Windows.Old files are deleted automatically in Windows 8

Windows 8, Microsoft’s new operating system seems to be an attempt towards excellence. It addresses all the needs and expectations of the Windows users. Moreover, it comes out much ahead of the expectations that any normal Windows user would have kept. Microsoft’s Windows 8 is the talk of today and hopefully the operating system of future.

There are number of improvements in Windows 8 that can’t be described all at once here. However, some of the most notable improvements are the Windows 8 transfer option, optimized setup process, Ribbon interface, Metro UI, Smart screen, Windows 8 drivers’ improvements etc. In this article let us focus on one major improvement of Windows 8 that’s worth mentioning.

What are Windows.old folders?

Microsoft has included a new Timer feature in Windows 8 operating system which will delete Windows.old files automatically after a period of 4 weeks since upgrade. A folder which collects the old drivers and files from the operating system is called the Windows.old folder. This folder was included in several versions of Windows but it is the first time now that Microsoft is including an option to automatically delete it.

The idea behind this is to avoid wastage of space by giving you ample time to get what you need off the folder and deleting off those which sit ideal for months or even years. It is not required to manually go into Windows.Old folders to find the unused files because Microsoft’s new Windows 8 upgrade process seeks out as many of these old drivers as possible.

Is Auto deleting really a good idea?

No matter how rarely you check the Windows.Old folder for something you need, deleting it all without even a prompt given to the user is not that appreciable. The best approach to handle these Windows.Old files would be starting a prompt to ask you to delete the folder after 3 or 4 weeks through cleanup each time you start your system. This can provide users an option to ensure that they have everything back from the Windows.Old folder or to make a CD/DVD backup.

For users who like to know exactly what goes on behind the scenes, this is not a good option to have something that deletes your stuffs just because you didn’t use it for long, that even without your permission!