windows 8 has deleted my windows.old/programfiles ?!!!

Anonymous

I was rather annoyed that windows 8, instead of integrating my existing programs and settings, shoved everything including settings in windows.old/ProgramFiles (what was the point of having a tick box that said "keep existing settings" if it didnt and even made my email inaccessible till I downloaded windows live mail again?)

However after hours of fiddling I managed to do a combination of re-install and running programs with tricky settings from the windows.old/program files directory via desktop shortcuts

Over the last few days the short cuts stopped working and I see windows 8 has deleted my windows.old/programfiles directory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its not in my Recycle bin, its not in my AVG virus vault

Any one know where this is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldnt understand why windows 8 had to stuff all my programs out of the way so it would take me hours to make shortcuts...but deleting the whole directory and my settings? Come on, this is rediculous

HELLLLP!!!

Andy

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

As I understand the process, the Windows 8 upgrade will copy your existing files and settings into \Windows.old, including:

PerfLogs
Program Files
Program Files (x86)
Users
Windows

It will then create new folders for all of the above, and migrate the files into the new folders. The \Windows.oldfolder is really just there as a part of the upgrade process, but it does act as a temporary backup folder. If you don't need anything from there in the first month, then you're not likely to need anything from there ever (as most / all of it is already in the new folders, and the old folder is likely taking up gigabytes of space).

Now, if you've upgraded from Windows 7, then congrats, everything has been moved to the new folders, including installed programs and drivers.

If you've upgraded from Vista or earlier, then your documents and settings have been migrated, but you're expected to reinstall the programs yourself, and the upgrade makes this clear. If you're foolish enough to create shortcuts into*\Windows.old\Program Files* and hack the registry to point into that folder, then you've dug your own grave.

(I came here through a Reddit link, thought I'd copy my explanation over there to the original thread here.)

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Hi ,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community Forum.

From your issue description , I understand that the Windows .old folder is deleted from your Windows 8 computer.

In order to help you better,pease provide us with the following information.

1.When did you install Windows 8 in your computer?

I understand the inconvenience caused you, unfortunately the Widows .old folder will delete automatically after 28 days since Windows was installed.

It will also delete automatically when the Windows drive has less than 10% free space.

I am sorry to let you inform that its not possible to retrieve if the Windows.old folder is deleted from your computer .

Reply with the required information. If you have any further issues, please get back to us and we would be happy to help you.

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61 additional answers

Anonymous

2014-06-11T21:12:10+00:00

I cannot believe this thread has gone unacknowledged for so many months. I too had the exact same problem today.

I just had the most insufferable conversation with someone at Microsoft Tech support which was no help at all. I sent him a link to this thread to try and get him to grasp the severity of the issue.

His supervisor is supposed to be ringing me back, hopefully this can finally be sorted.

Edit: His (Rommel Dfor) supervisor did not call me as promised so I went back to the answer desk and spoke to Kevin M. He tried to get me to pay for support, and asked to remotely access my computer to check the Windows.Old folder was not hidden, I assured him it was not. We could not advance without this so I agreed, he opened the Windows.Old folder and told me in chat that it had not been deleted, I reiterated that it was the folders within it that had been deleted, he then told me a blatant lie,

"Program files are not recovered in Windows.Old"

I told him that was a lie, and that he knew it was. Shortly after this he gave me the general US support number, disconnected the chat and whilst still remotely controlling my machine closed down the Google Chrome tab so I had no record of what he said.

If I was someone who didn't know anything about computers I may have just accepted this man's word, that these files were gone and it was not the fault of Microsoft, but this absolutely is the fault of Microsoft and this flaw must be fixed.
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Anonymous

2014-04-19T01:13:33+00:00

I'm am so upset with you, Microsoft. Words do not begin to describe how angry I am right now. YOU HAVE DELETED MY FILES. DELETED THEM. WITHOUT ASKING PERMISSION. HOW DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT? HOW IS THIS OK!?

I can't imagine what you were thinking when you added this "feature". The crazy thing is is that I moved all my files out of the windows.old folder, because I knew that they would get deleted there after 4 weeks, and yet windows still deleted the files in a *different* location. HOW? HOW? HOW? WHY? WHY? WHY? It makes no sense.

Why did I ever think using windows was a good idea. You have cost me.... so much.

I really do want to sue you. You darn well deserve it for such an incredulous and damaging oversight.
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Anonymous

2014-03-20T07:33:51+00:00

Not yet resolved :-(

help guys, i think theres always a way
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