Cannot delete file xp pro

Please remember to be considerate of other members. All submitted content is subject to our Terms Of Use. I am trying to delete a folder in windows xp pro. When I delete the folder, I get an "error deleting file or folder" message, with "Cannot delete file name ; The file name you specified is not valid or is too long.

Specify a different name. Turns out I wound up with an empty file in a file in a file Lots of files, all empty. I renamed the primary folder then subfolders with no luck. Attempts to delete lower folders sub unsuccessful. Did research, regained ownership of file with no luck.

Attempted to delete in command prompt,with no luck. Nearly every command I make in command prompt gives me this message: "The system cannot find the path specified". Followed all instructions, no luck.

Tried Unlocker, though it often said it had deleted file, nothing changed. Tried Gipo - moveonboot, no luck. According to unlocker, there is no hold on the file. I would really appreciate any help anyone has. Also, the command prompt"The system cannot find the path specified".

I would appreciate any clarification. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed , times. This wikiHow teaches you how to delete regular files that you can't seem to delete on your computer.

Most of the time, files you can't delete are being used by a program or a service; you can start your computer in Safe Mode to prevent the largest possible number of programs and services from running to address this issue.

If the file is corrupted or your computer reports that it can't find the file, repairing your hard drive's disk errors may fix the problem. On Android phones and tablets, you can use third-party apps to delete files on your phone or tablet. Keep in mind that this article does not address deleting system-level files, as doing so will prevent your computer from running properly if at all. Navigate to the folder containing the file. Click the file and press the Delete key.

Empty the Trash bin. Try deleting the file again. For more advice, like how to resolve disc errors on your Windows computer or Mac, keep reading!

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Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Your computer will begin to restart like usual, but don't release the Shift key until the next step. Once the blue screen appears, you can release the Shift key and proceed.

Click Troubleshoot. It's in the middle of the screen next to an icon that resembles tools. Click Advanced options. You'll find this in the middle of the screen next to an icon with three lines next to checkmarks. Click Startup Settings. This option is on the right side of the page next to an icon that resembles a gear. Click Restart. It's the button in the lower-right corner of the screen. Press the "Safe Mode" key.

This key is usually 4. If 4 doesn't work, try pressing F4 you may need to hold down Fn while pressing F4. Go to source. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. This icon is used on wikiHow as fair use because it is being used to provide how-to instructions. Find the file you want to delete.

Use File Explorer to navigate to the folder that contains the file that you want to delete. Double-click a folder to open it. Select the file. Click once the file to select it. This will highlight it in blue. If there are multiple files hold " Ctrl " and click them to select multiple files. Press the Del key. Doing so will move the file into the Recycle Bin. If you're still unable to delete the selected files, you may need to repair your PC's hard drive before attempting to delete the files again.

Empty the Recycle Bin. Once you've moved the correct files into the Recycle Bin, you can proceed with removing them from your PC for good: Right-click the Recycle Bin icon.

Click Empty Recycle Bin in the resulting drop-down menu. Click Yes when prompted. Restart your computer. Do the following to exit Safe Mode: Click Start. Click Power. I think the limit is around characters but it is often possible to exceed this.

If this is the case, try shortening the directory path and try deleting the files again. I don't think the names are too long. There's other files in the same directory which are fine. At this point I can only guess that somethng "hiccuped" and corrupted their entry in the FAT RE: Cannot delete files, "access is denied" What are the file names which you can't delete?

Can you supply the Property details as to size etc. Is the file system NTFS? Can you supply the full path details. Are there any Deny Permissions set on these files? Select both boxes. RE: Cannot delete files, "access is denied" 1. Make sure Read-only is unchecked. Give your username full control 5. I apologize if this was already suggested above. I just did a quick scan and didn't see that it was tried.

Here is problem : I have Recently 2 OS running on my laptop 1 XP Pro and other Vista Beta for some reason my boot menu disparead so i decided to delete all data regarding Vista as i dont use it and it taking alot of space on HD, the vista was installed on D drive, i was able to delete all data concerning User etc.. When ever i try to delete it i have an error message : Access is denied Cant Change attributes also i have an error message.

I realy need the space it is taking 9 GB of my space. I cant format the drive as i have 40 GB of other data on it. Thanks alot for all your help RE: Cannot delete files, "access is denied" netuserfr, From XP try taking ownership of the Vista files and folders, any files that prove awkward and deny access try checking to see if the deny permission for the Everyone Group is checked a common enough occurrence in Vista.

Quote linney : What are the file names which you can't delete? I did notice, however, that the Summary tab is greyed out with a "Summary properties unavailable for selected source" message. I did this last night but the files were still doing the same thing. Corrupted File Names.

Can you create a folder directory somewhere, move all those files to it [use a command prompt and wildcards], then remove the entire folder? That is roughly the solution we used on Unix systems when we got illegal filenames: my happiest memory is of a file with a Backspace character in the name! Fun, fun, fun! The basic elements are to use wild cards as much as possible and work at the command prompt. Lots of luck!

There are no 'illegal filenames' on Unix. Most of the 'illegal characters' in the Windows screen shot are probably not illegal - for example, capital sigma is just fine, the one-quarter sign is fine, etc.

And the square boxes may not be illegal - they're just characters you can't display because you don't have the right font.