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  1. C:
  2. $GetCurrent
FolderRisk: Caution
  • Hidden

$GetCurrent C:\$GetCurrent

C:\$GetCurrent: hidden working folder created by a Windows upgrade or feature update. Its logs are worth keeping if the upgrade failed.

Updated on By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

$GetCurrent is a hidden folder created at the root of the drive when Windows Update or the Upgrade Assistant prepares an upgrade or feature update. It serves as a staging area, with working files and logs. It sometimes stays behind after the upgrade is finished.

What it contains

  • Upgrade working files and setup logs, for example in a Logs subfolder.
  • The reference logs for the preparation phase live elsewhere, in $Windows.~BT\Sources\Panther. Read those first.

Risks and best practices

  • While an upgrade is running, or a restart is pending, leave it alone: the operation still needs it.
  • Once the upgrade is validated it has no further use. Keep it only if you are hunting for the cause of a failure, since its logs can help.
  • To reclaim the space, use Disk Cleanup (“Windows Setup files”). If the folder resists manual deletion, take ownership with takeown from an elevated prompt.
  • Do not confuse it with Windows.old: that one is what lets you roll back to the previous version.

Useful commands

Fenêtre de terminal
# Presence, last write time and total size (hidden folder)
Get-ChildItem 'C:\$GetCurrent' -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Name, LastWriteTime
Get-ChildItem 'C:\$GetCurrent' -Recurse -Force -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum


# As administrator: take ownership of a stubborn folder, then simulate the deletion
takeown /f 'C:\$GetCurrent' /r /d o
Remove-Item 'C:\$GetCurrent' -Recurse -Force -WhatIf

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