deleting zero-length file

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jon Morris
  • Start date Start date
J

Jon Morris

hi all.
this is really an XP Home question but this looked like the best place to
post.
was recently cleaning up my HD after a reinstallation of WinXPH and was
deleting old documents & settings subdir. came across an old graphic file
that has a really long name (had used the pic caption) and a zero length.
Can't rename or delete it. It has a jpg ext but views as nothing... when i
try and overwrite the file i get 'filename.j' not filename.jpg and i think
that this filename may exceed permissible length...
presence of the file keeps me from delting the sub dir and when i try and
delete the file i get "cannot delete filename. cannpt find the specified
file..."
considered running chkdsk /f on the subdir (did it in r/o mode and showed an
error) but thought i would ask someone who actually might know what they
were doing before i trashed my HD).
thanks in advance, and i hope this makes sense...
 
Hi, Jon.

Click Start | Run and type cmd.exe and Enter. This will open a "DOS" window
with a C:\> prompt.

Navigate to the parent directory of this rogue file. Type dir /x and it
should produce a normal directory, except that it will have an extra column
showing the Short File Names (SFNs, also known as 8.3 filenames) before the
LFNs.

Using the SFN for that file, type Del <SFN>.

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

RC
 
thanks.
had to change attribrute and rename owner's documents to owner to allow
access via cmd but that go it.
thanks again.........
 
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