Cannot delete cookie- pipe "|" in file name

[RED]

Hi everyone,

I ran across a very aggrivating problem, and I am hoping
someone here will have a solution.

When clearing out my Cookies folder, a ran across one
that I cannot delete. It indicates the file does not
exist, yet I am looking right at it. Renaming says the
filename or syntax is incorrect.

The file name has a pipe character "|" in it, and it
seems to somehow separate the file into 2 files when
being read yet appear as one when simply being listed in
the folder.

I have refreshed the folder view and verified existence
of the file in a command prompt, yet it cannot be
deleted. Heck I even browsed to the folder from my linux
box and it certainly showed up but the linux box could
not delete it either, indicated that [1].txt was not a
recognized command, oddly enough the [1].txt is what is
seen after the pipe character when listed.

Does anyone have any idea how I might delete this file?

Thanks,

RED

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

- Try deleting it with a wildcard command.
- Delete the whole folder

 

[Phil Robyn [MVP]]

Hi everyone,

I ran across a very aggrivating problem, and I am hoping
someone here will have a solution.

When clearing out my Cookies folder, a ran across one
that I cannot delete. It indicates the file does not
exist, yet I am looking right at it. Renaming says the
filename or syntax is incorrect.

The file name has a pipe character "|" in it, and it
seems to somehow separate the file into 2 files when
being read yet appear as one when simply being listed in
the folder.

I have refreshed the folder view and verified existence
of the file in a command prompt, yet it cannot be
deleted. Heck I even browsed to the folder from my linux
box and it certainly showed up but the linux box could
not delete it either, indicated that [1].txt was not a
recognized command, oddly enough the [1].txt is what is
seen after the pipe character when listed.

Does anyone have any idea how I might delete this file?

Thanks,

RED

In a CMD window, change to the directory containing the file and then
do 'dir /x'. Note the short (8.3) name of the file and use that to
delete it.

 

[RED]

Thanks Much That did it!!

RED

-----Original Message-----

Hi everyone,

I ran across a very aggrivating problem, and I am hoping
someone here will have a solution.

When clearing out my Cookies folder, a ran across one
that I cannot delete. It indicates the file does not
exist, yet I am looking right at it. Renaming says the
filename or syntax is incorrect.

The file name has a pipe character "|" in it, and it
seems to somehow separate the file into 2 files when
being read yet appear as one when simply being listed in
the folder.

I have refreshed the folder view and verified existence
of the file in a command prompt, yet it cannot be
deleted. Heck I even browsed to the folder from my linux
box and it certainly showed up but the linux box could
not delete it either, indicated that [1].txt was not a
recognized command, oddly enough the [1].txt is what is
seen after the pipe character when listed.

Does anyone have any idea how I might delete this file?

Thanks,

RED

In a CMD window, change to the directory containing the file and then
do 'dir /x'. Note the short (8.3) name of the file and use that to
delete it.

--
Phil Robyn
Univ. of California, Berkeley

u n z i p m y a d d r e s s t o s e n d e - m a i l
.

 

[Guest]

I have a file that is on ly local machine deep in the Temp Int Files subdirectory that I cannot delete or rename also. I did the dir/x command to get the 8.3 name, but when I tried to delete the file using the 8.3 name I get the message "File not found" Any other suggestions or tips

TIA

Rich

 

[Gary Smith]

I have a file that is on ly local machine deep in the Temp Int Files subdirectory that I cannot delete or rename also. I did the dir/x command to get the 8.3 name, but when I tried to delete the file using the 8.3 name I get the message "File not found" Any other suggestions or tips?

If it's actually a cookie, it's not really in the TIF folder, although
it may appear to be there. Cookies will be in \Documents and
Settings\{UserID}\Cookies.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

- What's the exact file name?
- Have you tried deleting it with a wildcard?

I have a file that is on ly local machine deep in the Temp Int Files

subdirectory that I cannot delete or rename also. I did the dir/x command
to get the 8.3 name, but when I tried to delete the file using the 8.3 name
I get the message "File not found" Any other suggestions or tips?

 

[Josef Stalin]

Comrade,

There are only two ways that I have been able to get rid of illegal
filenames like the one you have described.

1. Using a low-level disk editor, find the entry in the directory and
rename it to something like XXXXXXX.XXX. Exit the disk editor and delete
the file like you normally would.

2. Remove the entire Temporary Internet Files directory. Since the
directory is usually locked, I use Scheduled Tasks and remove Temporary
Internet File everytime I boot my machine. Scheduled Task calls a batch file
that I created. The entry in the batch file looks like this:

rd /s /q "c:\documents and settings\default user\local settings\temporary
internet files"

I have other commands in the batch file for removing history subdirectories,
temp subdirectories, other cookie subdirectories, log files and so forth.

