Hello, I have just done a fresh install of windows 7 professional, in order that I can back up what files I need and delete everything else. This process has gone great, but I've just now realized that the root directory (C drive) is completely cluttered with files from my previous installation of XP. So my question is what files can I safely delete, without affecting my current windows 7 installation, or any of the files I have already transferred across (documents, pictures). If someone could perhaps even send me a picture of what a fresh installation of windows 7 looks like on the HARDDRIVE root, I would really appreciate it!

Here's what my Cdrive root directory currently looks like.. horrible I know


Thanks!! FIRST, let me tell you why I would not even try.
You did an update to Windows 7 from Windows XP. RIGHT? That means some of the XP files have information needed by Windows 7. And some of those are updates and I an not sure the old updates are not important. Furthermore, the total size of all the old stuff does not add up to a whole lot of disk space. Unless you have a very small drive.

Second point. Yes, you could delete the files before a certain date on the dubious supposition such are not needed. There is a date field that shows when the file was last USED. Rather than delete then, try to move them to you backup device. If a file can not be moved, don't move it.

Now if later you see that file is missing, you can get it back from the backup.

This is not really my idea. Many IT professionals have learned to be very careful about deleting anything without have a backup of everything. I don't know who seed that.
Never delete anything -
Until you backup everything
Thats not your root directory...
Any of the files that have those strange alpha-numeric tags can safely be deleted....they are chkdsk log files...
LEAVE everything else intact.