Files That Won't Delete Off My Computer
None of these ideas worked.
I'm not sure anyone is understanding exactly what I am saying.
When I open the Recycle Bin in Windows, it is empty. Blank. Nada. No files. Yet when I click on "Empty Recycle Bin" it prompts me with a window asking "Are you sure you want to delete these 19 items?"
I have no idea what these "19 items" are.
When I click "Yes" it proceeds to open the usual window showing the scrap of paper going across the screen inside a window that says "Deleting" and the hard drive grinds along for a while like it is actually doing something. But it isn't. Shortly thereafter I get a message that says "Cannot delete search[1]:Cannot find the specified file. Make sure you specify the correct file name and path."
The file "search[1]" sounds like the kind of file you find inside a Temporary Internet Files folder. I say this because when I try to delete Temporary Internet Files folders, the computer often deletes most of them, but then stops when it runs across a "search[1]" file or "vbulletin[1]" file inside one of those folders. It then stops and nothing past that file gets deleted.
I am assuming this freaking "search[1]" file was deleted inside a Temporary Internet Files folder and sent to the Recycle Bin, but is now stuck there inside a TIF folder that is completely freaking invisible. It is invisible in Windows. It is invisible in DOS. It is invisible in Safe mode. It remains invisible when I play with attribute commands.
When I am in DOS and type attrib -h search*.*, for example, this does no good because I think it is INSIDE an invisible FOLDER of another name.
edited to add: I tried attrib -h *.* and nothing happened. DOS said it was unable to find a file by the name *.*
attrib -h -s *.* doesn't do anything either.
Yes, I tried attrib -h -s C:\recycler
I'm not sure anyone is understanding exactly what I am saying.
When I open the Recycle Bin in Windows, it is empty. Blank. Nada. No files. Yet when I click on "Empty Recycle Bin" it prompts me with a window asking "Are you sure you want to delete these 19 items?"
I have no idea what these "19 items" are.
When I click "Yes" it proceeds to open the usual window showing the scrap of paper going across the screen inside a window that says "Deleting" and the hard drive grinds along for a while like it is actually doing something. But it isn't. Shortly thereafter I get a message that says "Cannot delete search[1]:Cannot find the specified file. Make sure you specify the correct file name and path."
The file "search[1]" sounds like the kind of file you find inside a Temporary Internet Files folder. I say this because when I try to delete Temporary Internet Files folders, the computer often deletes most of them, but then stops when it runs across a "search[1]" file or "vbulletin[1]" file inside one of those folders. It then stops and nothing past that file gets deleted.
I am assuming this freaking "search[1]" file was deleted inside a Temporary Internet Files folder and sent to the Recycle Bin, but is now stuck there inside a TIF folder that is completely freaking invisible. It is invisible in Windows. It is invisible in DOS. It is invisible in Safe mode. It remains invisible when I play with attribute commands.
When I am in DOS and type attrib -h search*.*, for example, this does no good because I think it is INSIDE an invisible FOLDER of another name.
edited to add: I tried attrib -h *.* and nothing happened. DOS said it was unable to find a file by the name *.*
attrib -h -s *.* doesn't do anything either.
Yes, I tried attrib -h -s C:\recycler
I just used Internet Options to delete Temporary Internet Files. Then I used Windows to go to the Temporary Internet Files directory. Inside that directory is a folder labeled Content.IE5. Inside that folder is another folder labeled WV7VQWXX. I highlighted it and pressed the Delete key. A window immediately popped up that said: "Cannot delete vbulletin[1]:Cannot find the specified file. Make sure you specify the correct file name and path."
So I look inside the WV7VQWXX folder, and there is the file "vbulletin[1]"
I can go into DOS and delete "vbulletin[1]" no problem. I just did. It is gone forever.
My problem is that my Recycle Bin has invisible files whose names I don't even know.
"19 items."
I have a feeling these 19 items are TIF folders with hundreds, maybe thousands, of little files in them. I cannot make them go away.
So I look inside the WV7VQWXX folder, and there is the file "vbulletin[1]"
I can go into DOS and delete "vbulletin[1]" no problem. I just did. It is gone forever.
My problem is that my Recycle Bin has invisible files whose names I don't even know.
"19 items."
I have a feeling these 19 items are TIF folders with hundreds, maybe thousands, of little files in them. I cannot make them go away.
a_unique_person
Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning
Luke T. said:
Ahh, yes, well that would be your fault then for not describing the symptoms correctly.
Lothian
should be banned
Luke, I fully understand. I had the exact same problem. I solved it by... ignoring it, figuring it wasn't doing any harm. If you do solve it however I would like to know !Luke T. said:
Here is a document about how files are hidden in Windows 9X Hidden IE Files
Some of it may apply to XP
Some of it may apply to XP
Guest
Unregistered
G
How do you know that your file system and hard disk have integrity?
I give up.
By the way, it is not possible to boot up in DOS in Safe Mode in XP. Safe mode still brings you to Windows first before you can do anything. P.O.S.!
I do not have a boot disk. I bought this P.O.S. at CompUSA and they don't give you any software with the computer except what is already installed on it.
