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Understanding Mysterious Folders After a Windows 7 Upgrade

Have you recently upgraded your operating system from Vista to Windows 7? You might have noticed new, hidden folders appearing in the root directory of your system drive. These folders can consume over 1 GB of disk space, prompting the question: are they safe to delete?

What Exactly Are These Folders?

These two folders are remnants created during the Windows upgrade process. Unfortunately, they aren't automatically removed upon completion of the setup. They remain visible only if you have enabled the display of hidden files within the Folder and Search Options, accessible through the Organize menu.

Fortunately, these folders can be safely removed from your system.

Utilizing Disk Cleanup for Removal

The most straightforward method for eliminating these folders is to employ the Disk Cleanup utility. Simply type "Disk Cleanup" into the start menu search box to launch the application.

Then, select the option to "Clean up system files." This will re-launch Disk Cleanup with administrator privileges.

Why is Disk Cleanup preferred over directly deleting the folders? Because these folders are typically system protected. Furthermore, regular use of Disk Cleanup is recommended for overall system maintenance.

After re-launching Disk Cleanup as an administrator, locate and check the option labeled "Files discarded by Windows upgrade."

Click the OK button to proceed with the cleanup process. We strongly advise incorporating Disk Cleanup into your routine maintenance schedule, and consider selecting most of the available cleanup options.

The utility will then begin removing the unnecessary files.

Upon completion, the folders will be successfully removed, freeing up valuable disk space.