How to diagnose undeletable folders
I have a couple old folders (properties say created back in 2001) that made it through multiple drives and computers over years. They currently reside in root of drive C, SSD, NTFS file system, Windows 7. They are completely empty (no dot files, I checked) and have simple short names in latin symbols only. My user account is set as their owner with full permissions granted.
And I am really failing to delete them.
I had tried:
- deleting them from Total Commander
- deleting them from Windows Explorer
- deleting them from command line
- deleting them with Unlocker
- scheduling them to be deleted on reboot with Unlocker
- chkdsk for errors on reboot
Typical results are either:
- getting insufficient permissions error (which is normal for root C folder)
- getting a report that deleting succeeded, but folder remains in place and can no longer be opened or manipulated in any way until next reboot, after reboot it appears again as seemingly normal folder
I have no problems manipulating anything else on the drive, including creating and deleting folders in root of drive C other than these two.
Anything else I could try, short of booting into another OS entirely?
Anything I could run that would give me the idea what is wrong with them?
I am pretty much more curious about the reason and nature of their immortal state than care to delete them by now.
windows-7 permissions file-management
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
add a comment |
I have a couple old folders (properties say created back in 2001) that made it through multiple drives and computers over years. They currently reside in root of drive C, SSD, NTFS file system, Windows 7. They are completely empty (no dot files, I checked) and have simple short names in latin symbols only. My user account is set as their owner with full permissions granted.
And I am really failing to delete them.
I had tried:
- deleting them from Total Commander
- deleting them from Windows Explorer
- deleting them from command line
- deleting them with Unlocker
- scheduling them to be deleted on reboot with Unlocker
- chkdsk for errors on reboot
Typical results are either:
- getting insufficient permissions error (which is normal for root C folder)
- getting a report that deleting succeeded, but folder remains in place and can no longer be opened or manipulated in any way until next reboot, after reboot it appears again as seemingly normal folder
I have no problems manipulating anything else on the drive, including creating and deleting folders in root of drive C other than these two.
Anything else I could try, short of booting into another OS entirely?
Anything I could run that would give me the idea what is wrong with them?
I am pretty much more curious about the reason and nature of their immortal state than care to delete them by now.
windows-7 permissions file-management
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
Which filesystem is the drive formatted with? What happens if you use a non-Windows OS to delete the folder such as an Ubuntu USB stick? And did you try a Powershell started with admin privs? Can they be renamed?
– Tom J Nowell
Feb 25 at 10:09
NTFS filesystem as mentioned. Hadn't tried another OS yet, don't have powershell on hand, tried regular cmd shell. Yes, they can be renamed.
– Rarst
Feb 25 at 10:12
add a comment |
I have a couple old folders (properties say created back in 2001) that made it through multiple drives and computers over years. They currently reside in root of drive C, SSD, NTFS file system, Windows 7. They are completely empty (no dot files, I checked) and have simple short names in latin symbols only. My user account is set as their owner with full permissions granted.
And I am really failing to delete them.
I had tried:
- deleting them from Total Commander
- deleting them from Windows Explorer
- deleting them from command line
- deleting them with Unlocker
- scheduling them to be deleted on reboot with Unlocker
- chkdsk for errors on reboot
Typical results are either:
- getting insufficient permissions error (which is normal for root C folder)
- getting a report that deleting succeeded, but folder remains in place and can no longer be opened or manipulated in any way until next reboot, after reboot it appears again as seemingly normal folder
I have no problems manipulating anything else on the drive, including creating and deleting folders in root of drive C other than these two.
Anything else I could try, short of booting into another OS entirely?
Anything I could run that would give me the idea what is wrong with them?
I am pretty much more curious about the reason and nature of their immortal state than care to delete them by now.
windows-7 permissions file-management
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
I have a couple old folders (properties say created back in 2001) that made it through multiple drives and computers over years. They currently reside in root of drive C, SSD, NTFS file system, Windows 7. They are completely empty (no dot files, I checked) and have simple short names in latin symbols only. My user account is set as their owner with full permissions granted.
And I am really failing to delete them.
I had tried:
- deleting them from Total Commander
- deleting them from Windows Explorer
- deleting them from command line
- deleting them with Unlocker
- scheduling them to be deleted on reboot with Unlocker
- chkdsk for errors on reboot
Typical results are either:
- getting insufficient permissions error (which is normal for root C folder)
- getting a report that deleting succeeded, but folder remains in place and can no longer be opened or manipulated in any way until next reboot, after reboot it appears again as seemingly normal folder
I have no problems manipulating anything else on the drive, including creating and deleting folders in root of drive C other than these two.
Anything else I could try, short of booting into another OS entirely?
Anything I could run that would give me the idea what is wrong with them?
I am pretty much more curious about the reason and nature of their immortal state than care to delete them by now.
windows-7 permissions file-management
windows-7 permissions file-management
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
asked Feb 25 at 9:29
RarstRarst
10312
10312
Which filesystem is the drive formatted with? What happens if you use a non-Windows OS to delete the folder such as an Ubuntu USB stick? And did you try a Powershell started with admin privs? Can they be renamed?
– Tom J Nowell
Feb 25 at 10:09
NTFS filesystem as mentioned. Hadn't tried another OS yet, don't have powershell on hand, tried regular cmd shell. Yes, they can be renamed.
– Rarst
Feb 25 at 10:12
add a comment |
Which filesystem is the drive formatted with? What happens if you use a non-Windows OS to delete the folder such as an Ubuntu USB stick? And did you try a Powershell started with admin privs? Can they be renamed?
– Tom J Nowell
Feb 25 at 10:09
NTFS filesystem as mentioned. Hadn't tried another OS yet, don't have powershell on hand, tried regular cmd shell. Yes, they can be renamed.
– Rarst
Feb 25 at 10:12
Which filesystem is the drive formatted with? What happens if you use a non-Windows OS to delete the folder such as an Ubuntu USB stick? And did you try a Powershell started with admin privs? Can they be renamed?
– Tom J Nowell
Feb 25 at 10:09
Which filesystem is the drive formatted with? What happens if you use a non-Windows OS to delete the folder such as an Ubuntu USB stick? And did you try a Powershell started with admin privs? Can they be renamed?
– Tom J Nowell
Feb 25 at 10:09
NTFS filesystem as mentioned. Hadn't tried another OS yet, don't have powershell on hand, tried regular cmd shell. Yes, they can be renamed.
– Rarst
Feb 25 at 10:12
NTFS filesystem as mentioned. Hadn't tried another OS yet, don't have powershell on hand, tried regular cmd shell. Yes, they can be renamed.
– Rarst
Feb 25 at 10:12
add a comment |
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Which filesystem is the drive formatted with? What happens if you use a non-Windows OS to delete the folder such as an Ubuntu USB stick? And did you try a Powershell started with admin privs? Can they be renamed?
– Tom J Nowell
Feb 25 at 10:09
NTFS filesystem as mentioned. Hadn't tried another OS yet, don't have powershell on hand, tried regular cmd shell. Yes, they can be renamed.
– Rarst
Feb 25 at 10:12