I have gone to all the linked articles everyone has kindly provided, and tried everything suggested. Windows Washer cleared another 200+ MB off my computer.
After Windows Washer, my recycle bin had 24 invisible items, instead of the usual 19!
Fortunately, the 5 new invisible items disappeared when I selected the empty recycle bin, and I am back to the original 19.
I am 99.999999% sure that this freaking "Search[1]" file is the only thing holding up my computer. It is stuck somewhere inside the first of the 19 "items" and won't go away.
I guess I'm with Lothian.
I give up.
By the way, it is not possible to boot up in DOS in Safe Mode in XP. Safe mode still brings you to Windows first before you can do anything. P.O.S.!
I do not have a boot disk. I bought this P.O.S. at CompUSA and they don't give you any software with the computer except what is already installed on it.
I have gone to all the linked articles everyone has kindly provided, and tried everything suggested. Windows Washer cleared another 200+ MB off my computer.
After Windows Washer, my recycle bin had 24 invisible items, instead of the usual 19!
Fortunately, the 5 new invisible items disappeared when I selected the empty recycle bin, and I am back to the original 19.
I am 99.999999% sure that this freaking "Search[1]" file is the only thing holding up my computer. It is stuck somewhere inside the first of the 19 "items" and won't go away.
I guess I'm with Lothian.
I give up.
ShowMe
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2001
- Messages
- 1,350
Luke T. said:
It's only been a few days, you have some more fight in you.
Try Total Commander
http://www.ghisler.com/download.htm
It will show files that Windows doesn't want to show you. Like all of your IE archive files.
Luke, Not sure if you are referring to DOS simply as shorthand.
DOS doesn't exist in XP. XP runs an emulator called NTVDM
(NT Virtual Dos Machine). This includes the new CMD shell, but NTVMD is emphatically a Windows program. So you are right. You can't boot in DOS, because XP has to start first, to run NTVDM to emulate DOS. Sorry if you already know this , which I suspect you do, but others may not.
DOS doesn't exist in XP. XP runs an emulator called NTVDM
(NT Virtual Dos Machine). This includes the new CMD shell, but NTVMD is emphatically a Windows program. So you are right. You can't boot in DOS, because XP has to start first, to run NTVDM to emulate DOS. Sorry if you already know this , which I suspect you do, but others may not.
Continuing my egg-sucking course for experts, what happens if you right click the Recycle bin icon , pick Properties and select the
"Remove Files Immediately When Deleted" box.
The empty the bin. You can reset the option afterwards.
"Remove Files Immediately When Deleted" box.
The empty the bin. You can reset the option afterwards.
You might try this.
Since you don't have the filenames I'd try DEL *.*
Found the above quote at Doug Knox site
Doug is some sort of Microsoft acknowledged expert with lots of tips and fixes listed on his site. His site has helped me a couple of times.
Good luck.
It's almost the same as richardm suggested, but he didn't mention putting a filename after the DEL.
Since you don't have the filenames I'd try DEL *.*
Found the above quote at Doug Knox site
Doug is some sort of Microsoft acknowledged expert with lots of tips and fixes listed on his site. His site has helped me a couple of times.
Good luck.
Lord Kenneth
Banned
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2002
- Messages
- 2,604
Try deleting the files with no other programs on. This includes running background processes.
By any chance are you trying to delete these files while a browser is up? Vbulletin[1] seems like a web-page file... perhaps you are trying to delete it while surfing the boards, which run vBulletin?
By any chance are you trying to delete these files while a browser is up? Vbulletin[1] seems like a web-page file... perhaps you are trying to delete it while surfing the boards, which run vBulletin?
ok it´s not DOS it´s SAFE MODE, but have you tried to delete them via safe mode?
if it doesn´t work, maybe you can try on this board and ask for some help
http://www.winguides.com/forums/
if it doesn´t work, maybe you can try on this board and ask for some help
http://www.winguides.com/forums/
Ahem. Have you tried creating a bootable *gasp* DOS diskette with the NTFS drivers on it? Possible from any Win9x machine plus an internet search for the drivers.
Once your PC is booted off that, NONE of the files on the C: drive are open, and thus they should be deletable. You will need to be able to drive DOS commands though (a dying skill, it seems!)
Bearing all that in mind ---===>>> HANDLE WITH EXTREME CARE <<<===---
You can totally and permanently wreck your Windows install if you zap the wrong file(s).
Once your PC is booted off that, NONE of the files on the C: drive are open, and thus they should be deletable. You will need to be able to drive DOS commands though (a dying skill, it seems!)
Bearing all that in mind ---===>>> HANDLE WITH EXTREME CARE <<<===---
You can totally and permanently wreck your Windows install if you zap the wrong file(s).
You're plenty smart enough to think before you act, Luke - I've read enough of your posts to be fairly sure of that.Luke T. said:
Knoppix mounts your drives read-only: you have to take positive action to make any changes at all. At the least you will be able to browse what is really there and decide whether you care about them or not.
True, and probably the best solution generally. But I seem to recall that it still honours the file protections and attributes (esp. hidden files), plus it still has some files open on the system partition. Would it be the best for this problem, do you think?ShowMe said: