Cannot delete directory

  • Thread starter Thread starter Glenn
  • Start date Start date
G

Glenn

I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it, all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.
 
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the 8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did and what results you
saw.

RC
 
Hi RC,
When I use the /X parameter on a DIR command it shows the
directory name as 0200~1 but if I try to CD to that
directory I get a message "Access is denied". When I try
to delete the directory with the RD /S command the
message is "The directory is not empty" and it won't
delete. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the 8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did and what results you
saw.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it, all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
 
Hi, Glenn.

RD /s is not supposed to care if the directory is empty or not. :>( It
should ask, "Are you sure" and, when you answer yes, just wipe out the whole
tree from that directory name on down.

Can you move everything EXCEPT that subdirectory 0200~1 out of the parent
directory into a temporary directory? Then rd /s the parent. Finally,
rename the temporary directory to the name of the now-removed parent.

Depending on what tools you have available, you might want to try harder to
get the true 8.3 filenames. For example, you could make sure your "DOS"
window is a "normal" (not full-screen) window. Then Mark the name of the
directory and Copy it into Notepad or some other text editor so that you can
take a closer look for hidden characters in the name. Your first post
seemed to indicate that filenames have leading spaces, although that was
very hard to tell with the poor formatting of that message. Do you REALLY
have a filename of " E 88585 ", including those leading, embedded and
trailing spaces? What does dir /s show as the SFN for this particular
filename? Does "0200~1" have a leading or trailing space? How about that
no-name directory you mentioned? It HAS to have a name, and the name HAS to
be a valid 8.3 filename - even if it has somehow been hidden from normal
view.

Could you try the dir /x again. This time, use dir /x > dirfile.txt. This
should pipe the output of the dir command to a file. Then look at that
dirfile.txt with Notepad or WordPad or some other editor. Copy a few
representative lines (be sure they include some SFNs) into your next post so
that we can see just what the output looks like.

A favorite prank to play on your buddies back in MS-DOS days was to use a
non-printing character in the filename. These characters might look like a
space onscreen, and were virtually undetectable unless your buddy knew to
look for them.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

Hi RC,
When I use the /X parameter on a DIR command it shows the
directory name as 0200~1 but if I try to CD to that
directory I get a message "Access is denied". When I try
to delete the directory with the RD /S command the
message is "The directory is not empty" and it won't
delete. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the 8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did and what results you
saw.

RC

I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it, all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Hi RC,
Unfortunately, these directories are on our main file
server and they are sub-directories in a shared directory
that all of our users have mappped. I would have to come
in on a weekend, when no-one is on the network, to try
moving and renaming directories (I could do that this
weekend). These directories/files really do have embedded
spaces in the names. I can't drill down into the
directories in Explorer and I am not able to CD to them
in a command window. Our backup software lists the file
names and that's the only way I am able to see them. The
following list is the result of a dir /x command:
20/03/2004 06:44p <DIR> 0200~1

15/03/2004 09:23a <DIR> E88585~1
E 88585
19/03/2004 05:40p <DIR> I4035~1
I 4035
19/03/2004 05:29p <DIR> COM1__~1
com 1 ;;;;;;;;;
15/03/2004 02:27p <DIR> TA1135~1
ta11355 ;;; .
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

RD /s is not supposed to care if the directory is empty or not. :>( It
should ask, "Are you sure" and, when you answer yes, just wipe out the whole
tree from that directory name on down.

Can you move everything EXCEPT that subdirectory 0200~1 out of the parent
directory into a temporary directory? Then rd /s the parent. Finally,
rename the temporary directory to the name of the now- removed parent.

Depending on what tools you have available, you might want to try harder to
get the true 8.3 filenames. For example, you could make sure your "DOS"
window is a "normal" (not full-screen) window. Then Mark the name of the
directory and Copy it into Notepad or some other text editor so that you can
take a closer look for hidden characters in the name. Your first post
seemed to indicate that filenames have leading spaces, although that was
very hard to tell with the poor formatting of that message. Do you REALLY
have a filename of " E 88585 ", including those leading, embedded and
trailing spaces? What does dir /s show as the SFN for this particular
filename? Does "0200~1" have a leading or trailing space? How about that
no-name directory you mentioned? It HAS to have a name, and the name HAS to
be a valid 8.3 filename - even if it has somehow been hidden from normal
view.

