Accessing old Window files after upgrade  

Hi, from the extensive tutorial section (searchable list to bookmark)
Windows 10 Tutorial Index

- this may help:
How to Restore Files from Windows.old Folder in Windows 10

Note you have by default 10 days from upgrade before Windows.old is deleted. However, you can change this:
Change Number Of Days To Go Back to Previous Version of Windows

To avoid this sort of difficulty, and so you can recover from many major problems to a previous good state, tenforums members tirelessly recommend the routine use of disk imaging, making sure you have a current one before any major change. Said disk image also acts as a full backup from which you can extract files.

E.g. Macrium Reflect (free-paid) + large enough external storage for image files. I recommend you start using disk imaging as soon as you can before encountering a problem.

Whilst not what you're doing in upgrading to Windows 10, this may be of interest:
Office 2013 licenses can now be transferred to another PC - CNET

Here is another link for help with Office.

Activate Office using the Activation wizard - Office Support

Thank you so much for your reply. You have totally misunderstood or I have failed to be clear. Let me give it to you in numbered points.

1. I gave you a tutorial on how to get files from Windows.old which I gathered you wanted to do.

2nd link I quoted.

2. I told you you had 10 days- and showed you how to keep it longer.

That's assuming you want files from there.

But I discovered that my old Windows files are still on my computer. Is it safe to access these files?

Ok, where are these files? Your reference to old Windows made me think you meant the ones in Windows.old. Maybe not..

If the files are just in data folders somewhere else, feel free to copy them.

Or, if you mean data files elsewhere, then of course these are available to you.

To help, what files are you trying to get?


I assume these are just data files.

Yes and dalchina has provided a link. Basically you open folder and navigate to what you need. You copy and paste them into your current OS.

This is for data files, not necessarily a way to move and re-install a program.