Sometimes we encounter such a problem as a lack of free memory on the computer’s hard drive. Of course, the first thing I want to do is to remove something that is not particularly necessary and at the same time "heavy." If the WindowsImageBackup folder, which weighs a lot, turned out to be such a candidate, then this article will help you to weigh the pros and cons of deleting it.
WindowsImageBackup - what is this folder?
It stores all the data to restore the OS in case of crash, a backup image of your system. This explains its decent "weight" - a couple, or even a dozen gigabytes.
Having learned what the WindowsImageBackup folder is, we understand that the recovery of the operating system takes place thanks to the backup images stored in it. You can start this recovery process in the following way:
- The "Start" menu, then - "Settings", the "Security and Update" section, then "System Restore" - the item "Special types of reboots". Click on the "Restart Now" button.
- On the next screen, you will need the "Diagnostics" section.
- Next, "Advanced Options" and, finally, "OS Recovery".
Can I delete the WindowsImageBackup folder?
Deleting the folder will be painless for the PC. Disk space will be freed up, but you will lose backup system images, which makes it impossible to restore the system without data loss in the event of a problem. If you are confident in your OS, then you can safely get rid of WindowsImageBackup.
However, we advise you not to remove the entire folder, but the oldest data from it, leaving it fresh just in case. You can do it this way:
- "Start" - section "Control Panel". Find "Recovery and backups."
- Go to the "Management ...", then to the "Archive of data files" and then - "View archives."
- Remove the oldest components from the archive.
Important to know: archiving principles
What is this WindowsImageBackup folder, we figured it out. You guessed that if you delete it once, during the next period of data archiving, Windows will create it again and fill it with the necessary information. To stop this process, you need to go to "Backup and Restore" and disable it.
The system also does not allow archives to occupy the entire hard disk - as soon as WindowsImageBackup fills 30% of the memory, the oldest information begins to be automatically deleted from it. This folder cannot occupy a larger share of disk space.
To manually adjust the maximum volume for WindowsImageBackup, go to "Backup" on the "Control Panel", in "Space Management" go to " System Image" and change the settings as you like. If you wish, you can set to save only the latest OS backup.
Having found out what kind of folder is WindowsImageBackup, you probably will not rush to delete it. Moreover, it is not difficult to manually set the parameters of its filling and maximum volume.