• The contents of I386 folders may save your Windows installation some day.archives image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
  
  Some Windows computers contain a root folder named "I386," located at C:\I386. The files contained in it are not necessary for the normal operation of Windows. However, you should not modify or delete the contents of the "I386" folder. It serves an administrative purpose. Your computer may get into a state in which the only repair requires some of the files in this folder -- so, if you have tampered it, the only solution may be a complete Windows reinstallation from disc. There are several uses for these files.
  
  

Drivers

• Drivers for devices supported by Windows, but not yet installed in your system. When you connect the device for the first time, "I386" is one of the sources for the missing driver.
  
  

Installer Files

• Windows installer files that can be used to install the operating system on a computer that does not yet have it. These contents of "I386" are similar to what would be present in a Windows installation CD, but happen to be stored in your hard disk instead.
  
  

Repair Files

• Windows components that are already installed in your computer, but may still fail in the future. If you start Windows in "Repair" mode after some kind of failure, the repair software will pick components from "I386" and use them to overwrite the faulty modules that are causing the failure.