Deleting a file

  • Thread starter Problem with formatting merged fields
  • Start date
P

Problem with formatting merged fields

I cannot delete a folder and a file because the name is to long.

I have tried safe mode and rm and del in dos with no success.

How can I delete it?
 
P

Pegasus [MVP]

"Problem with formatting merged fields"
I cannot delete a folder and a file because the name is to long.

I have tried safe mode and rm and del in dos with no success.

How can I delete it?

There are several methods. The simplest is to delete the parent folder of
the problem file, together will all other files it might contain. If you
wish to keep them then you could temporarily move them elsewhere.
 
T

Terry R.

The date and time was Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:09:01 AM, and on a whim,
Problem with formatting merged fields pounded out on the keyboard:
I cannot delete a folder and a file because the name is to long.

I have tried safe mode and rm and del in dos with no success.

How can I delete it?

In addition to the other responses, you can try this:

Open a Command Prompt (Start, Run, type cmd and click OK) and type the
partial command:
RD "\\?\
but do not press Enter.


Open an Explorer window. From the opened Explorer window grab the bad
folder and drag it to the Command Prompt and drop it at the end of the
incomplete command.

Complete it encapsulating it with a set of quotation marks at the end of
the command line. Make sure you *are* at the end of the line, in case
of trailing spaces. Then press enter. (If the folder name, when dropped,
brings a set of quotes with it, delete the one directly in front of the
drive letter and don't add another at the end, so that you only have one
complete set around the whole command, otherwise you will get a syntax
error.)


Terry R.
 
H

HeyBub

Terry said:
The date and time was Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:09:01 AM, and on a
whim, Problem with formatting merged fields pounded out on the
keyboard:

In addition to the other responses, you can try this:

Open a Command Prompt (Start, Run, type cmd and click OK) and type the
partial command:
RD "\\?\
but do not press Enter.


Open an Explorer window. From the opened Explorer window grab the bad
folder and drag it to the Command Prompt and drop it at the end of the
incomplete command.

Complete it encapsulating it with a set of quotation marks at the end
of the command line. Make sure you *are* at the end of the line, in
case of trailing spaces. Then press enter. (If the folder name, when
dropped, brings a set of quotes with it, delete the one directly in
front of the drive letter and don't add another at the end, so that
you only have one complete set around the whole command, otherwise
you will get a syntax error.)

That's clever.

I would have tried: DEL REALLY~1.TXT

or

REN "REALLY BIG FILE NAME CONTAINING WEASELS..... .TXT" JUNK.TXT
DEL JUNK.TXT
 
T

Terry R.

The date and time was Tuesday, June 23, 2009 1:50:18 PM, and on a whim,
HeyBub pounded out on the keyboard:
That's clever.

I would have tried: DEL REALLY~1.TXT

or

REN "REALLY BIG FILE NAME CONTAINING WEASELS..... .TXT" JUNK.TXT
DEL JUNK.TXT

Don't you think the obvious would have been tried first...

I guess you've never run into a file that can't be deleted. It's not
that easy, trust me.


Terry R.
 
S

Stubbo of Oz

The date and time was Tuesday, June 23, 2009 2:09:01 AM, and on a whim,
Problem with formatting merged fields pounded out on the keyboard:


In addition to the other responses, you can try this:

Open a Command Prompt (Start, Run, type cmd and click OK) and type the
partial command:
RD "\\?\
but do not press Enter.


Open an Explorer window. From the opened Explorer window grab the bad
folder and drag it to the Command Prompt and drop it at the end of the
incomplete command.
Snip ....................

Dragging like that does not work in Vista! :-(
 
J

ju.c

These are the best apps for file deletion, all free.

Unlocker 237 KB
Info: http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
Download: http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/unlocker1.8.7.exe

KillBox 90 KB
Info: http://www.killbox.net/
Download: http://www.killbox.net/downloads/KillBox.exe

FileASSASSIN 163 KB
Info: http://www.malwarebytes.org/fileassassin.php
Download: http://www.malwarebytes.org/fa-setup.exe

DelinvFile 603 KB
Info: http://www.purgeie.com/delinv/index.htm
Download: http://www.purgeie.com/dl/divfinst.exe


This is a trick to delete an undeletable file by restoring a
file over it with a file created with the same name using a
drive imaging program.

Instructions:

1. Create a text file and write in it some letters, anything.

2. Save that file in your root drive (C: for example) with the
same exact name and extension as the file you want to delete.

3. Now make a backup your new file (I used Acronis True Image).

4. Open your backup program and restore the file you created to
the folder where the undeletable file is, overwriting it.

4. Now you can delete it!

5. Run chkdsk.


ju.c
 
H

HeyBub

Terry said:
The date and time was Tuesday, June 23, 2009 1:50:18 PM, and on a
whim, HeyBub pounded out on the keyboard:


Don't you think the obvious would have been tried first...

Er, no. What's obvious to you and (maybe me) is gibberish to others.
I guess you've never run into a file that can't be deleted.

Frankly, I don't think I have.
It's not
that easy, trust me.

Did you try the obvious things?
 

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