Could you try the dir /x again. This time, use dir /x > dirfile.txt. This
should pipe the output of the dir command to a file. Then look at that
dirfile.txt with Notepad or WordPad or some other editor. Copy a few
representative lines (be sure they include some SFNs) into your next post so
that we can see just what the output looks like.

A favorite prank to play on your buddies back in MS-DOS days was to use a
non-printing character in the filename. These characters might look like a
space onscreen, and were virtually undetectable unless your buddy knew to
look for them.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

Hi RC,
When I use the /X parameter on a DIR command it shows the
directory name as 0200~1 but if I try to CD to that
directory I get a message "Access is denied". When I try
to delete the directory with the RD /S command the
message is "The directory is not empty" and it won't
delete. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the 8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did and what results you
saw.

RC

I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it, all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
 
Hi, Glenn.

With that information, somebody here should be able to figure out how to
help. But it won't be me, I'm afraid, because I know NOTHING of servers.
:>( Terms like Share and Map leave me in the dark. My "mantra" is: I'm
just one guy with one computer and one POTS phone line - and no Net but the
Internet.

Good luck - and let us know how you finally solve the problem. Somebody
else can probably benefit from what you've learned. In a newsgroup, we all
learn from each other. ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

Glenn said:
Hi RC,
Unfortunately, these directories are on our main file
server and they are sub-directories in a shared directory
that all of our users have mappped. I would have to come
in on a weekend, when no-one is on the network, to try
moving and renaming directories (I could do that this
weekend). These directories/files really do have embedded
spaces in the names. I can't drill down into the
directories in Explorer and I am not able to CD to them
in a command window. Our backup software lists the file
names and that's the only way I am able to see them. The
following list is the result of a dir /x command:
20/03/2004 06:44p <DIR> 0200~1

15/03/2004 09:23a <DIR> E88585~1
E 88585
19/03/2004 05:40p <DIR> I4035~1
I 4035
19/03/2004 05:29p <DIR> COM1__~1
com 1 ;;;;;;;;;
15/03/2004 02:27p <DIR> TA1135~1
ta11355 ;;; .
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

RD /s is not supposed to care if the directory is empty or not. :>( It
should ask, "Are you sure" and, when you answer yes, just wipe out the whole
tree from that directory name on down.

Can you move everything EXCEPT that subdirectory 0200~1 out of the parent
directory into a temporary directory? Then rd /s the parent. Finally,
rename the temporary directory to the name of the now- removed parent.

Depending on what tools you have available, you might want to try harder to
get the true 8.3 filenames. For example, you could make sure your "DOS"
window is a "normal" (not full-screen) window. Then Mark the name of the
directory and Copy it into Notepad or some other text editor so that you can
take a closer look for hidden characters in the name. Your first post
seemed to indicate that filenames have leading spaces, although that was
very hard to tell with the poor formatting of that message. Do you REALLY
have a filename of " E 88585 ", including those leading, embedded and
trailing spaces? What does dir /s show as the SFN for this particular
filename? Does "0200~1" have a leading or trailing space? How about that
no-name directory you mentioned? It HAS to have a name, and the name HAS to
be a valid 8.3 filename - even if it has somehow been hidden from normal
view.

Could you try the dir /x again. This time, use dir /x > dirfile.txt. This
should pipe the output of the dir command to a file. Then look at that
dirfile.txt with Notepad or WordPad or some other editor. Copy a few
representative lines (be sure they include some SFNs) into your next post so
that we can see just what the output looks like.

A favorite prank to play on your buddies back in MS-DOS days was to use a
non-printing character in the filename. These characters might look like a
space onscreen, and were virtually undetectable unless your buddy knew to
look for them.

RC

Hi RC,
When I use the /X parameter on a DIR command it shows the
directory name as 0200~1 but if I try to CD to that
directory I get a message "Access is denied". When I try
to delete the directory with the RD /S command the
message is "The directory is not empty" and it won't
delete. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the
bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the
8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove
the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did
and what results you
saw.

RC

message
I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a
sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it, all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Hi Guys

I have just posted a similar problem in trying to delete a
directory of web-downloaded .jpeg files. Everything you
have tried is the same as me!! Please let me know if you
find a solution.

