by Eric Bright
Updated on February 12, 2019
Objective: removing an apparently irremovable file or folder.
Affected OS: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, and newer versions
Symptoms:
You have a FOLDER on your desktop with a FILE in it, which you cannot delete.
You’re given this message:
“Cannot read from the source file or disk.”
Possible “solutions” that might not work:
- You tried to find how to delete it; you googled it, read all newsgroups, posts in some professional forums, asked your friends, downloaded
IObit Unlocker (and an article about it), EMCO MoveOnBoot, LockHunter, CopyLock, KillBox, Delete Doctor, Deleting Invalid Data Files [see the end of this page for more information on this program; this program is more than what you may guess], DeleteFXPFiles, and Unlocker (it has an x64 version too and a Win7-x64 works only with the x64 version of Unlocker), installed, and performed what they suggested; and finally frustrated by failure. - You downloaded Process Explorer and examined every single process running in memory to find a sign of a program that may be using _something_ in that folder. You closed all programs, every resident applications, and all running processes that can be closed. You also closed even some of Windows process and stopped as many services as possible; no sign of any file handle to anything related to that folder… result: negative.
- You have uninstalled many programs that you suspect they may cause the problem;… negative.
- You booted up in Safe Mode, tried to EndTask explorer.exe while doing some hacks in cmd prompt like deleting the folder and…
- You read “How to Delete a Locked Files,” “How to delete a file when…,” and “How to delete locked files on Windows 10” article;… negative.
- You tried to do “Open with…” then created a file with the same name, saved over the existing one… with no luck.
- You have no Spyware, no virus and nothing suspicious at all.
- You did chkdsk c: /f, RegSeeker, NortonDiskDoctor, Regedit (see also this), and lots of command line instructions that you read in forums;… negative (in regedit, you cannot even see any entry with the same name as that stupid file in your Windows registry.) (more about chkdsk.)
- You have tried ShellExtensionsView (or its LiberKey portable version) to disable the suspected PGP context-menu plug-in, which sometimes causes some problems; … negative.
- In the end, before installing a fresh damn Windows, why don’t you try this one:
Last resort:
At a cmd prompt type the following:
Example:
[on Windows XP]
C:\Documents and Settings[your log-in name]\Desktop\>RD /S /Q foldername
[on Windows 7]
C:\Users[your log-in name]\Desktop\>RD /S /Q foldername
Another example: assume I have such a bad folder on my desktop; its name is StupidFolder, and there is a file inside it, named BS. with a zero length and no other retrievable properties, or perhaps it has a creation date; assume that my log-in name is eric and we are on a Win 10 system. Now:
- Run -> cmd.exe
- cd c:\Users\eric\Desktop\
- rd /s /q stupidfolder
Caution:
Be very careful with what you are doing, otherwise, you may lose everything on your desktop. The path of the command must be correct. Please double-check the spelling before pressing the [Enter] button. If you are not sure about what is going to happen or if you don’t know whether the path of the StupidFolder is correct, DO NOT DO WHAT I SAID. If you lose your valuable data, nobody, including me, would be responsible, but you yourself.
A little background about RD command
It goes back to the era of MS-DOS (see also Basic DOS commands on Sophos). At that time, let say DOS 6.3, you could MakeDirectory(s) with this command:
c:\>md my-letters
It was also easy to RemoveDirectory(s) with the following command:
c:\>rd my-letters
However, the directory that you had attempted to remove had to be “empty,” otherwise, you could not remove it. You also “could not delete” a directory with the following command:
c:\>del my-letters
because the delete command could work only on “files” not “folders.” Then, when your folder was not empty, you first had to go inside that folder, delete everything, come out of the folder, and finally remove it. Still, if there were “many” folders inside one another residing in the main folder that you wanted to remove, you had faced a nightmare.
Luckily, there was a solution to that: deltree. It was not a native command of command.com (command.com was a kind of the kernel of the operating system). It was an external file that you could obtain from elsewhere and use it for that purpose. Then your computer could automatically go to the deepest directory, delete everything in it by this command:
[drive:]\path>del .
(without asking permission from the user except once at the start time) and remove every directory that may be there by an rd command, come up by one sub-directory and repeat these steps again up to the first directory.
When Windows came to the scene, things got changed; directories turned to folders, and rd (remove directory) and del (delete or erase) and deltree merged down to one command: delete. Therefore, you became able to delete a directory, read a “folder” now, regardless of if it has any sub-directory(s) or files inside, and there was no difference between a folder and a file for the purpose of deleting anymore; you could delete a folder as well as a file, a task that was two different tasks in MS-DOS time.
