Unable to delete file

  • Thread starter Thread starter miskairal
  • Start date Start date
M

miskairal

Hi there,
I have done a lot of searching but can't find an answer so thought this
might be a good place to ask.
I have a 926MB zip file that was created with a backup programme that I
cannot delete. I can select the file with a single left click but
Windows Explorer stops responding whenever I right click on this file or
if I click the delete button on my toolbar after selecting it. It's an
old file that I no longer need (just as well by the looks of things) and
I'd like to free up the disk space. There is 1.19GB of free space on the
drive.

Can anyone tell me how to get rid of this file please?
Thankyou
Robyn
 
You asked this earlier today and got a reply from John John (MVP).

Did you try what he suggested?

Any reason not to pursue this in that thread?
 
Bruce said:
You asked this earlier today and got a reply from John John (MVP).

Did you try what he suggested?

Any reason not to pursue this in that thread?
Click to expand...

My post and his reply are not showing up in my newsreader and I thought
it had gone off into cyberspace. It was my first post after formatting
my pc. Sorry. I guess I'll have to find the reply some other way.
 
miskairal said:
My post and his reply are not showing up in my newsreader and I thought
it had gone off into cyberspace. It was my first post after formatting
my pc. Sorry. I guess I'll have to find the reply some other way.
Click to expand...

Here is a repost:

Try deleting the file from the command prompt with the DEL command:

del C:\"Folder Name\Filename.zip"

Note the required "quotation marks" if the path contains spaces. Also
note that files deleted at the command prompt are permanently deleted,
they do not go to the Recycle Bin.

John
 
miskairal said:
I have done a lot of searching but can't find an answer so thought
this might be a good place to ask.
I have a 926MB zip file that was created with a backup programme
that I cannot delete. I can select the file with a single left
click but Windows Explorer stops responding whenever I right click
on this file or if I click the delete button on my toolbar after
selecting it. It's an old file that I no longer need (just as well
by the looks of things) and I'd like to free up the disk space.
There is 1.19GB of free space on the drive.

Can anyone tell me how to get rid of this file please?
Click to expand...

Bruce said:
You asked this earlier today and got a reply from John John (MVP).

Did you try what he suggested?

Any reason not to pursue this in that thread?
Click to expand...
My post and his reply are not showing up in my newsreader and I
thought it had gone off into cyberspace. It was my first post after
formatting my pc. Sorry. I guess I'll have to find the reply some
other way.
Click to expand...
Try deleting the file from the command prompt with the DEL command:

del C:\"Folder Name\Filename.zip"

Note the required "quotation marks" if the path contains spaces. Also note
that files deleted at the command prompt are permanently
deleted, they do not go to the Recycle Bin.
Click to expand...


If that fails - try in Safe Mode.

If that fails - try this application:
Unlocker
http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
(Not really what it is for - but it might get the job done.)
 
John said:
Here is a repost:

Try deleting the file from the command prompt with the DEL command:

del C:\"Folder Name\Filename.zip"

Note the required "quotation marks" if the path contains spaces. Also
note that files deleted at the command prompt are permanently deleted,
they do not go to the Recycle Bin.

John
Click to expand...
Thankyou very much John. I have just managed to find your first reply
through here
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...osoft.public.windowsxp.newusers&lang=en&cr=US

Now just so you know why I asked this in the newusers forum, what do I
type if the file is on another drive, ie. F?
 
miskairal said:
Thankyou very much John. I have just managed to find your first reply
through here
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...osoft.public.windowsxp.newusers&lang=en&cr=US

Now just so you know why I asked this in the newusers forum, what do I
type if the file is on another drive, ie. F?
Click to expand...



just log on to your F: drive and navigate over to the folder that the file
is in


to log on to the F: drive simply type and enter F: at the
command prompt


to change directories the command is cd


such as F:\> cd Folder1
 
philo said:
just log on to your F: drive and navigate over to the folder that the file
is in


to log on to the F: drive simply type and enter F: at the
command prompt


to change directories the command is cd


such as F:\> cd Folder1
Click to expand...
Holy toledo batman. Once I got the commands right it worked fast. By the
time I finished pressing the enter key the file was gone. No wonder so
many people like working in the command line environment.
Thanks Philo for the instructions and thanks John for the means. Thanks
too Shenan for the other ideas to try if it failed.