Thanks

Dave
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

With that information, somebody here should be able to figure out how to
help. But it won't be me, I'm afraid, because I know NOTHING of servers.
:>( Terms like Share and Map leave me in the dark. My "mantra" is: I'm
just one guy with one computer and one POTS phone line - and no Net but the
Internet.

Good luck - and let us know how you finally solve the problem. Somebody
else can probably benefit from what you've learned. In a newsgroup, we all
learn from each other. ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

Hi RC,
Unfortunately, these directories are on our main file
server and they are sub-directories in a shared directory
that all of our users have mappped. I would have to come
in on a weekend, when no-one is on the network, to try
moving and renaming directories (I could do that this
weekend). These directories/files really do have embedded
spaces in the names. I can't drill down into the
directories in Explorer and I am not able to CD to them
in a command window. Our backup software lists the file
names and that's the only way I am able to see them. The
following list is the result of a dir /x command:
20/03/2004 06:44p <DIR> 0200~1

15/03/2004 09:23a <DIR> E88585~1
E 88585
19/03/2004 05:40p <DIR> I4035~1
I 4035
19/03/2004 05:29p <DIR> COM1__~1
com 1 ;;;;;;;;;
15/03/2004 02:27p <DIR> TA1135~1
ta11355 ;;; .
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

RD /s is not supposed to care if the directory is empty or not. :>( It
should ask, "Are you sure" and, when you answer yes, just wipe out the whole
tree from that directory name on down.

Can you move everything EXCEPT that subdirectory 0200~1 out of the parent
directory into a temporary directory? Then rd /s the parent. Finally,
rename the temporary directory to the name of the now- removed parent.

Depending on what tools you have available, you might want to try harder to
get the true 8.3 filenames. For example, you could make sure your "DOS"
window is a "normal" (not full-screen) window. Then Mark the name of the
directory and Copy it into Notepad or some other text editor so that you can
take a closer look for hidden characters in the name. Your first post
seemed to indicate that filenames have leading spaces, although that was
very hard to tell with the poor formatting of that message. Do you REALLY
have a filename of " E 88585 ", including those leading, embedded and
trailing spaces? What does dir /s show as the SFN for this particular
filename? Does "0200~1" have a leading or trailing space? How about that
no-name directory you mentioned? It HAS to have a name, and the name HAS to
be a valid 8.3 filename - even if it has somehow been hidden from normal
view.

Could you try the dir /x again. This time, use dir /x > dirfile.txt. This
should pipe the output of the dir command to a file. Then look at that
dirfile.txt with Notepad or WordPad or some other editor. Copy a few
representative lines (be sure they include some SFNs) into your next post so
that we can see just what the output looks like.

A favorite prank to play on your buddies back in MS-DOS days was to use a
non-printing character in the filename. These characters might look like a
space onscreen, and were virtually undetectable unless your buddy knew to
look for them.

RC

Hi RC,
When I use the /X parameter on a DIR command it shows the
directory name as 0200~1 but if I try to CD to that
directory I get a message "Access is denied". When I try
to delete the directory with the RD /S command the
message is "The directory is not empty" and it won't
delete. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the
bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the
8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove
the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did
and what results you
saw.

RC

message
I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a
sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it, all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
 
Have you tried using a path in \\.\<driveLetter>:\ format For example, if
your path:
"\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \.
26146904 .lpt3 3.1"
was on c:, you could use :
\\.\c:\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \.
26146904 .lpt3 3.1

Removing files with reserved names:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q120/7/16.ASP
--
Drew Cooper [MSFT]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


Dave said:
Hi Guys

I have just posted a similar problem in trying to delete a
directory of web-downloaded .jpeg files. Everything you
have tried is the same as me!! Please let me know if you
find a solution.

Thanks

Dave
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

With that information, somebody here should be able to figure out how to
help. But it won't be me, I'm afraid, because I know NOTHING of servers.
:>( Terms like Share and Map leave me in the dark. My "mantra" is: I'm
just one guy with one computer and one POTS phone line - and no Net but the
Internet.

