How to: Delete/Remove protected folders and files from a previous installation of Windows

Problem: I’ve decided to re-install windows because of some issues. My new install is ok but I can’t delete the directory of my old windows anymore!

Solution: The folder you are trying to delete has it’s administrative privileges locked from your previous windows. You could change the ownership of your folder by right clicking on the folder -> Properties -> Security -> Advanced -> Owner -> Edit -> Select Administrator and put a check on “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects”

An Easier Solution: You can also do a command prompt to remove the ownership which is a more straightforward process. To do this, press your window’s Start button, type “cmd”, right click on the “cmd” program that shows up, right click and select run as administrator (running the command prompt with administrator privileges is important).

In the command prompt, enter the following command:

cacls “c:\WINDOWS.OLD” /t /g administrators:F
Note: Don’t forget to change the drive letter and path above to the locked folder.

That’s it! You can now delete this folder.