Identify and remove file in "system volume information"


E

einstein1969

Active member
VIP
Local time
5:30 AM
Posts
100
OS
Windows 11 10.0.22000
I'm cleaning the system disk and I have about 4.2 GB of data left inside "volume system information" which I don't know what they are for and I would like to delete them if necessary. Can someone help me?

System restore is disabled, I just did an "on-place" reinstall. I attach images
 

Attachments

  • Senza titolo.png
    Senza titolo.png
    95.2 KB · Views: 9
  • Senza titolo 2.png
    Senza titolo 2.png
    43.6 KB · Views: 5

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 10.0.22000AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R516GBRADEON R5+RADEON R6
OS
Windows 11 10.0.22000
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus X555QG
CPU
AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R5
Motherboard
X555QG 1.0
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
RADEON R5+RADEON R6
Sound Card
Conexant SmartAudio HD
Screen Resolution
1366x768 native - up to 1920x1080
Hard Drives
HDD 1 Tera
Internet Speed
54Mbps
Browser
edge-firefox
Antivirus
windows defender
Did you delete the current restore points (same settings page as other options like disable, set % etc)?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 22H2, build: 22621.521Intel i7-12700K 3.6GHz Base (5.0GHz Turbo)64GB DDR 3600MhzAsus Tuff RTX 3080 10GB OC
OS
Windows 11 Pro 22H2, build: 22621.521
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Scan 3XS Custom 1700
CPU
Intel i7-12700K 3.6GHz Base (5.0GHz Turbo)
Motherboard
Asus ProArt Creator B660 D4
Memory
64GB DDR 3600Mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Asus Tuff RTX 3080 10GB OC
Sound Card
Onboard Realtek
Monitor(s) Displays
Gigabyte G32QC 32inch 16:9 curved @2560 x 1440p 165Hz Freesync Premium Pro/ Dell SE2422H 24inch 16:9 1920 x 1080p 75Hz Freesync
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1440p & 1920 x 1080p
Hard Drives
WD SN570 1TB NVME (Boot), Samsung 870QVO 1TB (SSD), SanDisk 3D Ultra 500Gb (SSD) x2, Seagate 3Tb Expansion Desk (Ext HDD), 2x Toshiba 1Tb P300 (Ext HDD)
PSU
Corsair RM1000X Modular
Case
Corsair 4000D Airflow Desktop
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H150i RGB Pro XT 360mm Liquid Cooler, 3 x 120mm fans, 1x Exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft Ergonomic
Mouse
Logitech G402
Internet Speed
800Mbs
Browser
Edge Chromium
Antivirus
Defender, Malwarebytes
yes I deleted them.
I noticed that when it creates them the space is not allocated in "C:\System Volume Information\SystemRestore" but in "C:\System Volume Information"
 

Attachments

  • Senza titolo.png
    Senza titolo.png
    40.8 KB · Views: 3
  • Senza titolo 2.png
    Senza titolo 2.png
    129.9 KB · Views: 3

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 10.0.22000AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R516GBRADEON R5+RADEON R6
OS
Windows 11 10.0.22000
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus X555QG
CPU
AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R5
Motherboard
X555QG 1.0
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
RADEON R5+RADEON R6
Sound Card
Conexant SmartAudio HD
Screen Resolution
1366x768 native - up to 1920x1080
Hard Drives
HDD 1 Tera
Internet Speed
54Mbps
Browser
edge-firefox
Antivirus
windows defender
A couple of things, have you re started the system since making your changes, can you expand the folder in the tree view (System Restore) to show what files are there?
On my system the System Restore folder shows 0 bytes with it turned off when viewed with Treesize run as admin, there is one folder inside called FRStaging which also shows 0 bytes.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 22H2, build: 22621.521Intel i7-12700K 3.6GHz Base (5.0GHz Turbo)64GB DDR 3600MhzAsus Tuff RTX 3080 10GB OC
OS
Windows 11 Pro 22H2, build: 22621.521
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Scan 3XS Custom 1700
CPU
Intel i7-12700K 3.6GHz Base (5.0GHz Turbo)
Motherboard
Asus ProArt Creator B660 D4
Memory
64GB DDR 3600Mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Asus Tuff RTX 3080 10GB OC
Sound Card
Onboard Realtek
Monitor(s) Displays
Gigabyte G32QC 32inch 16:9 curved @2560 x 1440p 165Hz Freesync Premium Pro/ Dell SE2422H 24inch 16:9 1920 x 1080p 75Hz Freesync
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1440p & 1920 x 1080p
Hard Drives
WD SN570 1TB NVME (Boot), Samsung 870QVO 1TB (SSD), SanDisk 3D Ultra 500Gb (SSD) x2, Seagate 3Tb Expansion Desk (Ext HDD), 2x Toshiba 1Tb P300 (Ext HDD)
PSU
Corsair RM1000X Modular
Case
Corsair 4000D Airflow Desktop
Cooling
Corsair Hydro H150i RGB Pro XT 360mm Liquid Cooler, 3 x 120mm fans, 1x Exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft Ergonomic
Mouse
Logitech G402
Internet Speed
800Mbs
Browser
Edge Chromium
Antivirus
Defender, Malwarebytes
yes i restarted.
 

