Duplicate files in C:/windows and System 32

[robin]

I have hundreds of duplicate files in these two folders C:/Windows and
system32 where there is the original fille and the the same file with a
number in parethises IE: explorer.exe, explorer.exe (1) explorer.exe
(2)....... I am not taling about
files like ....cpl1 or ....cpl2 without the ( ) around the duplicates. My
question is can I delete these items just keeping the main file like
explorer.exe. I am running Windows Xp Home edition with SP2 and Internet
Explorer 8. The DLL folder itself has none of these as the I386 folder.

Thanks for any help

 

[Leonard Grey]

No, do not delete duplicate system files just because they are duplicates.

 

[Irwan Santosa]

I have hundreds ofduplicatefilesin these two folders C:/Windows and
system32  where there is the original fille and the the same file with a
number in parethises IE: explorer.exe, explorer.exe (1) explorer.exe
(2)....... I am not taling aboutfileslike ....cpl1 or ....cpl2 without the ( ) around the duplicates. My
question is can I delete these items just keeping the main file like
explorer.exe. I am running Windows Xp Home edition with SP2 and Internet
Explorer 8. The DLL folder itself has none of these as the I386 folder.

Thanks for any help

Why there are so many duplicate system files ? did you copied them ?

 

[Jose]

I have hundreds of duplicate files in these two folders C:/Windows and
system32  where there is the original fille and the the same file with a
number in parethises IE: explorer.exe, explorer.exe (1) explorer.exe
(2)....... I am not taling about
files like ....cpl1 or ....cpl2 without the ( ) around the duplicates. My
question is can I delete these items just keeping the main file like
explorer.exe. I am running Windows Xp Home edition with SP2 and Internet
Explorer 8. The DLL folder itself has none of these as the I386 folder.

Thanks for any help

What method did you use to determine these hundreds of duplicate
files? Did you use a "find duplicate files program"? If yes, what is
this program?

What you are seeing may not be a problem. A typical installation
will have lots of duplicate files (by name), files with the same name
that are not exact duplicates, etc. but the duplications need to make
sense. Most involving Windows are there for a reason.

If you just don't like it, we can explain it or troubleshoot and then
you can decide what to do (if anything).