Can I delete this folder?

[Tilaron]

Appdata/Roaming/Microsoft/Protect

There is a subfolder "S-1-5lots more numbers here" and it's 11GB in size with almost 3 million files in it. It is empty when I view it with or without 'show hidden files and folders' and makes virus scans ... lengthy.

What is it for and can I safely remove it?

 

[MarkW]

What version of windows are you running?
Do you have a home network (aka more than 1 computer that are sharing files and/or printers)?

 

[photonboy]

Not sure...
https://askleo.com/whats-the-appdata-roaming-folder/

That's pretty huge compared to most people's. I don't know what it's for exactly, however my advice would be to plan for a Windows 10 clean install shortly after it's released.

 

[Tilaron]

What version of windows are you running?
Do you have a home network (aka more than 1 computer that are sharing files and/or printers)?

7 64-bit, SP1

I have 4 folders shared on 4 HDDs on the network (roughly 500 files total) but only one other computer that ever accesses them, and that's been set up for almost a year before this problem appeared.

 

[MarkW]

Ok. I did some research... What that folder is for is to store private keys for data that your system has sent or received in encrypted form. The most likely thing I can think of would be HTTPS: web connections.

One place I read that the keys are maintained until you restart or the computer reboots. In another place, I read that the files will be kept until you do another encrypted event with the same website. I do not know which one is right, and it may be possible that both answers are correct, just for different versions of windows.

For now, I would want to leave that alone. If you take advantage of the Windows 10 upgrade (presumably in July), I would want to do a format of that drive before installing Windows 10. If for no other reason than to get the old "junk" off of that hard drive.

I will keep digging and see if I can find out more on this, but I used up all the time I have this evening.

 

[Tilaron]

It has survived several reboots so I would guess it's the latter. I set a restore point and am in the process of watching it get deleted, so hopefully nothing screwy happens between now and when it ends up in the recyc bin.


Edit: Deleted. A new folder has replaced it and is at a respectable 8kB. Nothing has *so far* broken.


That's it for now I suppose, but thanks for the help both of you