Since the emergence of Win 2000, the external command of deltree went inside the RemoveDirectory command as its switch or parameter, named /s. Then we have had this command:
rd /s [drive:]path
that does this:
deltree [drive:]path
It “removes all directories and files in the specified directory in addition to the directory itself. Used to remove a directory tree,” its help says.
Notice:
- RD and RMDIR are identical commands
- You can also use it this way if you don’t like working directly with cmd.exe:
Start, Run…
cmd /C RD /S /Q C:\Users\eric\Desktop\StupidFile
but, replace the username and StupidFile with your own stuff. So the general command would be:
cmd /c rd /s /q [drive:]path
- Generally speaking, no file in the destination path must be currently in use, which means if the path is not empty, no program must be using any file(s) from inside of it. That is why we say, ‘close all applications; even go to task manager and close every program that you can (not the windows itself)’
- If you considered the above-mentioned item, it would be much better to even End Process Tree of explorer.exe from your Task Manager; while in Task Manager, go to the tab that is called “Processes, then right-click on explorer.exe, then choose End Process Tree. Doing this, you make sure that at least there is no open file handle from explorer.exe to anything inside the StupidFile. When you finished, you can bring your explorer (and your desktop) back by ‘File -> New Task (Run)… -> explorer (and [Enter], of course!)
Received comments – Adaptations, Hints, and Tricks
I received great comments full of love. I also love you all, my friends. In some of the received e-mails, I got some variations of the rd method that I would be honoured to share with you.
An adaptation by Uhl Albert:
I had tried a bunch of solutions from your page (and elsewhere) but none of them worked. This is what finally did it for me:
1. Log into Windows as another user [must be a user with all administrative privilege]
2. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to: c:\Users\UserName <–user name with the bad files
3. Go to Tools Folder Options and click the View tab. Make sure all settings that hide files are turned off. You want to make sure all files are visible before the next step
4. Move all the files in the Desktop folder to another location (well all except the problem files. If those could be moved you wouldn’t be in this predicament!)
5. Open a command prompt and navigate to the above location
6. Enter this command which deletes the Desktop folder and its contents: RD /S Desktop
7. Create a new Desktop folder
8. Move everything back
9. Log off, then log in again
My complementary notes on the adaptation:
When you are using this method, you should have Administration privilege. Otherwise, you would never be allowed to delete the actual Desktop folder of any user in any circumstance.
The problem of more-than-8-charts-long names: Noticed by Nicolas Huguenin
… the folder I wanted to delete had a very long name (two times wrapped in the CMD) so I wasn’t able to delete it with its long name using the rd command. But using first a dir /x to get the 8-chars name of the folder, I could finally remove it with the rd /s/q.
You may want to add that trick to your otherwise great tutorial, as many of the “young” users might not even know that one day (not so far ago) all names were 8-chars max ;)
My complementary notes on the trick: What does dir /x mean?
Well, it is a wise move. Because there are always some instances of horribly-long file-names with lots of symbols and spaces in them. This would make applying rd impossible for folders with space in their names. This makes applying many other MD-DOS commands impossible too.
Example:
- I created a folder on my desktop called ‘Stupid Test’. Note that there is a space between Stupid and Test
- Now I want to remove this folder with rd command. Then I write:
C:...\Desktop>rd Stupid Test
And I receive the following messages (one message, two times):
The system cannot find the file specified.
The system cannot find the file specified.
What is the problem? The ‘Stupid Test’ folder is there. Then why the rd command cannot find it? The problem is that the rd command interpreter, like many other MS-DOS commands, cannot understand the space in the name of a file or a folder. It looks for a folder with the name of ‘Stupid’ and a folder with the name of ‘Test’, but does not look for a folder with the name of ‘Stupid Test’. Then it says, ‘the system cannot find the file specified’ two times, once for each part of the name. This behaviour is ridiculous, isn’t it?! Yes, it is, I believe, and so did guys in Microsoft.
Years ago, names of folders couldn’t be longer than 8 characters, because of some profound restrictions in the available ‘file management’ system, and names also couldn’t bear any space in them. They also used to be started with a letter, not a number. We also couldn’t have some symbols in the name of a file or a folder. It sounds awfully restrictive. Then Microsoft changed everything and removed this absurd limitation in its later operating systems, i.e. in its file management system.
However, for the sake of some backward compatibilities, Microsoft decided not to set MD-DOS commands totally apart. So, This problem is inherited from MS-DOS to its descendants. Today, still some of the MS-DOS commands in Windows family face the same difficulty that their predecessor had faced. They cannot understand longer than 8-charts names, nor can they understand folder names containing any space.
What is the solution?
Microsoft guys have provided us with a tool to tackle such a complication. The solution is using dir /x.
