Which files are safe to remove in System Volume folder?

[JFord]

Hello,

I've installed Widows Vista over my Windows XP, and so all of the Win.XP folders were moved into a Windows.Old folder, which I removed.

Today I ran a AntiVirus scan, and found a spyware in an old system restore point. Turns out the system restore points of my old Win.XP weren't moved or deleted, and they are in the System Volume Information folder on my hard disk.

I've deleted the spyware(which deleted the whole restore point which I don't need anyway) and it freed up 9 GB on my hard disk. I wanted to see if theres more useless restore points and I've taken ownership over the System Information Folder, and it got 5.5+ GB in it, and I'm sure I only need 1 restore point(Vista's one).

I've got a folder named "_restore{48666ED3-4CFB-43E0-A8D5-7A02B7134805}" which weights 2GB, and has alot of files last modified a month ago, and some modified today. Also a big "A0029234" exe file modified before I installed vista and weights 1.4GB.

Besides that another 1.9GB file in the main System Volume folder named "{cb9f99d2-b373-11db-95e7-9a08148be690}{3808876b-c176-4e48-b7ae-04046e6cc752}" which I belive that belongs to Vista, and was modified last today.

My question is this - Which files are safe to remove in the System Information Volume? Or alternaitvely - Can anyone recommend a good software that can check that? Maybe I should delete Vista's restore point, then delete the content of the folder, and make another restore point?

I'd like to remove all my old Windows XP system restore points and other useless stuff on the System Volume Information Folder.

Thanks in advance.

P.S - I did try using the Disk Cleanup, but I don't think it even checks for Windows XP restore points.

Edited February 3, 2007 by JFord

[bledd]

do a clean install (format the drive in the vista setup)

_restore is system restore, safe to remove

[JFord]

Thanks for answering,

Though I rather not format my hard disk as it got alot of stuff I'd like to keep and not enough room on the other hard disk to move them to.

When I try to delete the _restore folders I confirm the deletion and nothing happends, like it got some sort of protection.

I've changed the system restore settings in Vista so it wouldn't save them on my Vista hard disk but on the other one, so now I know for sure I got 2 folders of 2 GB which are for my old Windows XP.

When I try to delete them it doesn't give me any access denied, it just doesn't delete them after I confirm.(And I did change the premissions so in the Security tab so I could delete them.)

Any workaround for that that anyone might know?

Thanks again.

Edited February 3, 2007 by JFord

[nuhi]

You can delete the whole folder but first you gotta take the ownership

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

and then assign yourself full privileges in the same security settings of the folder.

[JFord]

Yup thats what I did, it doesn't give me any "access denied", but when I try to delete it and I confirm the deletion it doesn't do anything.

Also for a 1KB file inside of the folder for example. I thought of running a Linux Live CD with NTFS support and deleting that folder, but I'm afraid that maybe since it doesn't let me delete it, it's important for the system. and again now, I made sure no Vista restore point is on that hard disk, and when I deleted Vista's restore point it did delete a file, but I still got _restore folders, propably from Windows XP.

Maybe I'm abit cheap when it comes to free space, but 2.5GB could be really usefull for other stuff.

Thanks again

[LeveL]

I've been trying to work out how to get rid of this crappy folder for FIVE YEARS.

Which is probably the last time I used "System Restore".

[Keris]

My suggestion is to just delete all the folders inside System Volume Information and then just make a new Restore Point in Vista. Another thing you can do to clean up old remnants from the XP install is to go into Recycler and remove everything there (just make sure there'e nothing in the Recylce Bin you want ). This is what I have to do when I reformat my system; I only format the drive with Windows on it, so the partitions that have my data, programs, and whatnot stay, old recycle bins and all.

As for the System Volume Information folder, yes, it's important to things, so don't delete it from a Live CD or anything like that. It's used by some things related to the NTFS file system.

Edited February 3, 2007 by Keris

[JFord]

I've been trying to work out how to get rid of this crappy folder for FIVE YEARS.

Which is probably the last time I used "System Restore".

Have you tried deleting them from a Linux boot? If that doesn't help I guess I'm just gonna have to live with 5GB less on my Hard Disk.(Or format the drive, but I'm too lazy for that)

My suggestion is to just delete all the folders inside System Volume Information and then just make a new Restore Point in Vista. Another thing you can do to clean up old remnants from the XP install is to go into Recycler and remove everything there (just make sure there'e nothing in the Recylce Bin you want ). This is what I have to do when I reformat my system; I only format the drive with Windows on it, so the partitions that have my data, programs, and whatnot stay, old recycle bins and all.

As for the System Volume Information folder, yes, it's important to things, so don't delete it from a Live CD or anything like that. It's used by some things related to the NTFS file system.

"My suggestion is to just delete all the folders inside System Volume Information" - Well thats the thing - I can't. I don't get any access denied since I took ownership, theres just some sort of file protection on these that when I try to delete or rename or move or anything it will let me but then it will restore it in a second.

"then just make a new Restore Point in Vista" I disabled my Restore Points in Vista. These restore points are Windows XP's ones, from an OS which I don't have anymore.

"As for the System Volume Information folder, yes, it's important to things, so don't delete it from a Live CD or anything like that." - The _Restore folders that I have from Windows XP are totally useless and don't even appear as useable in Windows Vista.(Useable = I can't use them to restore anything). And some files has "last modified: X/X/2001". I don't want to delete the whole System Volume Information, but only the _Restore ones.

Atleast for next time I'll know to disable System Restore in Windows XP...

Thanks for replying.