Windows 7: Old Junk Folders Remain

I spend hours getting a couple copies of personal folders off my computer (XP Op Sys) before doing the "clean install" of Windows 7 Upgrade, using "Windows Easy Trasfer". That was a bit of a waste it seems.

Since the Windows 7 installer had to verify a prior copy of Windows, the install was not-so-clean. You have to use the install disk on a machine with Win XP or other valid upgradable OS. So it installs over Win XP, dumping the applications, but saving most folders.

The Win 7 Upgrade installer took most all the old XP personal files, logs and Windows, except Outlook Express mail, and put them in a folder named "Windows.old". That folder was 8GB on my machine and 18 GB on my wifes. You will want to get rid of it sometime. Plus there are other old folders you will probably recognize.

There were some other folders that seem to be legacy (2004 date modified), but are not as clear cut to me.

I'm a little uncomfortable deleting those numbered system folders (like C:/21778ad76549f23d7c) with padlocks on the icon.

One has the following contents:
folder "Update"
$shtdwn$req
empty.cat
spmsg.dll
spuninst.exe
wmp.dll

Does anyone know if the Win 7 installer left this behind on purpose?

The application "sp uninst"(aller) is apparently used on old Explorer 7. Is that the only use?

If all of your files, settings, and other stuff have been restored successfully, you can use Disk Cleanup to remove these folders / files. Just make sure everything you wanted from your old XP installation is safely intact / restored within your new Win7 installation before you run the tool.

Outlook Express won't import to Win7 because it now uses Windows Mail (or Live Mail - something like that ...) I had this issue when I upgraded my wife's computer way-back-when to the Win7 RC. At that time, I didn't know you had to use the Windows Easy Transfer program ... (failure on my part to do my homework and read up on the process). I used the old Transfer Files and Settings Wizard in XP. It wasn't too big of a deal, I just installed Windows XP in a virtual machine using VirtualPC running in Win7, and then "restored" the files and settings to the virtual XP install, then installed Easy Transfer to the virtual machine, and brought it all into Win7.

To backup Outlook Express, I had to download and install Windows Mail in XP (in the virtual machine), then import mail from Outlook Express to Windows Mail and then I just copied the appropriate folders from the virtual machine to the real one. That'll teach me to jump the gun without reading up on what I'm doing, I guess.

Thanks for the clarification dtcostelloe. Yes, forgetting to deal with mail will cause a problem. Win Live Mail doesn't import mail addresses either.


I'm a little uncomfortable deleting those numbered system folders (like C:/21778ad76549f23d7c) with padlocks on the icon.

One has the following contents:
folder "Update"
$shtdwn$req
empty.cat
spmsg.dll
spuninst.exe
wmp.dll

Does anyone know if the Win 7 installer left this behind on purpose?

The application "sp uninst"(aller) is apparently used on old Explorer 7. Is that the only use?