Folder stuck in recycle bin

J

Jackson

I made a practice run with WinZip. During the unzipping of a zipped
file I chose the option to make a new directory (vocaberse) and put
the extracted files in this directory.

Now I can't get rid of the directory. It could not be deleted, renamed
or moved!

I opened command.com and laborously navigated to the directory and
used a DOS command to delete it. It disappeared from my desktop and
surfaced in my recycle bin. When I try to empty the recycle bin I get
the message: Cannot remove folder vocaberse : Cannot find the
specified file. Make sure you specify the correct path and file name.

Is there some way to dispose of this beast?

Thanks
 
J

Jackson

Thanks Rich, but I can't connect to that page; it must have been taken
down. Is there another address?

Thanks...Jack
 
J

Jackson

Try again. It's there.

Okay, this time thw site showed. It must have been down temporarly.
However, so far at least, Ffunlock has not been able to find the
frozen folder.

Let me explain what happened (as I remember it). I have XP (MCE) on a
64 bit, dual Dell Dimension C521.

I needed to unzip a file so I downloaded WinZip and used it to unzip
the file. In the process WinZip asked me to create a new folder to
hold the decompressed files. I named the new folder "VOCABERSE" for
no particular reason. The folder VOCABERSE was created as a
subdirectory to the folder I was in. That folder was "DOWNLOAD".

Here my memory is a tiny bit fuzzy.

I soon came to realize that VOCABERSE was different. When I put the
unzipped files in their permanent location I tried to delete VOCABERSE
but it could not be deleted (nor renamed, nor moved). I had other
stuff in DOWNLOAD that I did not want to lose so I created a new
folder named DOWNLOADS (with an S so as not to duplicate DOWNLOAD) I
moved all my stuff over to DOWNLOADS and tried to delete the DOWNLOAD
which held VOCABERSE. I couldn't delete it.

I tried in safemode: no luck. Then I had an inspiration: Using
COMMAND I navigated thru the DOS window (if that's what it's called)
until I found the offending DOWNLOAD with subdirectory VOCABERSE.

Here I think I typed "Del DOWNLOAD". Maybe I should have used RD, but
I wasn't sure if I was in DOS or what. Anyway the named directories
disappeared and I thought I had done a great job of solving the
problem.

But the next time I tried to empty the recycle bin in Windows the
directory DOWNLOAD showed up and refused to go away. I got an error
message that Windows could not find VOCABERSE.

Neither can Ffunlock find VOCABERSE. Neither can the Windows search
function find it. It evidently exists only in the recycle bin hiding
in the untouchable directory DOWNLOAD.

I used system restore to go back four days, but no luck! DOWNLOAD was
still there, so I reversed the restore action and that's where I am
now.

Is there some way to get rid of the recycle bin? I have heard of
people losing their recycle bin and wanting to know how to get it
back. Maybe if I could get rid of it and have Windows bring it back
it would return empty.

Actually, I can live with DOWNLOAD in the recycle bin if I have to.
It's just an irritant, nothing critical. Other stuff in the bin goes
away when I empty it.

I have uninstalled WinZip. I found EasyZip which is simpler to use
and is free. You have to pay for WZ after a period.

I am sorry this post is so long. I didn't want to leave anything out
that might give a clue.

Thanks for your patience.

Jack
 
N

Nightowl

Hello Jack

There is a hidden file in the Recycler folder which keeps track of
original file names and locations, etc. Sometimes it can get confused or
corrupted and shows something as still being in the Recycle Bin when it
really isn't. This might be what has happened to you.

I'd suggest deleting your bin to see if this clears the problem (Windows
will recreate it for you on the next reboot). The easiest way to do this
is:

[1] Open a Command window and shut down any other running programs.
Ctrl-Alt-Del to open the Task Manager.

[2] In Task Manager look on the Processes tab and select Explorer.exe,
Click on the End Process button. (Your desktop and taskbar will
disappear and you'll be left with just Task Manager and the Command
window. Don't panic! :) Leave Task Manager open and return to the
Command window.

[3] Now at the prompt type:
rd /s /q C:\Recycler <enter>
type: exit <enter> to close the Command window.

[4] Go back to Task Manager and on the Applications tab click the button
for New Task. In the box that pops up type: Explorer <OK>. Your desktop
should return to normal. Close Task Manager and reboot.

[5] When you return to Windows don't worry if the bin icon still shows
full. Put a test file in the bin and then right-click to empty it.
Hopefully now it should all be working.

Good luck! Do please let us know how you get on.
 
J

Jackson

Hello Jack

There is a hidden file in the Recycler folder which keeps track of
original file names and locations, etc. Sometimes it can get confused or
corrupted and shows something as still being in the Recycle Bin when it
really isn't. This might be what has happened to you.