The TIF, temp, cookie directories structures are rebuilt when the operating
system is started. This also eliminates the ever growing hidden index.dat
file.

Illegal file names on a server are a different matter. Very difficult to
remove unless you can reboot the computer. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

Uncle Joe

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

There are three further ways that may work:
- Use wildcards;
- Use 8.3 file names;
- Use this syntax: del \\.\c:\LPT1

 

[Josef Stalin]

There are three further ways that may work:
- Use wildcards;
- Use 8.3 file names;
- Use this syntax: del \\.\c:\LPT1

Comrade,

I beg to differ with you. Be grateful these are modern times and I don't
send you to a lifetime working in a coal mine in Siberia. An illegal
filename (even 8.3) cannot be deleted. Create a file on your computer using
an illegal character. Unless you're a very brave soul, I'd suggest
experimenting on a RAM disk. Use any of these characters within the quotes
"?*<|&>" . There may be more, but those are the ones that I had problems
with.

I tried the wildcard option. e.g. del w*.* Didn't work. The OS barfed.
Option 2 wasn't an option since the filename was already 8.3.
Tried backslashing (option 3) like in unix but that didn't work.
Tried quoting the filename ("w*ethg.dll" -- the '*' is the illegal
character -- thinking that the fn would be passed to the OS "unprocessed".
Didn't work. Duh.

I'll never understand why Windows allows itself to create an illegal
filename. Anyway, on one of our servers we have a directory with illegal
filenames. Can't get rid of those files unless we reboot the server and use
a disk editor to directly modify the filenames within the directory but
since we can never reboot the computer, those illegal filenames have been on
the server for years.

Uncle Joe

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Comrade,

I beg to differ with you. Be grateful these are modern times and I don't
send you to a lifetime working in a coal mine in Siberia. An illegal
filename (even 8.3) cannot be deleted. Create a file on your computer using
an illegal character. Unless you're a very brave soul, I'd suggest
experimenting on a RAM disk. Use any of these characters within the quotes
"?*<|&>" . There may be more, but those are the ones that I had problems
with.

I tried the wildcard option. e.g. del w*.* Didn't work. The OS barfed.
Option 2 wasn't an option since the filename was already 8.3.
Tried backslashing (option 3) like in unix but that didn't work.
Tried quoting the filename ("w*ethg.dll" -- the '*' is the illegal
character -- thinking that the fn would be passed to the OS "unprocessed".
Didn't work. Duh.

I'll never understand why Windows allows itself to create an illegal
filename. Anyway, on one of our servers we have a directory with illegal
filenames. Can't get rid of those files unless we reboot the server and use
a disk editor to directly modify the filenames within the directory but
since we can never reboot the computer, those illegal filenames have been on
the server for years.

Uncle Joe

I used my trusted Acronis DiskEditor to create the file name
"Nice|Gui" and found indeed that I was unable to manipulate
it in any way other than by using the DiskEditor. In your case
I recommend that you install such a product when convenient,
then leave it dormant until you're forced to reboot your server
for some other reason. From then onwards you will be able to
write directly to your disk, without further reboots.

There must be, of course, a method to do this on the fly:
How else would cookies get there in the first place?

On a different subject: While I believe that I have a keen
sense of humour, and while I like to poke fun at lots of things,
I tend to draw the line when it comes to the Man of Steel.
I believe historians still argue whether he bumped off 25 or
30 million Russions; either way there are far too many
zeroes to this number to refer to him in a flippant way. Just
my personal opinion, of course.

 

[Josef Stalin]

On a different subject: While I believe that I have a keen

sense of humour, and while I like to poke fun at lots of things,
I tend to draw the line when it comes to the Man of Steel.
I believe historians still argue whether he bumped off 25 or
30 million Russions; either way there are far too many
zeroes to this number to refer to him in a flippant way. Just
my personal opinion, of course.

Couldn't agree with you more. That's the reason for removing the "NiceGuy"
from the name. I have a perverse sense of humor. That's one part of the
Earth I wouldn't set foot on; they've been persecuting and slaughtering my
people for hundreds of years and with a few more "Patriot Acts" we might be
just like them too. But I digress.

Getting back to illegal characters in filenames....I somehow had a filename
on home computer with an illegal character. Couldn't delete the filename for
the life of me. Researched it on google. No solid answers. Dawned on me
later that I solved it years earlier with a disk editor but I didn't have
one on hand. File mysteriously disappeared after a few reboots. Go figure.