Good luck - and let us know how you finally solve the problem. Somebody
else can probably benefit from what you've learned. In a newsgroup, we all
learn from each other. ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

Hi RC,
Unfortunately, these directories are on our main file
server and they are sub-directories in a shared directory
that all of our users have mappped. I would have to come
in on a weekend, when no-one is on the network, to try
moving and renaming directories (I could do that this
weekend). These directories/files really do have embedded
spaces in the names. I can't drill down into the
directories in Explorer and I am not able to CD to them
in a command window. Our backup software lists the file
names and that's the only way I am able to see them. The
following list is the result of a dir /x command:
20/03/2004 06:44p <DIR> 0200~1

15/03/2004 09:23a <DIR> E88585~1
E 88585
19/03/2004 05:40p <DIR> I4035~1
I 4035
19/03/2004 05:29p <DIR> COM1__~1
com 1 ;;;;;;;;;
15/03/2004 02:27p <DIR> TA1135~1
ta11355 ;;; .
15/03/2004 03:07p <DIR> TA1212~1
ta12129 ;;; .

-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

RD /s is not supposed to care if the directory is empty
or not. :>( It
should ask, "Are you sure" and, when you answer yes,
just wipe out the whole
tree from that directory name on down.

Can you move everything EXCEPT that subdirectory 0200~1
out of the parent
directory into a temporary directory? Then rd /s the
parent. Finally,
rename the temporary directory to the name of the now-
removed parent.

Depending on what tools you have available, you might
want to try harder to
get the true 8.3 filenames. For example, you could make
sure your "DOS"
window is a "normal" (not full-screen) window. Then
Mark the name of the
directory and Copy it into Notepad or some other text
editor so that you can
take a closer look for hidden characters in the name.
Your first post
seemed to indicate that filenames have leading spaces,
although that was
very hard to tell with the poor formatting of that
message. Do you REALLY
have a filename of " E 88585 ", including those
leading, embedded and
trailing spaces? What does dir /s show as the SFN for
this particular
filename? Does "0200~1" have a leading or trailing
space? How about that
no-name directory you mentioned? It HAS to have a name,
and the name HAS to
be a valid 8.3 filename - even if it has somehow been
hidden from normal
view.

Could you try the dir /x again. This time, use dir /x >
dirfile.txt. This
should pipe the output of the dir command to a file.
Then look at that
dirfile.txt with Notepad or WordPad or some other
editor. Copy a few
representative lines (be sure they include some SFNs)
into your next post so
that we can see just what the output looks like.

A favorite prank to play on your buddies back in MS-DOS
days was to use a
non-printing character in the filename. These
characters might look like a
space onscreen, and were virtually undetectable unless
your buddy knew to
look for them.

RC

Hi RC,
When I use the /X parameter on a DIR command it shows
the
directory name as 0200~1 but if I try to CD to that
directory I get a message "Access is denied". When I
try
to delete the directory with the RD /S command the
message is "The directory is not empty" and it won't
delete. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the
bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the
8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove
the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did
and what results you
saw.

RC

message
I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no
name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a
sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it,
all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some
of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file
or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.
Click to expand...

.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Hi Drew. Thanks for the response.
I tried deleting the directory using your suggested
method, which was also in the knowledge base article you
referenced. Unfortunately, this didn't work either. When
I tried to delete the directory using this method I still
got a message complaining that the directory is not
empty. Any other suggestions?
Thanks, Glenn
-----Original Message-----
Have you tried using a path in \\.\<driveLetter>:\ format For example, if
your path:
"\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \.
26146904 .lpt3 3.1"
was on c:, you could use :
\\.\c:\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \.
26146904 .lpt3 3.1

Removing files with reserved names:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q120/7/1 6.ASP
--
Drew Cooper [MSFT]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


Dave said:
Hi Guys

I have just posted a similar problem in trying to delete a
directory of web-downloaded .jpeg files. Everything you
have tried is the same as me!! Please let me know if you
find a solution.

Thanks

Dave
-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

With that information, somebody here should be able to figure out how to
help. But it won't be me, I'm afraid, because I know NOTHING of servers.
:>( Terms like Share and Map leave me in the dark. My "mantra" is: I'm
just one guy with one computer and one POTS phone
Click to expand...
line -
and no Net but the
Internet.

