ok then. when i go to delete mine the memory in the folder just gets bigger until about 2 gig then says it cant fit in the recycle bin so i dont delete it. if i open it and delete everything inside everything works just fine. there must be hidden system files in there or something. but if i copy the folder to a usb stick then delete it on the computer, if it messes up i could put it back, would that work?
Hello!
Yes, that should be perfectly safe to do so. As always, I would advise you keep a copy of the folder somewhere, so that you have your data, should you realise that you forgot to back something up, or have a problem later on. However, if space is a premium, and you are sure that you have taken out all of the data you need, you can simply delete it.
When you deleted the account, Windows would have removed all its references and hooks to the account in other registry hives (such as HKLM), and would have withdrawn everything into that folder.
It is then safe to delete.
Since it is a big folder, you will have to select to bypass the Recycle Bin. This leaves you with no extra confirmation! Please be sure that you have backed up everything, or have a copy somewhere.
It is also likely it will say that that folder contains system files (these will be the desktop.ini and ntuser (HKCU hive files) mainly) and are perfectly safe to delete. Opt to delete all system files within that folder.
If you get any permissions errors, or Access is Denied errors, or a few files remain, whilst the bulk are deleted, then take ownership and permission of the whole folder like this:
Navigate to the folder that is causing the problem ("C:\Users\xxx") and
Right Click on it and select
Properties.
Under the
Security tab, click
Advanced.
Under the
Owner tab, click
Edit.
Click "
Other Users and Groups".
Click
Advanced.
Click "
Find Now".
Scroll down and double click on
Everyone.
Click
OK THREE times.
Click
Edit (now on the standard file Property window under the Security tab).
Click
Add.
Click
Advanced.
Click
"Find Now".
Scroll down and double click on
Everyone.
Click
OK.
Single click on
Everyone and then tick the "
Full Control" box under
Allow.
Click
OK TWO times.
Once you have done this, delete the whole folder again, and hopefully, finally, it will now have completely dissappeared.
One last point to note. Although Windows has removed all references to this folder when you deleted the account (which is why it is absolutely imperative that you never delete this folder before deleting the account), there could be an ever so slight chance that some odd program breaks all the rules, and has kept a reference to the user account folder itself. This is in direct contravention to all programming guidelines set down by Microsoft. It rarely happens, but it is possible. If you do have any problems, particularly if you believe it to relate to this deletion, please post for advice, and someone will be more than willing to help you. I would recommend adding a reference to this thread, so that a different helper knows what has been done here.
However, the chance of a problem is minute, and I have never actually seen a problem after deleting just such a folder. But theoretically, it could happen.
I hope this helps.
Richard
