Re-install of W10 created Widows.Old file that I cant delete!

[Baldo]

So how do I delete this file from my C drive. its about 12GB.

When I try to delete it, I Am told that I need admin rights. I do have admin rights.
There is also another file from a previous reinstal of W10 and that is about 2GB. I have tried various widows utilities to try and get rid of this folder but nothing seems to work.

The best way seems to be to boot the system via Linux or take the SDD drive out and connect it to my laptop and then try and delete the file from there.

Any ideas?

[Baldo]

And when I try to use rmdir in dos I just get access denied.

[Exalted Wombat]

Run Windows Tools/Disk Clean up 'as Administrator'. Make sure Windows Update Clean-up is selected.

[The Elf]

Been there, done that. You can only remove it with a tool. IIRC Glary Utilities can remove it - there's a free version.

[Drew Stephenson]

If you go to settings > storage you should see an option there.

Guide here: https://www.bing.com/search?q=how%20to% ... 7613963963

[Watchmaker]

The Bing walk through is incorrect for build 19042...Settings>System>Storage>Temporary Files..

[Baldo]

I downloaded the glary utility but I get the error

Windows cannot access C:\.......gup5setup.exe

I even tried to run it as Admin.

I get the error code 0x80070043

[The Elf]

I've been using Glary for a long time. That file looks like the initial installation file, so I wonder if the install hasn't worked/completed for some reason. I would uninstall and re-install.

[Baldo]

There was no installation. I clicked on the file that I downloaded and got that error. It wont even allow me to install it.

[The Elf]

That file you're referring to above is the installation file. But your system is saying that it is no longer where that link says it is.

Go download it again and run it.

Failing that - here is the latest version: https://www.dropbox.com/s/spcgt6rz27g0o ... 0.exe?dl=0

[Baldo]

Great. Thanks.
Done,
mangaged to install it now.

Did a disk cleanup.

How do I force it to delete a specific folder?

[The Elf]

As long as you let it do its full clean up hopefully you should be fixed - at least that's how I clean mine up after a big upgrade.

[Baldo]

I did a ful clean up but those folders are STILL there.

There MUST be a way to get rid of them.

[The Elf]

Heck. Well, at that point I'll bow out. Glary removed it for me.

You could try this :https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 67d69dbb74

[Drew Stephenson]

I did a ful clean up but those folders are STILL there.

There MUST be a way to get rid of them.

Have you tried going through the settings > storage option? I worked exactly as it should for me a couple of months ago.

[Baldo]

I tried going through the settings>storage options.

I always get the error that those files require me to have admin access. I AM logged in as an Admin. So I can't understand why it will not allow me the access to delete those files.

[Drew Stephenson]

Hmm. Vexing.
Have you tried microsoft support? If you get them on the web-chat they can be quite useful.

[The Elf]

As above. This is not sounding like an issue with deleting the files, per se, but more like a permissions problem.

I could say I've used a utility called 'Take Ownership' to fix these kinds of problems in the past, but at this stage I believe a chat with Microsoft would be the wise move.

[Baldo]

I had a chat with MS before. Infact, when they told me to reinstall the OS, that is when the problem first appeared.

Certainly sounds like a permissions issue.

My inclination is to install a Linux disto on my machine and then boot into that and from there delete these damn files.

I should have had a linux distro on the machine anyway. I use to have one on the machine just in case windows decided to do funn things.

I also have had the issue of the machine shutting down at random. Still dont know what caused that and am in the process of flashing the BIOS (that's what MS said may be the issue!!!)

[merlyn]

... I AM logged in as an Admin. So I can't understand why it will not allow me the access to delete those files.

If I remember correctly even if the account you are using is an admin account, that still doesn't give the user all permissions. It's required to open applications 'as administrator'. I remember right-clicking and choosing 'open as administrator' or 'run as administrator', something like that, as an option.

[Baldo]

Yea, I did that Merlyn. I opend CMD as admin and still get access denied.

I think Linux may be the way to go.

[The Elf]

There are ways to run an OS, including Linux, from a USB stick. That might provide a solution.