The purpose of using dir /x is to create 8-charts long MS-DOS compatible file and folder names that are placed in the current folder. If the desktop is your current folder in DOS prompt, then it means dir /x gives 8-charts long names of all files and folders in your Desktop. Then we can use their 8-charts equivalents with all spaces eliminated and long names shortened up to 8 characters. For instance, a name like:
‘Test 123456789’
would be contracted to: ‘TEST12~1’, or a name like: ‘123456789 123456789 123456789’ would be contracted to :
‘123456~1’. By doing this, we have 8-charts long names without space in them that can be understood by many MD-DOS commands in Windows family, let say in Win XP.
Now, let’s go back to our ‘Stupid Test’. Assume you are in your Desktop (that means your current folder is C:…\Desktop):
C:...\Desktop>
- To see what exactly dir /x does, type ‘dir’. You’ll see a list of the names of all files and folders on your desktop, and you’ll see our ‘Stupid Test’ folder there as well
- Now, type: C:\...\Desktop>dir /x. You’ll see, again, a list of the names of all files and folders on your desktop, but all longer-than-8-charts names are also given their 8-charts long equivalents this time. So you’ll see that our ‘Stupid Test’ folder has the 8-charts name of ‘STUPID~1’
- Again, try the rd command, but this time give the contracted name:
C:...\Desktop>rd stupid~1
(the command is not case-sensitive!)
Voila!
Gratefully, you can get a software named Delinv File. It is also created to delete non-deletable files and folders that show the same symptoms. The author of this program appears to have the longer-than-8-charts-in-name problem in mind. However, you are advised to be careful when you are using this program, and any other program with the same forceful functions, since you may mistakenly delete a wrong file or folder (your whole Desktop, for example). In many cases, once a higher order change is finalized, it would be almost irreversible (at least for novice computer users).
I got an e-mail from the creator of Delinv File, Jim Lawler, in which he explains how the problem with accidental deletion of stuff is partially dealt with in the latest version of the software. Jim has added still another level of confirmation when a folder is selected to make it even harder for one to accidentally delete things. Though the software recently got commercialized, the good news is that the commercial version still contains perfectly-working functions of the original non-commercial version for free. That is really kind of Jim; thank you Jim!
My special thanks go to Uhl Albert and Nicolas Huguenin for sharing their experiences with you and I. I am also thankful for Jim Lawler’s informative e-mail (he is the programmer of Delinv File). He informed me of the latest changes in his useful software, and he gave me some feedback on this writing too.
(last update – February 12, 2019. Changelog: updated broken links.)
(16th update – July 07, 2018. Changelog: updated broken links, corrected typos, I know. Typos never die. ?)
(15th update – January 30, 2018. Changelog: updated broken links, updated for Windows 10, several formatting and typographical improvements)
(14th update – November 11, 2014. Changelog: corrected typos and mechanical errors)
(13th update – March 11, 2014)
(12th update – June 07, 2012. Changelog: updated the external links; added new links; added new applications; minor error corrections; minor extra clarifications; minor textual adjustments)
(11th update – August 25, 2011)
(10th update – January 02, 2010)
(9th update – March 26, 2009)
(8th update – January 23, 2009)
(7th update – October 22, 2008)
(6th update – August 19, 2008)
(5th update – March 26, 2007)
(4th update – March 07, 2007)
(3rd update – December 21, 2006)
(2nd update – February 20, 2006)
(1st update – November 02, 2005)
Hi, I followed both of these steps:
For problems with files :
del /P /F /A *.* (It will ask you for every file if you want to delete it)
Follders with corrupts files :
rd /s /q Folder_name (No question…. just delete it)
But after I tried the rd /s /q Steve Vai, CMD prompt said “the system could not find the file specified”. I then used the DIR cmd, and sure enough, the folder is still there? Anyone have an ideas?
Also, when I try a simple Del Steve Vai, I get the following error “The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error”
Thanks!
The Delinv File program worked for me, even after the short file name DOS-like methods failed. Thanks to you and Jim Lawler!
Thanks a lot man! Seeing the dos command ‘rd’ work, where all those Windows applications (and Windows itself) fail…that’s kinda pathetic…
Thanks a bunch!!! I’ve been trying to get rid of some “stupid” files on my Desktop for a couple of years. Your solution worked like a charm!
-Nathan
Thank YOU !!!!!
the DEL /P /F /A *.*
works like a charm!!!!
THANK YOU Everett Williams, Eric Bright and all that have contributed to this great post. SO MANY people are looking for this solution. I’ve been looking for a solution for weeks and was going to reformat my pc tomorrow just because of the ‘stupid file’. Just like most of you, I tried EVERYTHING and found the answer here. Good thing I don’t have to back up 200GB of files and reinstall LOTS of softwares from scratch. Once again, THANK YOU. Really really REALLY appreciate it. Honest, I was sceptical that it will work because I really have tried almost everything. Registry editing, lots and lots of softwares (most are mentioned above by Eric lol), safe mode, tweaks etc. I’m SO glad I don’t have to go through all that again!
