Do i need to keep downloaded files

I have some OLD downloads that are 10 to 15 years old, some of those are bough softwares, from now out of business vendors, that I still use regularly. Doing it twice, or more, a year is only for peoples that are doing researches, testing and other things that may corrupt the OS or worst or that demand a clean slate state. He just said that he, given his very special use of his computer, regularly did clean reinstalls. Not twice a year, no, but periodically is indeed a good idea.

You have great articles, and I read them often. Could you please make them less wordy. I have to read and read to get the answer. Could you just say mostly yes or no and then briefly delineate. Unfortunately answers are rarely just yes or no, and require explanation so that individuals can take the actions most appropriate to their situation.

I get that some one may like a short and sweet answer; but the reality is, I am sure there are many of us who appreciate the explanations. It helps fill in the blanks for what is or may be happening. Now, What about windows set up files. Are there parts of windows that can be archived the same way?

Are there other setup files on a machine that might be archived as well. Keeping a machine organized seems really overwhelming sometimes. I remember my first computer loading dos up and then loading the program you would use, one at a time… No windows to switch programs with, at least not until Atari came out with a better unit and hard drives…. I guess what the original poster is asking for is a tl;tr geek speak for Too Long To Read — a short summary.

Leo, Thanks for answering this question, particularly because I was who asked it. In fact, Leo, on the fifth birthday of my workhorse Studio, I owe you the biggest thanks of all that my favorite electronic child is still thriving. I am a walking, talking recent example of why those install files are so precious.

Among my reinstalls were Quicken 99 and Acrobat Pro 8. Both products are deprecated and no longer supported. The vendors, after all, have a vested interest in getting us to abandon our oldies but goodies. I will soon have to scrub or nuke my Windoze 7 instalation because of it. Also, is this the one that fills all available memory space with instances of COM Surrogate?

Is it not the case that sometimes the installation files are also the uninstall files? This is true. If you need an excellent place to keep small to medium sized downloaded files, consider copying them to a USB flash drive. Some drivers should be backed up in case the company removes them from their website or the company goes out of business. However, for drivers that are updated frequently e.

Home Help Internet Internet Help. I always delete. APK files after installing to save space To me, the 'do you need to keep an installer after installing a program' analogy is the correct one.

From your description, you can probably delete the files in the Downloads directory without affecting anything. But your wording is a little ambiguous and there are a couple of caveats. For example, your question refers just to programs, but the Downloads directory is used for more than that. So to give you a safe answer, let me start with some context. Since downloading is such a common action, the popular operating systems you don't mention which one you use , include for convenience a directory called Downloads in the installed directory structure.

It's set as the default download location so users can start using the computer without needing to configure that.

You can change it if you want, but the empty directory takes up no space, so there is really no need to delete the directory, itself. The download directory receives all kinds of files--documents and media files, executables, software installation packages, etc.

Those files remain there unless you move or delete them. Documents, media files, and the like can be used regardless of where you put them.

Sign in here. Change Mode. Share More sharing options Followers 0. Recommended Posts. Posted May 24, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options Posted May 25, Posted May 28,