Windows 7: How to delete "System Volume Information" folder on Win 7

Hello,



Let start off saying I know what this folder is for (System Restore) and know how to typically get rid of the space it takes up (merely disable system restore). However, in this particular case, it's not working and need to figure out how to make Win 7 delete it.

In this particular situation this is an external hard drive that I hook up to other PCs quite often in transferring data and imaging PCs (I'm a PC tech). As such, the hard drive has accumulated quite a few restore points on it from these various systems. Disabling system restore from mine does not remove these other restore points.

Windows XP I remember would let me remove it if I took ownership of the files, Win 7 will not (although it does not kick back any error messages). So... how do I get rid of it? Or at the very least, the multiple restore points within?

Thank you.

You need to disable system restore on the external hard drive. To do this, go to start, then right click on computer, then click properties. In the top left, there will be an option that says system protection. Click on that.nAfter that it will show all of the drives amd you will see a "yes" or a "no." Find the external hard drive, and if it says yes, click on configure. You can now turn off system resotre for that drive.

Sorry I wasn't more clear in the initial post... already have done this. It removes the system restore points created by my PC, but not the ones created by other PCs.

Oh. Take ownership on the system volume information folder by doing this:Take Ownership Shortcut
After you have installed that, right click on the system volume onformation folder and select take ownership. You should now be able to delete it.

Yeah, I've already taken ownership of everything. I can drill down in several levels and pop open the security permissions of a random file and it shows me as the owner. Still won't delete, though.

Try booting in safe mode and deleting it. Make sure you are logged on as an administrator. Take ownership of the file again and try to delete it in safemode.

Ok, just tried that. Rebooted into safe mode, logged in as local admin, took ownership as local admin (including marking the option "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects"), then tried to delete. Files are still there.

Those are system files, so Windows isn't going to let you delete them. Even if you delete them, Windows will create new versions of those files. How much space are these files taking?

I know they're system files, but they're restore points from other PCs, not my own. I would like to get rid of them, regardless of the amount of space being taken up, please.

Then you will need to format the exernal hard drive.