Just to share, the stupid file was on my desktop. What I did was I ran CMD and go to Desktop. Then I typed DEL /P /F /A *.*
Pressed Y to delete the stupid file and now it’s gone! Finally! :-)
(It will ask before deleting the files. Just click Y for the troubled file and N for the rest).
I will recommend this page to people that are having the same prolem (I still have LOTS of shortcuts to websites and forums regarding this problem. Weeks of collecting info lol). Again, THANK YOU! :-)
Everett Williams THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are great!!!!!!!!!
thanks a million!!!!!!
3 howers trying to del these 2 f***ing files !!!
ur so gr8!!!
AGM65e
The unlocker tool was amazing, didnt unlock, but was able to delete it in two clicks, thanks so much, this pages saves me a lot of trouble
No problem!
Awesome! I had an empty folder in my start menu that wouldn’t go away and I had tried all the other possibilities before I found this. Thanks for the excellent breakdown of how the commands work.
I tried everything here. I even booted in safe-mode and booted with Linux without any luck. What finally worked was to create a folder in the root C: and move the file there. I finally could delete that folder.
I think I had to share this for helping someone, for all the good sugestions you gave us.
Hi,
I had some ?????p?????? files which I couldn’t delete for a long time.
thanks for your RD /S /Q command which did delete the parent directory.
you are brilliant!
cheers,
jim
YES! thank you for posting. Delinv File saved me!!!
Still there is problem with the names. Some characters are not valid. In the first file name, all characters are invalid except for ( 8 ‘ 2 . ). In the second file name, all characters are invalid except for ( Ç û ¡ ).
Unlocker, available from http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/ for free, can deal with invalid names too. This program has an excellent performance and it also can schedule for a deletion or a move at reboot time. If this program could not remove the folder in question, then please, do the chkdsk c: /f command and let us know of the results ( more info. on chkdsk at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chkdsk )
If you want me to know exactly what you see in dir /x, then do the following:
C:\a\temp>dir /x /s >a.txt
Then upload the produced file, a.txt, now in temp folder, to http://www.mediafire.com/ and post the link to the file in here for me to look it up.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the reply, I am at work right now. Once I am back home I will try chkdsk, though I apprehensive about the outcome.
BTW I had already seen the file names with dir /x ; the filenames are same.
If you look at the messages in my previous post, the OS complains
————
C:\a\temp\?≡♥?8╞’2.♠♠♠, Delete (Y/N)? y
C:\a\temp\?≡♥?8╞’2.â™ â™ â™
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
C:\a\temp\♀╚Ç♀û¡♦, Delete (Y/N)? y
C:\a\temp\♀╚Ç♀û¡♦
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
———–
that is I am trying to delete the file from the temp folder itself and it gives this message, I don’t think it is length issue with the folder. It has to do something with character set used in the file name IMO.
BTW I am able to move the folder containing the files from one location to other in the same disk partition. like from desktop to c:\ or my documents etc.
—
Ck
Dear rado, you are very welcome. You have done a wise decision to hide the icon while still using the software. That a neat compromise.
Now, let us go to Ck’s problem.
Please, try the following and let me know of the results:
1- While in
C:\a>
execute this:
C:\a>dir /x
and note any name in the list with a tilde symbol in its name, like temp~1 or anything similar to that.
2- if you found such thing, make sure that it is the shortened name of THE folder you want to delete, not another folder with a similar name. Then do the following:
C:\a>rd temp~1 /s /q
but if you have fail doing (1) and (2), then you might have to do the following instead:
3- Start -> Run -> chkdsk c: /f
4- When the dos prompt is popped up, accept what it asks you (say yes to its questions)
5- You will be informed that since C: cannot be unmounted, you have to restart the system for the CheckDisk process to take place before Windows mount drive C:, thus restart and wait for the CheckDisk to complete
6- repeat steps (1) and (2)
Then let me know if you could get rid of that folder.
Ok tried most of the methods mentioned here. It does not help
Before doing anything I killed all unnecessary process.
— log —
C:\a\temp>dir /x/a
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is D8FD-3C40
Directory of C:\a\temp
06/24/2088 02:04 AM 2,185,756,675 ?≡♥?8â•ž’2.â™ â™ â™
07/04/2074 11:43 PM 255 ♀╚Ç♀û¡♦
2 File(s) 2,185,756,930 bytes
0 Dir(s) 885,137,408 bytes free
C:\a\temp>del /P /F /A *.*
C:\a\temp\?≡♥?8â•ž’2.â™ â™ â™ , Delete (Y/N)? y
C:\a\temp\?≡♥?8â•ž’2.â™ â™ â™
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
C:\a\temp\♀╚Ç♀û¡♦, Delete (Y/N)? y
C:\a\temp\♀╚Ç♀û¡♦
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
C:\a\temp>cd ..
