Can't delete folders where PATH is too long

[Jeff T]

OS: Windows XP Pro

I have a client who somehow got a ba-zillion folders created and now
can't delete them. I've read the Q articles Q180410 and Q157069 but
two methods described don't work because at the end of this path is a
set of folders that *does* have data. So I guess it's like the old
deltree command where you couldn't delete a folder unless it was
empty.

It's alright that the data be deleted as it is backed up but does
anyone know how to delete the long path even though there is data in
some of the outlying folders?

These two techniques do not work:

~ share the folder, then map a drive and delete from the mapped drive
letter.

~use the subst command to create a virtual drive and delete from
Windows explorer all folders underneath.

In the first solution, the drive won't map as Windows can't access the
outlying folders beyond 255 characters.

In the second solution a drive letter *is* created but you can't
delete any folder as Windows reports there is inaccessible data.

Is there another solution for removing these folders and data?

thanks

Jeff

 

[Ken Wickes [MSFT]]

Did you try "rd /s"?