XP Home, SP2 how to remove backuped folders and files

[Robert J. Lafayette]

Last week I did a reformat my HDD and appropriately backed my C drive up, my
whole C drive,
to an external 250GB HDD, just in case. Did several backups-- again, just
in case.

The reformat and clean install of XP Home and SP2 went well, I installed my
software and things seem fine.


Now I wish to remove my backup files/ folder, from my 250Gb external HDD
which includes several folders that appear hidden:

msocache,
msdownld.tmp
system volume info
Recycler (some of these files are deleting, and one or two will not let me
delete them, one file is 3.2GB)

Problem is these folders are not deleting from my external HDD and a pop up
message is telling me I can not delete then as they are being used, which is
not the case.

Please advise the best way for me to access these folders to delete them.

I have changed attributes but some files and folders remain hidden and
disallow deleting.
Especially the one large file in Recycler that will not go away, that large
3.2GB file.

Please advise.

Thank you in advance,
Robert

 

[peter]

format the drive
peter

 

[Robert J. Lafayette]

Thank you,

I am using the F drive for filing my document and other information and have
no extra backup system at the moment.

Any other suggestions?

Found some help via Google and seems complicated.

Robert

 

[peter]

just one for future use
I use the same type of backup system but I have my personal files on a
seperate partition from my computer OS backups.That way I can "format" a
specific partition and delete .
I use Acronis True Image for back ups not that it matters.
peter

 

[Robert J. Lafayette]

Ahhh, yes, but I have not partitioned the external back up drive-- yet!

Might be worth investigating and then I can do as you suggest, which seems
easier than the Microsoft solution of going DOS.

It's not a major problem right now, and maybe I'll search out for a freeware
partitioning software.

I use xxcopy freeware for backups, works fine.

Robert

 

[Robert J. Lafayette]

HP advises that going into SAFE mode ought to do the trick,

Robert