C:\a>rd /s /q temp
temp\?≡♥?8â•ž’2.â™ â™ â™ – The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is inco
rrect.
temp\♀╚Ç♀û¡♦ – The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect
.
The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
C:\a>rd /s /q temp
temp\?≡♥?8â•ž’2.â™ â™ â™ – The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is inco
rrect.
temp\♀╚Ç♀û¡♦ – The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect
.
The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
C:\a>rd /s /q temp
temp\?≡♥?8â•ž’2.â™ â™ â™ – The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is inco
rrect.
temp\♀╚Ç♀û¡♦ – The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect
.
The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
C:\a>
Any comments?
Thanks
Ck
Hello Eric
First of all let me tell you that i am amazed of the so much patience and willingness u have, looking w/me into those interesting(for me) issues, not only trying to solve the problems but also expressing your ideas and thoughts.
I am thankful for that and appreciate it.!
Although i use the computer quite a lot for my practical work using mainly office -excel and word, I myself am not an IT nor a professional computer expert or so. As a hobby I surf a lot and use many different and all kinds of programs just for curiosity sake, but i presume that unlike most the users who d/l music or movies or videos etc., i rather prefer to d/l programs and surf in sites which deal in better understanding the computer and handling it. whenever i tackle a problem or crossing something which reflects a kind of inconvenience and solve them, i feel satisfied.
i wrote this to explain my approach to the problems we tackled.
I absolutely agree with every word you wrote and with your general approach of “being free” and do everything in order not to be stuck with programs and/or companies which “enslave” u or causing u to be totally dependent upon their products.
I understand that in that particular case the Sony icon is not a malware in the sense that is not a spyware or adware but rather a (bad) part of a programmer putting icon deliberately on my desktop by that giant conglomarate. I also used the program called Total Uninstall which records changes in the system as well as in the registry and it showed me the huge number of keys which were planted in my registry.
Now as a conclusion, i think that i will leave that icon on my desk, hide it, and disregard it until i use the program which is not so often. I am not going to bother myself and to mess around with it no more, and this is for practical reasons.
As for your wise advices concerning the sandbox and the Open Document i will definitely look into it and see if it is not too complicated for me to learn it and use it (mainly the latter as it is probably not only different program but also total different concept)
i want to thank you again.
Thank you very much for your time and effort you put to compile such detail description of the situation. I highly appreciate your attention.
As for the behaviour of this Sony’s product, I am afraid to say that this is not the first time that Sony implemented such outrageous architecture in its products. We have not forgotten the Sony Rootkit case yet ( visit this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit ). Your clear description shows that the program refuses to perform its normal tasks if its icon is removed from desktop. The fact that there is such icon assignment in Windows Registry, which is absolutely unnecessary for any program for any reason, shows that the program is “designed†to refuse working if its icon is systematically removed from desktop, otherwise, no programmer need a registry key for its program’s icon to reside in Windows registry. This aggressive policy is very similar to malware, greyware, adware, and many other malicious programs that are designed to stick to the system such that no one who is not a computer expert can easily remove them from the infected computer. A typical badware does some or all of the following acts:
– It installs programs, icons, modules, and system registry keys without the user’s knowledge and consent in such a way that they cannot be easily traced or removed by the user
– It irreversibly changes values in the system in ways that affects other programs without user’s knowledge and consent
– It refuses to uninstall properly
– When it is uninstalled, it has lots of leftovers that neither can be found and removed by any third-party software, nor can they be found and removed manually
– It communicates with servers of unknown validity via the Internet of which the user has no knowledge, all without getting any approval
– It leaves out no opt-out option for the above-mentioned activities to the user at any time
These are all obviously bad behaviours. But they are very common amongst thousands, if not millions, of programs. Some of them happen only because of a bad programming practice and not an ill intention, and then they get corrected in later versions of the program if the faults are pointed out to the programmer of the product. However, many of the bad behaviours cannot happen but deliberately. What this Sony product does, as you appropriately described, is a deliberate irritating action: monitoring a registry key before initiating the program for the presence of its icon on your desktop, and forces the user to have the icons on his or her desktop or else it stops working. It also won’t let you put its desktop icon(s) in any other place than desktop purposefully. Malicious!
