I should have added that - in the list of Group or user names in the
Security tab - there is only one entry for whom ALL permissions (including
the Special permissions) are ticked. This entry is called "Unknown
identity{long_number}, and probably is just a left-over after the first
installation, just like the "windows.old" folder itself (BTW, this folder
occupies 9.62 GB on disk and contains 50194 files in 9306 folders, so
deleting each file one by one is out of question - formatting and
reinstalling would be faster).

After my first couple of trials didn't work, I deleted this Unknown identity
and now I (the user Piotr) as well as the group Administrators have full
permissions, but NOT special permissions - I guess this is the clue. How to
grand the Special permissions (last entry at the bottom of the permissions
list) to myself, or the Administrator?

Frankly, I'd have formatted the drive and reinstalled Vista long ago instead
of trying to delete the folder in question, but I think it's important to
solve the problem in a more intelligent manner - after all, we're all going
to be using Vista on the regular basis...

Right now my version is RC2 Build 5744 (x64).

Please try to help me - what do you mean by Disk cleanup, Jane C?
"Piotr Wozniacki" <p.wozniacki@wp.pl> wrote in message
news:em6l99$b92$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl...
> Hi,
>
> I didn't create a new account; being logged as "Piotr" I took the
> ownership of the windows.old folder, including subfolder and files. I then
> checked the security setting for a couple of deeply burried files - the
> ownership is mine all right.
>
> When trying to delete from Windows Explorer, there were 2 stages: first,
> the system informed if I want the administrator allowing me to delete; I
> clicked OK and - after a while - the error message "Accessd denied"
> appeared for each consecutive file (after pressing Skip).
>
> Very similar was how it looked in the Administrators console; I typed
> "rmdir /s windows.old"; the system asked me if I'm sure, I accepted and
> there was a bunch of error messages about trying to delete individual
> files with access denied again.
>
> What's my next move?
>
> Piotr
>
> "R. C. White, MVP" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
> news:336D6612-380C-44B6-BBAE-369FE9321017@microsoft.com...
>> Hi, Piotr.
>>
>> Let's get more specific on a couple of points:
>>
>>> Tried from both OS'es (XP and Vista); tried taking ownership;
>>
>> Ownership of what? Owned by whom?
>>
>> Can you create a new User (if you haven't already) named "Piotr"
>> (perhaps), and have that User take Ownership of the entire drive, or, at
>> least, the entire \Windows.old folder? In my experience, this took much
>> longer than I expected because it had to take ownership of each file and
>> folder, one at a time. But when it finally ends, the User Piotr should
>> be able to delete the folder.
>>
>> Let us know, step by step, exactly what you did and exactly what error
>> message or other result you saw.
>>
>>> tried running a command prompt as administrator - still no rights to
>>> delete.
>>
>> In the Command Prompt window, what command and parameters did you use?
>> As I'm sure you know, we don't "delete" a folder, we "remove" a
>> directory. If we enter simply "rd \windows.old", we probably will get a
>> message that the directory is not empty. If we append the /s switch, it
>> will try to remove the entire directory tree, including all subfolders
>> and files, even though not empty - but it will first ask us "Are you
>> sure".
>>
>> Again, please tell us exactly what you typed in the Command Prompt window
>> and exactly what results you saw.
>>
>> RC
>> --
>> R. C. White, CPA
>> San Marcos, TX
>> rc@grandecom.net
>> Microsoft Windows MVP
>> (Running Windows Mail 7.0 in Vista x64)
>>
>> "Piotr Wozniacki" <p.wozniacki@wp.pl> wrote in message
>> news:32DD83CC-09EA-4DBC-B7DE-CBA6542A847F@microsoft.com...
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> This has been asked and answered many times, but none of the answers
>>> semms to work here. I started installing Vista from the XP, but for some
>>> reaosn interupted and installed from the DVD boot. Unfortunately, the
>>> old installation files were renamed "windows.old" and I can't get rid of
>>> them! Tried from both OS'es (XP and Vista); tried taking ownership;
>>> tried running a command prompt as administrator - still no rights to
>>> delete. What gives, besides re-formatting?!!
>>>
>>> Piotr
>>
>