File Removal Problem

[Linthade]

I have a series of files that I cannot get rid of. I inherited this problem, so do not know what (if anything) has been tried other than the basic methods.

I personally have tried to get rid of them through a command prompt, reset their attributes, tried wildcarding etc. They simply will not go. These files are hosted on a Windows 2000 server, NTFS partition.

There are two clues:

1)They are in a long subdirectory that looks to have been copied from a FAT16 partition to the current NTFS partition.

2)They have illegal file names. I believe this to be the true problem, but even so I should be able to splat them.

These files are causing a problem with the backup, and I'm not going to simply give in and admit defeat by changing the backup selections to not backup the directory.

Here is the path they are in:

E:\NetShare\Secure\Sonya\backups\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\W5EV41MB

Here is one example (as verbose as possible) of one file name:

flight;pgrp=flight;sgrp=fare_results;ha=QUJ;dc=QJU ;ach=;ca=;

This pattern continues for about another 40 or so characters. I have 17 files total in the directory that refuse to allow themselves to be selected, renamed, deleted, or otherwise manipulated at all.

Thanks,
*lin*

[corturbra]

As they are in the temporary internet files, why not try and delete the folder they are in?

[Tekboy]

Have you tried going to the offending computer, opening up the Internet Options and clearing all the Temporary Internet Files?

This has worked for me in the past.

[Linthade]

I have tried to delete them every way I can think of. I've tried the files, their directory, the one above it, and the root of the path itself. No love.

That path was once, in the past, the temp files from another machine, not this one. It was copied over as part of a harddrive (backup) copy for the user when she was getting a new machine.

*lin*

[gazzak]

Try this.

This is similar but has a link to a file deletion application you might find useful.

Or go here for a utility called gipo@moveonboot, which is a crap name but would appear to do exactly what you want for free!

[Linthade]

Thanks for the tip! I tried the manual method of shutting down explorer and going to the directory where the problem files are located. However, they do not show up in the command prompt window. I did a del *.* in the directory without success.

I attempted to remove the directory, but I get:

The system cannot find the file specified.
The system cannot find the file specified.

I will download that Movebot utility and see if it can make any more progress than I have.

*lin*

[Linthade]

I will download that Movebot utility and see if it can make any more progress than I have.

*lin*

Moveboot was unsuccesful. Anyone have any more suggestions?

*lin*