When I come to work with malicious programs like this, I do one of the followings:
– I see if I can remove the program all together and use an alternative. If it is absolutely impossible I try one of the followings:
– I try to install them inside a Sandboxie isolated environment, which is a program that makes every action related to a program insulated. So, all changes can be absolutely reversible and no systemic change to the crucial Windows’ files and environment is possible by the malicious programs
– If that did not work, I try to install the program inside a virtual machine like Microsoft Virtual PC or many other excellent freeware or open-source alternatives
Indeed, my approach is as if I am dealing with a virus, so I take all security measures before executing a badware. In many cases, 8 out of 10, the Sandboxie trick works fine. You can download this amazing invention from http://www.sandboxie.com/ for free.
If none of the tricks worked, then I first make a System Restore Check point. Next, I install the program under the direct observation of a powerful Uninstaller monitor that watches all registry changes, file additions and deletions, and anything else related to the badware’s installation process. Later, I probably would be able to reverse most of the changes that the badware caused (if not all of them). Still many bad things may happen
– Uninstallers, even the best of them, are horribly unreliable
– The badware(s) may later do unwanted changes unrelated to their installation. A programmer that deliberately writes bad codes is not reliable in any way; s/he may have implemented any number of other unwanted codes in her or his software that are not revealed right away
– The program may cause a severe system crash in such a way that one may not be able to use any of the System Restore’s or Uninstaller’s features, and one may have to reinstall Windows from scratch. Something like this has happened to me more than once with System Mechanic. For some reason, each time that I installed System Mechanic and made *any* change to my system, I ended up with a windows reinstallation and a total loss of information
All these things been said, the best practice is to abandon the aggressive program and switch to other programs without all the hassles. This is what I do. I sometime sacrifice my comfort now for my freedom in future. Examples, I did not buy iPod, Zen or other similar programs and I still use simple MP3 players (surely not a Sony one), because they require me to *only* use *their* products and software to put *my* songs on *my* device. I disagree with this practice. Another example: I always use Open Document Format for my documents, because it makes me free to open them with *all* other reputable word processors (save your document as .cwk, which is an Apple Works document format, and you will be stuck with Apple Works for the rest of your life unless you save it as other, more sensible, formats and set yourself free again). This is a personal preference. Freedom is everything for me, so generally I avoid things that try to limit my freedom. Sony is one of those *things*!
Hello Eric
well, the bad news are that i could not delete that icon but the good news are that this icon is essential for the program and maybe it is the program itself (or so i assume) and therefore it is not a “weired icon” as i believed.(referring to” Sony Erickson File Manager”)
let me describe what i found out and i am eager to know your opinion about .
the program i installed is “Sony Erickson PC suite” which contain some modules including ” Sony Erickson File Manager” among others, which can be run when you open the suite. there is only one shortcut implemented in the start menu by which u open the suite and through it u run the models.
there are tens and tens of registry keys and sub-keys which make it an impossible mission to make any changes in the suite. Also u can run the “Sony ….Mgr” straight from the desktop upon opening the “weired” icon.
however there are only 6 keys connecting to the “Sony Erickson File Manager” as follows:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{A5110426-177D-4e08-AB3F-785F10B4439C}
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{A5110426-177D-4E08-AB3F-785F10B4439C}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\
{A5110426-177D-4e08-AB3F-785F10B4439C}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\
{A5110426-177D-4e08-AB3F-785F10B4439C}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Approved\{A5110426-177D-4e08-AB3F-785F10B4439C}
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-842925246-688789844-839522115-1003\
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\
{A5110426-177D-4E08-AB3F-785F10B4439C}
i deleted only one (with the…. “namespace”) but although it was indeed deleted from the desktop it caused that program to stop working, so when i open it through the suite i get an error massage saying ” the path ‘ {A5110426-177D-4e08-AB3F-785F10B4439C}’does not exist or is not a directory”.
so i returned the deleted key and the icon resided beck on the desktop and i could open it as before.
i then installed the suite and re installed it thinking that maybe there is an option in the initial setting for residing the program in another directory but it does not.
so this is the situation
what came to my mind is that whenever i connect the device, viz my mobile cellphone in order to transfer data from the cellphone to the computer using this program is like connecting an external drive and therefore that program is actually like a driver or a controller for that device, and this is the reason why it resides on the desktop.
but then… could not i move it to reside in another directory like Windows e.g.?
i hope that the above description is clear enough.
Eric, i hope that it is not too long, and i will much appreciate your opinion.
Thank You,
You are welcome! Surely, I am looking forward to hearing about the results.
Cheers
Eric Thank you!
I really appreciate your prompt responds although unfortunately I am not as fast as you handling my computer issues.
however i am going to quest that registry key you advised me, trying to amend it (taking all precautions of course) and see what comes up.
i will try also to execute the second method u mentioned earlier.
i believe i will do it tomorrow and needless to say i will let u know what came out.
thank you again!
