cannot remove folders

[mikey]

I have 3 folders: b\com3\auxdD which some cracker was kind
enough to leave on my computer. My disk uses NTFS.

Folder com3 has no security tab and when I attempt to
change any attributes I get an error that says the system
cannot find the file specified. The general tab also
states the it is of type "file", but it appears as a
folder and can contain other files and folders.

Folder aux.dD has no sharing tab or security tab and gives
me an access denied error when I attempt to change any of
the attributes. It also has no icon, no name, and no type
on the general tab.

I cannot delete them, change attributes, or take ownership
of them using windows or the command prompt (except b,
which I can take ownership of).

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide.

mikey

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Mikey.

Perhaps the file/folder name is not what it appears onscreen. Also, they
use "reserved words" (com3, aux) in their names, which can give the OS fits.

A trick that often (but not always) works is to open a "DOS" window and then
use the old faithful "dir" command - with switches to reveal some hidden
secrets.

Dir /x will produce a directory listing with an additional column of SFNs
(Short File Names, also known as 8.3 filenames). An SFN is created for any
filename that does not conform to the MS-DOS naming convention. In addition
to the obviously "long" file name, this might be a name that includes spaces
or unprintable characters.

Then use the SFN to delete the file or remove the folder, using the del or
rd command. If you are VERY lucky, a single "rd SFN /s" will remove the
top-level folder and all its subfolders and files.

RC

 

[mikey]

Thanks for the suggestions, R.C. I am still having
trouble removing them. Below are some results of the dos
commands. Again, any help anyone can provide would be
appreciated.

C:\Temp>dir /x /s
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 108C-118D

Directory of C:\Temp

11/12/2003 01:25p <DIR> .
11/12/2003 01:25p <DIR> ..
11/12/2003 12:38p <DIR> b
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Temp\b

11/12/2003 12:38p <DIR> .
11/12/2003 12:38p <DIR> ..
11/11/2003 11:15p <DIR> com3
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Temp\b\com3

11/11/2003 11:15p <DIR> .
11/11/2003 11:15p <DIR> ..
11/12/2003 01:24p <DIR>
aux.dD
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Temp\b\com3\aux.dD

11/12/2003 01:24p <DIR> .
11/12/2003 01:24p <DIR> ..
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Total Files Listed:
0 File(s) 0 bytes
11 Dir(s) 6,039,310,336 bytes free

C:\Temp>rd b /s
b, Are you sure (Y/N)? y
b\com3\aux.dD - Access is denied.
b\com3 - The system cannot find the file specified.

 

[Overlord]

How about;
cd\temp
dir /a:s
or
dir /a:h

actually dir /a should cover it...

or you could do;

attrib

if it lists anything you could do;

attrib -a -s -h -r *.* /s

Thanks for the suggestions, R.C. I am still having
trouble removing them. Below are some results of the dos
commands. Again, any help anyone can provide would be
appreciated.

C:\Temp>dir /x /s
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 108C-118D

Directory of C:\Temp

11/12/2003 01:25p <DIR> .
11/12/2003 01:25p <DIR> ..
11/12/2003 12:38p <DIR> b
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Temp\b

11/12/2003 12:38p <DIR> .
11/12/2003 12:38p <DIR> ..
11/11/2003 11:15p <DIR> com3
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Temp\b\com3

11/11/2003 11:15p <DIR> .
11/11/2003 11:15p <DIR> ..
11/12/2003 01:24p <DIR>
aux.dD
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Directory of C:\Temp\b\com3\aux.dD

11/12/2003 01:24p <DIR> .
11/12/2003 01:24p <DIR> ..
0 File(s) 0 bytes

Total Files Listed:
0 File(s) 0 bytes
11 Dir(s) 6,039,310,336 bytes free

C:\Temp>rd b /s
b, Are you sure (Y/N)? y
b\com3\aux.dD - Access is denied.
b\com3 - The system cannot find the file specified.

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[mikey]

Thanks, Overlord, for your suggestions. I found this in a
response to a similar problem and it worked:

120716 How to Remove Files with Reserved Names in Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=120716

Thanks again for your help.