Attachments

  • Senza titolo.png
    Senza titolo.png
    133.1 KB · Views: 3
  • Senza titolo2.png
    Senza titolo2.png
    133.8 KB · Views: 3
  • Senza titolo3.png
    Senza titolo3.png
    50.2 KB · Views: 2

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 10.0.22000AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R516GBRADEON R5+RADEON R6
OS
Windows 11 10.0.22000
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus X555QG
CPU
AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R5
Motherboard
X555QG 1.0
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
RADEON R5+RADEON R6
Sound Card
Conexant SmartAudio HD
Screen Resolution
1366x768 native - up to 1920x1080
Hard Drives
HDD 1 Tera
Internet Speed
54Mbps
Browser
edge-firefox
Antivirus
windows defender
You should NOT manually delete files in the "System Volume Information" folder. You can perform some management of the folder contents via the Windows GUI by managing how much space is allocated to System Restore Points, but other than that, DO NOT manually try to remove files in this folder.

There is a good reason why Windows does not allow even Administrator level users to remove files from this folder by default.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-14650HX32 GBNo GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-1255U16 GBIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
hsehestedt said:
You should NOT manually delete files in the "System Volume Information" folder. You can perform some management of the folder contents via the Windows GUI by managing how much space is allocated to System Restore Points, but other than that, DO NOT manually try to remove files in this folder.

There is a good reason why Windows does not allow even Administrator level users to remove files from this folder by default.
Click to expand...
Yes I know this, but I'm afraid it's junk from the old versions of windows 10 that I had before. I just did an on-place reinstall and should have removed everything since system restore was not active.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 10.0.22000AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R516GBRADEON R5+RADEON R6
OS
Windows 11 10.0.22000
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus X555QG
CPU
AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R5
Motherboard
X555QG 1.0
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
RADEON R5+RADEON R6
Sound Card
Conexant SmartAudio HD
Screen Resolution
1366x768 native - up to 1920x1080
Hard Drives
HDD 1 Tera
Internet Speed
54Mbps
Browser
edge-firefox
Antivirus
windows defender
hsehestedt said:
DO NOT manually try to remove files in this folder.

There is a good reason why Windows does not allow even Administrator level users to remove files from this folder by default.
Click to expand...
You'd have thought so, but as a (rather drastic) experiment I have just deleted the entire C:\System Volume Information folder (it was a VM, so it wouldn't matter if it crashed and burned). You need to boot from something else to be able to do this, a windows install usb for example, then boot to a command prompt.

On a restart Windows 11 created a new C:\System Volume Information folder and appears to have suffered no ill effects.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to lid hinges starting to break up this laptop has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

    Info for 2021-2026:
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR was a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (1st gen) type 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device. This has now been sold. It has been replaced by my System Eight.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 1920x1080 touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine. As its new home has an existing digital licence for Pro I've been able to upgrade the migrated OS from Home to Pro.

    My SYSTEM EIGHT is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (5th gen) type 20LN, Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, a supported device for Windows 11. Currently running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds as native boot vhdx.
Yeah, Windows can rebuild that information, but it can, at least temporarily, affect things like indexing.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-14650HX32 GBNo GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-1255U16 GBIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
I did not understand if I can cancel and how I should do it. Someone can give me some directions, I don't know what to do.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 10.0.22000AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R516GBRADEON R5+RADEON R6
OS
Windows 11 10.0.22000
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Asus X555QG
CPU
AMD A10-9620P 2500MHz 4core + Radeon R5
Motherboard
X555QG 1.0
Memory
16GB
Graphics Card(s)
RADEON R5+RADEON R6
Sound Card
Conexant SmartAudio HD
Screen Resolution
1366x768 native - up to 1920x1080
Hard Drives
HDD 1 Tera
Internet Speed
54Mbps
Browser
edge-firefox
Antivirus
windows defender
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

system volume information and $RECYCLE.BIN showing up on all usb and drives.
Replies
3
Views
3K
Morph000
Morph000
Size of System Volume Information
Replies
7
Views
4K
StevenD
S
Solved System Volume Information - Big jump in size
Replies
4
Views
2K
A Guy
A Guy

Latest Support Threads

Latest Tutorials

Back
Top Bottom