While trying to clean up my W10 boot drive before cloning to an SSD, I found what I believe is old junk in the System Volume Information folder. Is it okay to get rid of that old "_restore" folder and files (11GB)?
You cannot just 'get rid of' the System Volume Information folder. It is a highly protected folder and even the elevated Administrator account cannot access it. This folder's main purpose is to hold the restore points created by System Protection, but other third-party apps may also store things there.
The safest way to clear it out is to reduce its maximum allowed size, letting the Windows system work out what is safe to remove.
Change System Protection Max Storage Size for Drive in Windows 10
Did you actually read my question? I didn't ask if I could delete the System Volume Information folder. You jumped to the conclusion that I'm some newbie dimwit! Sorry to disappoint.
I asked about an old "_restore" folder which happens to be from the dark ages of computing, in the era of Windows 7, circa 2011, which is the date of every entry in that 11GB folder. I incorrectly assumed that more experienced forum users might have more insight or suggestions on how to deal with it from within Windows 10; I was mistaken. Instead of screwing with Windows security to get access to the old crap, I'll just boot Knoppix and blow it away.
Thanks.
Create an image before you blow anything away. Personally, I would perform a clean install and blow all of the accumulated junk away.
Yes, all two lines of it, with no specifics other than some vague 'restore' name that could refer to anything. Dates were not even mentioned. Did you expect us to read your mind? Generic questions get generic answers, there's no call to be insulting about it.
Anyway, apart from the specific case of Restore Points there's no way 'to deal with it from within Windows 10'. For such cases, 'blowing it away' with Knoppix may be the only option. Whether it is safe to do that or not depends on precisely what it is - information you omitted to include in the OP.
In the absence of any worthwhile information to work on, the best advice is still to shrink the allocated space to a minimum and let windows decide what can be discarded.
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