Computer Hope

Microsoft => Microsoft Windows => Windows 10 and 11 => Topic started by: Geek-9pm on March 07, 2018, 11:23:42 PM

Title: How to delete Windows 10 'orphan' system files.
Post by: Geek-9pm on March 07, 2018, 11:23:42 PM: I am embarrassed. :-[

I want to How to delete Windows 10 'orphan' system files.

Prelude:
Earlier I did an experiment to see what happens when you install Windows 10 64 bit on a partition that also has huge amount of photos in folders. I worked and I decided to abandon the Windows install. It is on a 500 GB hard drive.The partition is about 80 GB. So it would be nice to recover the drive space.

Today:
This is not a critical issue. I have the option of just doing a quick format and destgroy the whole partition. But I would rather not go that far. But I just might.

Here is what happened. In an experiment I install Windows 10 64 bit onto a partition that has other files not related to the OS. Later I abandon this Windows installation in favor of using a smaller partition for the 64 bit Windows OS.

This results is some very large 'orphan' files on that partition. I would like to recover the space. Over 3 GB of system files persist because they belong the OS that I am no logger using. I don't know how to remove these files.
Move on boot did not work. The utility takeown can not force ownership. I am stumped. So now I am ready to format the partition and also destroy the other files that I would like to keep. (I have a backup.)

Also, I even tried using Ubuntu demo mode to take control. Ubuntu did delete the folders, but put stuff into a special Linux version of a recycle bin. So the files still take up drive space. I don't know how to tell Ubuntu to not keep stuff in a recycle thing. Forget Ubuntu. Tell me how to do it in Windows. :-\

Is this the right way to do it?Is there a better way to do this kind of experiment?
Just asking. I am curious. 8)

This is a triple boot stem with Windows XP, Windows 10 and windows 10 64 bit. The system works fine. I would like to recover some drive space. :)

Thanks for any insight. :D
Title: Re: How to delete Windows 10 'orphan' system files.
Post by: spankBot on April 01, 2018, 10:27:04 AM: Can you not extend the larger volume over the partition? Also,I wonder if whether or not diskpart would see that 80GB partition.