Windows 7: New folder called 46fcfa8d71b296bf75ae25dbc5eb4f created on external h

Hi,

Today when I opened my external hard drive in explorer I discovered a new folder had been created in it named 46fcfa8d71b296bf75ae25dbc5eb4f.

Initially I had to get permission to open the folder. It contains several sub-folders, files and setup information. I've attached a screenshot so you can see what all the files are called.





I've run an AVG scan on the folder and it's showing nothing suspicious, I would just like to know what this folder is an whether I can delete it or not.

Thanks in advance,
Caleb

I think you should be safe to delete this, they are normally folders left over from windows updates. If you have the external drive connected when the update is installed, the folder might be created there. They're meant to be deleted once the update is finished but sometimes there not.

As it's not on your main drive and not in the WINDOWS folder, you should be fine to delete. I recommend you create a backup of it somewhere else, for example in your my documents folder or, preferably, another external HDD. Monitor the computer and if there are issues, move it back to the original location. After about a month, you should be fine to permanently delete it.

Can I delete these randomly named folders?

Stephen

Thanks for your help Stephen,

I tried deleting the file but it said I needed permission. After a while of taking ownership and editing permissions I gave up and deleted it from within a Ubuntu live CD.

The computer seems to be still working.

Thanks again for your help,
Caleb

You're most welcome. It feels good when I can help someone.

Stephen