Good luck - and let us know how you finally solve the problem. Somebody
else can probably benefit from what you've learned.
Click to expand...
In a
newsgroup, we all
learn from each other. ;<)

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

Hi RC,
Unfortunately, these directories are on our main file
server and they are sub-directories in a shared directory
that all of our users have mappped. I would have to come
in on a weekend, when no-one is on the network, to try
moving and renaming directories (I could do that this
weekend). These directories/files really do have embedded
spaces in the names. I can't drill down into the
directories in Explorer and I am not able to CD to them
in a command window. Our backup software lists the file
names and that's the only way I am able to see them. The
following list is the result of a dir /x command:
20/03/2004 06:44p <DIR> 0200~1

15/03/2004 09:23a <DIR> E88585~1
E 88585
19/03/2004 05:40p <DIR> I4035~1
I 4035
19/03/2004 05:29p <DIR> COM1__~1
com 1 ;;;;;;;;;
15/03/2004 02:27p <DIR> TA1135~1
ta11355 ;;; .
15/03/2004 03:07p <DIR> TA1212~1
ta12129 ;;; .

-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

RD /s is not supposed to care if the directory is empty
or not. :>( It
should ask, "Are you sure" and, when you answer yes,
just wipe out the whole
tree from that directory name on down.

Can you move everything EXCEPT that subdirectory 0200~1
out of the parent
directory into a temporary directory? Then rd /s the
parent. Finally,
rename the temporary directory to the name of the now-
removed parent.

Depending on what tools you have available, you might
want to try harder to
get the true 8.3 filenames. For example, you could make
sure your "DOS"
window is a "normal" (not full-screen) window. Then
Mark the name of the
directory and Copy it into Notepad or some other text
editor so that you can
take a closer look for hidden characters in the name.
Your first post
seemed to indicate that filenames have leading spaces,
although that was
very hard to tell with the poor formatting of that
message. Do you REALLY
have a filename of " E 88585 ", including those
leading, embedded and
trailing spaces? What does dir /s show as the SFN for
this particular
filename? Does "0200~1" have a leading or trailing
space? How about that
no-name directory you mentioned? It HAS to have a name,
and the name HAS to
be a valid 8.3 filename - even if it has somehow been
hidden from normal
view.

Could you try the dir /x again. This time, use dir /x >
dirfile.txt. This
should pipe the output of the dir command to a file.
Then look at that
dirfile.txt with Notepad or WordPad or some other
editor. Copy a few
representative lines (be sure they include some SFNs)
into your next post so
that we can see just what the output looks like.

A favorite prank to play on your buddies back in MS- DOS
days was to use a
non-printing character in the filename. These
characters might look like a
space onscreen, and were virtually undetectable unless
your buddy knew to
look for them.

RC

Hi RC,
When I use the /X parameter on a DIR command it shows
the
directory name as 0200~1 but if I try to CD to that
directory I get a message "Access is denied". When I
try
to delete the directory with the RD /S command the
message is "The directory is not empty" and it won't
delete. Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Glenn

-----Original Message-----
Hi, Glenn.

Have you tried the old faithful:

Open a "DOS" window and navigate to the parent of the
bad folder. Type dir
/x to see the SFN (Short File Name - also known as the
8.3 filename) in a
column before the LFN. Then type rd <SFN> /s to remove
the bad folder in
its entirety, including all subdirectories and files.

If that doesn't work, post back with just what you did
and what results you
saw.

RC

message
I have two garbage directories that were f=created by
some unknown source. One of the directories has no
name
and show just a folder icon in Windows explorer. The
other directory is called temp and was created as a
sub-
directory within another valid directory. This temp
directory has four more sub-directories within it,
all
with garbage names. Our backup software rejects these
files but shows the names. Here is a sample of some
of
the file names:
\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ .
6795309 .lpt2 2.94 \. 26146904 .lpt3 3.1

\ I 4035 \ . 5534984 .con 1.9 \ . 6795309 .
2.47 \. 26146904 .aux 3.48
;[[Scan By Somebody i don't wan

\ E 88585 \ . 5534984 .lpt1 2.46 \ .
6795309 .lpt3 3
. %d .lpt1 3.22
When I try to delete these directories, I get the
following message:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file
or
disk.
Can someone please tell me how I can get rid of these
directories? Thanks.

.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


.
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top