Indeed, I assumed that you had done a registry search on those weird icons and could not catch them for some reason.
Have you ever tried any of those registry cleaners? Some of them are excellent (e.g. RegSeeker http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm or Eusing Free Registry Cleaner http://tinyurl.com/lvtk5 ).
The registry Key you need to edit is probably under the following key (don’t delete the following item from your registry or you will be in trouble):
“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerDesktopNameSpace”
When you reached this registry key folder (so to speak), search for things related to Sony and delete those items from the the key folder. Then refresh the desktop or restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
I am sure than you already know that messing up with registry is a tricky and dangerous business! You would better make a back up of your registry and a System Restore Check Point before doing anything in there; just a friendly reminder ;)
Also..
as other custom files and folders and shortcuts (not My Documents or My Computer etc.) do not appear on that checklist (although they are on the desktop) i thought that maybe those weired icons might be considered as system files so maybe i can erase them by erasing registry entries.
what do u think?
thanks again.
Hi Eric
ok, you won!!!!
Thank you!!!!
I did as you instructed, dw TweakUI
AND IT WORKED!
but… as those icons were not actually deleted but rather become hidden ( i can recheck them and they will appear again)
i just wonder if the other method (which i have not tried yet) will delete them completely.
i will try and let u know
thank you again!!!
See if you can remove the icons using TweakUI from the following place:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
When you install and start the program, go under Desktop category and see if you find your weird icons in the list. If you see them there, uncheck them and apply the changes.
If the last trick did not work, then the next step would be doing this:
Start -> Run -> chkdsk c: /f -> OK -> say yes to questions -> restart the computer -> wait for the check-disk to finish its work -> log into your account and see if the icons are still there -> if yes, let me know
Thanks Eric and all others!!!
But still help’s needed!
After I implemented your methods for deleting the desktop and unwanted files on it, two strange icons (shortcuts?) remained on my desktop. I am not even sure if they are files or folders!!! the problem is that I cannot view them nor delete them. Right button [right click] (menu) gives the option to rename it or to play it but no option to delete! All files and folders are shown, but when I open the desktop folder it is empty. I tried using display/desktop properties (and cleaning wizard) and I found indeed those two files(?) but unchecking the boxes pops “cannot move or…file is not valid or…name too long”
I tried dir/x as mentioned above but that does not also show those files nor their 8 characters names.
Any advise?
The two icons-file(?) are” Sony Ericsson File Manager ” and “Instant Search Folder”
Thanks
Thank you so much! ^^
You are welcome!
That worked beautifully and I was able to delete the pesky file. I’m not real good with MS-DOS, so thanks for the help! I appreciate it much!
Would you please try the following?
1- Log into your account (your username)
2- Go to Start -> Run
3- Type: cmd.exe
4- When the command line window pops up, without changing or typing anything else, type: cd desktop
5- Now you must be in your [username]’s desktop directory. Then go ahead and do the rest of the things that you wanted to do
Please, let me know if this works.
I’ve tried going into cmd.exe and it wont let me into my Desktop dir…maybe I’m doing something wrong but when I have it go into C:\Documents and Settings\[Username] it works fine, but when I try and get it into Desktop it says it cannot find the path specified. I have a single file on my Desktop called CAVUT09N. but no extension and I can’t do anything with it…help?
Thank you very much to Nicolas Huguenin for the addition of reminding me of the “dir /x” command. It’s been years since I’ve even needed to get that deep into DOS. Nothing of the other attempts worked until I was reminded of that… that was Key. Thank you again!!!
-Johnny-
thanks a lot
Thx A lot…
Really thanks !!!!
For problems with files :
del /P /F /A *.* (It will ask you for every file if you want to delete it)
Follders with corrupts files :
rd /s /q Folder_name (No question…. just delete it)
Regards
You are the man , Thanks !!!
Thanks Eric and Nicolas! I had an un-deletable / unmovable / un-renamable un-anything DESKTOP folder as a result of a corrupt download. This had one of those very long names, including hyphens, underscores and fullstops. I tried many of the tools and options mentioned here and many other sites, of course without success. Using the dir /x function I was able to delete this unwanted folder. 2nd attempt as there was a actually a file needed deleting first. Scrapped a bit of rust off using old DOS commands. Thanks again
A little note:
del /P /F /A *.*
works only when we want to remove a file; it has no effect on folders (directories). However the command
rd /s /q stupidfolder
deals with folders regardless of what is inside the folder. It includes the del command too.