I'd suggest deleting your bin to see if this clears the problem (Windows
will recreate it for you on the next reboot). The easiest way to do this
is:
//Clipped out instructions to save space. I'd like to say that those
instructions are probably the clearest instructions I have seen. I
wish MS would hire you to write their stuff.//
Good luck! Do please let us know how you get on.


Okay Nightowl, here is the rest of the story. Unless somebody is
interested enough to beat this beast some more this will be my last
post.

Before I received your instructions on dumping and bringing back the
recycle bin I stumbled on something else. Altho I had no luck in
moving the dug-in directory that had holed up in the recycle bin in
earlier attempts, I tried to cut and paste to the desktop. It moved!
It vacated the recycle bin and plastered itself onto the desktop. By
trying to drag and drop again, I got it to go into the Unused Desktop
Shortcuts that Windows had automatically created for me some time
earlier. I can tolerate it there because my recycle bin is now free.

I did want to try your instructions tho, so I decided to move it back
into the recycle bin, dump the recycle bin and let Windows create a
new (and hopefully) empty recycle bin.

I can not move the damn thing back into the recycle bin! I can cut
and paste it only to the desktop and from the desktop the only place I
seem to be able to move it to is the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder.
And that's where it is now. I think I'd better just leave it there.

Thanks for sending me those clear instructions. I am going to keep
them in case something gets stuck in the recycle bin again.

Jack
 
N

Nightowl

Jackson said:
//Clipped out instructions to save space. I'd like to say that those
instructions are probably the clearest instructions I have seen. I
wish MS would hire you to write their stuff.//

Why thank you, Jack, what a nice thing to say and much appreciated. I'm
only sorry you didn't get the chance to try it out and see whether the
instructions really were clear :)

I can not move the damn thing back into the recycle bin! I can cut
and paste it only to the desktop and from the desktop the only place I
seem to be able to move it to is the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder.
And that's where it is now. I think I'd better just leave it there.

Well, it seems it's not doing any harm there, at least. But there are a
couple more easy things you could try -- don't give up just yet! I have
an idea that there may be something odd in the name that is causing
Windows not to find it; perhaps an embedded space, a zero rather than an
O or similar. Here are two ways of getting around that, easiest first:

[1] Open a Command window and navigate to the parent folder (your Unused
Desktop Shortcuts folder at the moment, I think) of the offending
Vocaberse. At the prompt type:

dir /x

You should see two sets of names; one is the full file/folder name and
the other the short name, usually the first six letters of the name
followed by a ~ and a number. Yours might be VOCABE~1, for example. Try
removing it using this short name, e.g.

RD VOCABE~1 <enter>

If that doesn't work, try this:

[2] In Explorer navigate to the parent folder of the undeletable folder.
Leave the Explorer window open.

Open a Command Prompt and type the partial command:

RD "\\?\ (notice the quote mark in front of the slashes) but don't press
Enter yet. . .

In the open 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 by adding a quote mark at the end of the command. Make sure
you *are* at the end of the line, in case there is a trailing space in
the name. Then press Enter.

NB: If, when you drop the folder name on the Command line, it appears
with quotes around it, delete the first 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.

Good luck, happy New Year (I'm already 3 hours into 2008!) and thanks
again for the kind words.
 
J

Jackson

Well, it seems it's not doing any harm there, at least. But there are a
couple more easy things you could try -- don't give up just yet! I have
an idea that there may be something odd in the name that is causing
Windows not to find it; perhaps an embedded space, a zero rather than an
O or similar. Here are two ways of getting around that, easiest first:
[1] Open a Command window and navigate to the... //

Nightowl, that was fantastic. I had to do the procedure twice, once
go get rid of VOCABERSE and again to get rid of it's parent DOWNLOAD,
BUT they are gone, gone, gone. You're a genius!

I gingerly opened the recycle bin, fearing I would again find the
dreaded DOWNLOAD had surfaced again, but no. It's really gone.

Thanks gobs...

Jack
 
N

Nightowl

Jackson said:
Nightowl, that was fantastic. I had to do the procedure twice, once
go get rid of VOCABERSE and again to get rid of it's parent DOWNLOAD,
BUT they are gone, gone, gone. You're a genius!

I gingerly opened the recycle bin, fearing I would again find the
dreaded DOWNLOAD had surfaced again, but no. It's really gone.

Thanks gobs...

Hurrah, well done, Jack! And you're very welcome :) Just out of
interest, which way worked for you finally -- the "rd short-name" or the
drag-and-drop to the Command line?
 
J

Jackson

/../
Hurrah, well done, Jack! And you're very welcome :) Just out of
interest, which way worked for you finally -- the "rd short-name" or the
drag-and-drop to the Command line?

The first one, the easy one. :>)
Since the first one worked, I didn't have to try the second one.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Similar Threads


Top