Problem: Files have become folders

[nik allday]

I had a small problem with my hard drive and all the files have been copied
to a new drive. Now I find some of the files have become folders. I cannot
copy them or delete them. I get a message "The directory name is invalid".

So now I have lost my data. These folders are stuck there and won't move.
How can I tell them they are files or at least delete them?

 

[nass]

I had a small problem with my hard drive and all the files have been copied
to a new drive. Now I find some of the files have become folders. I cannot
copy them or delete them. I get a message "The directory name is invalid".

So now I have lost my data. These folders are stuck there and won't move.
How can I tell them they are files or at least delete them?

Try to take the ownership of these files/folders then see if you can Open
them or delete them, also try in safe Mode!.
How to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

If you want to delete them try this tool:
http://www.ccleaner.com
Please read the help file to get the best out of this tool.
How do you copy these Files/Folders? and what the problem was with the old
HDD, you could be copying a corrupt Files/Folders or the whole directory?.
HTH.
nass

 

[nik allday]

Hi nass

Thanks for taking the time to reply in detail. I did try taking ownership
but that failed and it is not an access problem. These "folders" are
corrupt. They exist as a reference and somehow Windows decided that they
were folders when in fact they were corrupt files. Essentially the "content"
of these files does not have the correct arrangement for a folder. So when
Windows tries to access them it returns with error 267 which is "The
directory name is invalid." What I want to know from Micro$oft is how to
effectively access the reference, the file header perhaps, and to either
correct the definition to a file (an empty one perhaps) or anyway to delete
the things. Scandisk, ChkDsk ChkNTFS all have no result. These folders are
ther but their internal content is wrong. I think Micro$oft should be able
to help but they want to charge me $50+ for the privaledge.