1386 file folder

[William]

I am curious about a file folder on my C: drive that was
created July 10, 2003. I purchased my PC in June of this
year, it's a Dell Dimension 8300 running Windows XP.

The file folder's name is "1386" and it contains a total
of 51 folders and 7,752 files for a total of 872 Mb. It's
a read only file.

Can anyone advise me what the purpose of this file is and
how it might have been created?

Thank you very much,

William

 

[Alex Johnson]

I am curious about a file folder on my C: drive that was
created July 10, 2003. I purchased my PC in June of this
year, it's a Dell Dimension 8300 running Windows XP.

The file folder's name is "1386" and it contains a total
of 51 folders and 7,752 files for a total of 872 Mb. It's
a read only file.

Can anyone advise me what the purpose of this file is and
how it might have been created?

Thank you very much,

William

The directory is "I386", a notation often used in software to mean
"32-bit x86 processor/code". I is short for intel, 386 is short for
80386, the first 32-bit processor that ran DOS (and later Windows).

C:\I386 is often found on systems with Windows NT family (NT, 2000, XP)
operating systems. Rather than have you insert the CD every time you
make a change to your settings (like finding a new driver or installing
another windows accessory), companies like Dell have taken to the
practice of putting a copy of the CD on the hard drive. Then you don't
have to keep inserting the Windows CD every time you make a change to
your computer. You can delete this directory, but you better have the
original install disk for Windows XP, and you might get tired of using
it if you make frequent changes to your system.

Alex

 

[trmptr64]

Actually, it is I386, not 1386. This is a directory
which can be copied directly off of your Windows
installation CD. If you ever run into a situation where
Windows asks you to insert the Windows CD in order to
load a feature that was not originally installed, you can
browse to this folder and it should be there. It saves
having to keep track of your Windows CD. It's probably
worth keeping unless you are really crunched for hard
drive space.

 

[John E. Carty]

Actually, it is I386, not 1386. This is a directory
which can be copied directly off of your Windows
installation CD. If you ever run into a situation where
Windows asks you to insert the Windows CD in order to
load a feature that was not originally installed, you can
browse to this folder and it should be there. It saves
having to keep track of your Windows CD.

It's probably
worth keeping unless you are really crunched for hard
drive space.

Or if you have a reload CD for your system instead of a regular Windows XP
CD. If this is the case (and you delete this directory) then you had better
hope you are never asked for the XP CD

 

[Sharon F]

I am curious about a file folder on my C: drive that was
created July 10, 2003. I purchased my PC in June of this
year, it's a Dell Dimension 8300 running Windows XP.

The file folder's name is "1386" and it contains a total
of 51 folders and 7,752 files for a total of 872 Mb. It's
a read only file.

Can anyone advise me what the purpose of this file is and
how it might have been created?

Thank you very much,

William

Is it possible this folder's name is "i386"?

If yes, this folder was probably placed on the hard drive by the computer
manufacturer. Its contents are the installation files for XP. With some
OEMs this is your only means of restoring Windows. Check your system
documentation for more details.

 

[The Unknown P]

The i386 file is your OS. This maybe the SP1 folder for
XP. Don't delete it. This is your OS. Keep smiling.