My first post still isn't showing up in my news reader.
 
miskairal said:
Holy toledo batman. Once I got the commands right it worked fast. By the
time I finished pressing the enter key the file was gone. No wonder so
many people like working in the command line environment.
Thanks Philo for the instructions and thanks John for the means. Thanks
too Shenan for the other ideas to try if it failed.

My first post still isn't showing up in my news reader.
Click to expand...

You're welcome.

John
 
miskairal said:
Holy toledo batman. Once I got the commands right it worked fast. By the
time I finished pressing the enter key the file was gone. No wonder so
many people like working in the command line environment.
Thanks Philo for the instructions and thanks John for the means. Thanks
too Shenan for the other ideas to try if it failed.

My first post still isn't showing up in my news reader.
Click to expand...


Glad you got it to work!!!
 
My post and his reply are not showing up in my newsreader and I thought
it had gone off into cyberspace. It was my first post after formatting
my pc. Sorry. I guess I'll have to find the reply some other way.
Click to expand...


If you want to search for a newsgroup message, the easiest way is
usually to use Googlegroups advanced search.
 
If you want to search for a newsgroup message, the easiest way is
usually to use Googlegroups advanced search.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I didn't realise the microsoft groups were included there. I"m
just wondering how many other posts I can't see though.
 
Thanks. I didn't realise the microsoft groups were included there.
Click to expand...


Yep, and searching there works very well.

I"m
just wondering how many other posts I can't see though.
Click to expand...


Sorry, I don't understand that sentence. Are you asking about
Microsoft newsgroup posts that you can't find on googlegroups? I have
never seen that happen at all.
 
Yep, and searching there works very well.




Sorry, I don't understand that sentence. Are you asking about
Microsoft newsgroup posts that you can't find on googlegroups? I have
never seen that happen at all.
Click to expand...
No, sorry. I meant I wonder how many other posts my newsreader isn't
picking up?
 
No, sorry. I meant I wonder how many other posts my newsreader isn't
picking up?
Click to expand...


You're using Thunderbird, apparently. Sorry, I've never used it, and
can't answer that question. Nevertheless, I doubt very much if a
missing post is the fault of your newsreader. I would personally be
much more suspicious of the news server you are using.
 
You're using Thunderbird, apparently. Sorry, I've never used it, and
can't answer that question. Nevertheless, I doubt very much if a
missing post is the fault of your newsreader. I would personally be
much more suspicious of the news server you are using.
Click to expand...
I thought I was using the microsoft news server for the microsoft
groups? I'm not really up on all this but my satellite ISP doesn't
provide access to newsgroups so I'm signed up with Motzarella, a
freebie. I don't use them for the microsoft groups though.

I'm using the portable version of T/bird. I've become a big fan of
portable software so I can just copy it all across to my USB drive when
I leave home.
 
miskairal said:
I thought I was using the microsoft news server for the microsoft
groups? I'm not really up on all this but my satellite ISP doesn't
provide access to newsgroups so I'm signed up with Motzarella, a
freebie. I don't use them for the microsoft groups though.

I'm using the portable version of T/bird. I've become a big fan of
portable software so I can just copy it all across to my USB drive
when I leave home.
Click to expand...

Setup your newsreader to point to the news server: msnews.microsoft.com or
news.microsoft.com

Then you are using Microsoft's News Server.
 
I thought I was using the microsoft news server for the microsoft
groups?
Click to expand...


You may be. My comment wasn't about a news server, but about a
newsreader, since you asked "how many other posts my newsreader isn't
picking up?" You are using Thunderbird as your new newsreader, as is
apparent from your message headers.

Again I don't know anything about Thunderbird, but another possibility
is that you have Thunderbird set up in such a way that it hides
certain messages.

I'm not really up on all this but my satellite ISP doesn't
provide access to newsgroups so I'm signed up with Motzarella, a
freebie. I don't use them for the microsoft groups though.
Click to expand...



Same here. I use five different news servers: Microsoft's for
Microsoft public newsgroups, Motzarella for general newsgroups, and
three others for specialized or private newsgroups.
 
miskairal said:
I thought I was using the microsoft news server for the microsoft groups?
I'm not really up on all this but my satellite ISP doesn't provide access
to newsgroups so I'm signed up with Motzarella, a freebie. I don't use
them for the microsoft groups though.

I'm using the portable version of T/bird. I've become a big fan of
portable software so I can just copy it all across to my USB drive when I
leave home.
Click to expand...

You are.
The trouble is, if Ratings are turned on in options the message goes first
to the Web server and may or may not make it to this NNTP server
(msnews.microsoft.com).
 
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