THANK YOU !!!!!!!! I tried to delete 2 files from desktop for about half year nothing helped … the only thing that saved me is to backup all the icons from desktop and to run : del /P /F /A *.* worked like magic !!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Bright THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! unlocker is so simpe to use and worked just fine. deleted everything:) many many thanks you rox!
I am sorry for being late for the response, I was out of the town for a week. Well, that’s right, you cannot easily delete NTUSER.DAT when you are in the operating system. It has to be scheduled for deletion at the time of starting up the system, right before the operating system puts its hand on it (its hand called ‘handle’ by the way :D ). What you can do is you can use this program:
‘Unlocker’
that you can get from:
http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/
After installing the program you’ll have a new item added to your content menu (right click) named ‘Unlocker’. Now, if you go to
C:\Documents and Settings\[your log-in name]
you can see ‘Desktop’ file there, and if you right-click on it, you should be able to see the new item, ‘Unlocker’, appearing in your right-click menu. Choose this item. In the following dialogue-box you can choose to delete, rename, or move the folder. And since it is still in use by the operating system, you will be asked for the action being done at the next start-up. If you decide to agree with it, an action (deletion, renaming, or moving), would be scheduled for the next start-up. Now restart your system and the guilty file will be executed!
WARNING! Please consider yourself warned that deleting ‘Desktop’ off your log-in profile IS a very risky thing to do. Try to perform what I described above directly on the file(s) and folder(s) that reside INSIDE ‘Desktop’ instead of deleting ‘Desktop’ itself. This is a safer course of action. Unless you are prepared for risking a profile corruption, please do not delete ‘Desktop’. I am not saying that it certainly will cause problem, but I also cannot say that it certainly will not.
Ok sorry for the stupid questions but I dont know much about computers. I moved all my files of the desctop and what i have now on my desktop are the 8 files I want to get rid off and the usual 4 (my documents, ny computer, my network plces, recycle bin) I use command prompt, typed del /P /F /A *.* then this appeared: C:/Documents and settings/User/NTUSER.DAT. Delete ? I click Y and this appears: the process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process. what shall I do?
thanks Eric Bright, that really helped.
Actually ‘My Computer’ is all you have! It’s your computer and everything that resides on it! You cannot move it anywhere else unless you want to move your whole hard disk contents to another place. Indeed, ‘My Computer’ is a shortcut that not only shows your current hard disk, but also shows the other connected devices to your computer like your printer, your camera, your external hard drive, your MP3 player, and etc. (all of them if connected). You cannot move them anywhere. Well… it does not make sense in that context!
But, when we say ‘move everything on your desktop to another place’ we intend something special. ‘Desktop’, itself, can be imagined like another ‘Folder’ in your computer in which you can put everything from real files, other folders, shortcut to other places or files or folders, and the like. It is, indeed, a folder that resides in C:\Documents and Settings\[name of your profile]\Desktop
Therefor, you can do whatever you usually do with an ordinary folder. It’s, however, different from another folders in regard to the approach of the operation system toward it; it’s privileged in some sense. That’s to say, the operating system, in this case Windows, pays some extra attention to this particular folder and has some extra features for it. ‘Why it is so’ is beyond the scope of this paper. Once you grasped the idea, you would be able to proceed accordingly.
You can always put back the shortcuts to ‘My Computer’ and other places later, after when you deleted ‘Desktop’, very easily. At any rate, it’s always better not to delete ‘Desktop’ folder, and leave that option for the last resort.
Originally written by:
February 15, 2007, at 12:51 PM
one question: how can i remove everything off the desktop? and where to put them? ok for the shortcuts i dont care but what about “my computer”??for example I have in my computer folder all my music videos etc, where can I remove it?? If I cut paste, where can I put it apart from the desctop??no where…
Everett Williams, You are a legend! del /P /F /A *.* works like a charm. Offcourse, I did move everything off the desktop before running the command as per your instructions. Thank you.
U rule!!!
I had a file in my desktop that had no extension (ended with “.”) and was a lengthy filename with spaces, underscores and apostrophes. Was getting the same error as you have listed at top of page. I tried the CMD ‘RD’ solution above, but this did not work. Then I noticed the user comment about getting the 8-character filename using ‘dir /x’ – I again tried the ‘RD’ command and didn’t work. In the end, simply using the 8 character filename and after the ‘DEL’ command worked. ie: FW_FW_~1 was the 8 character name in my example: C:\Documents and Settings\[your log-in name]\Desktop\del FW_FW_~1 Thanks for helping me avoid a reinstall!
[comment by Eric Bright: Everett Williams has summarized everything in this article in a very short and sweet paragraph as follows:]
Move everything off the desktop (offensive file will remain of course) Bring up a command prompt and navigate to the desktop then just do this: del /P /F /A *.* Please get me off the desktop file, Delete (Y/N)? y