273 file with a total size of 3.91 Gb.

As you can see, the size of the folder after cleaning is still quite large, and if you want to transfer it to another disk, then you can do it like this.