Cannot delete file

[Warders23]

Recently, I was able to add a new hard drive to my system running Win2k. I copied the entire contents of my old drive to my new one, and everything works fine. With one exception. There's this file with 0 size that I just cannot erase. When I check its property page, it's blank on all the fields. When I try to delete the file, it gives me this following message:

"Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disk"

Even if it's only a minor annoyance, it has build up to be quite an unscratchable itch. So can anyone help?? This partition is running FAT32, Win2k SP3.

 

[eklass]

did you try booting into safe mode. if that doesn't work try booting to the system recovery console

 

[Lord Evermore]

What is the name of the file? If it's an extremely long file name, that may be the cause. You can delete it by renaming one or more of the directories above it to very short (single character) names, to shorten the total path to fewer than 255 characters.

 

[Warders23]

what do i do in the system recovery console?

name of the file is very short = mzÉ; it's in the root directory of one of the partitions.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Well, use the recovery console to try to delete the file, probably won't work.

You've got one of those nasty file names with characters that aren't actually accepted but can be written if done right. You didn't happen to have an open FTP server running did you?

Search on Google and Microsoft's Knowledge Base and you might find something about this.

Did you try renaming the file? You only mentioned deleting it.

Or try using something like a compression utility or other software that can perform an action on it and deletes the original.

 

[Warders23]

When I try to rename the file, it says:
"cannot rename file: cannot read from source file or disk."

Basically I can't do anything to this file in Win2k... move, rename, delete, change attribute.

I do run an open ftp server; the file appeared after i copied the content from my old drive to my new drive. I've done a search thru microsoft and google already. closest answer i got was from this site:

Link

But when I try to boot up with my win98 boot disk into the msdos prompt, my harddrives are nowhere to be found... what should I do?? I'm running 120 GB WD HD; is that why it wasn't recognized??

 

[Lord Evermore]

You are probably using NTFS, which DOS/Win98 can't read.

Were you able to do anything with it in the recovery console, or get the same results as in Windows?

You might try running your FTP server again, and using an FTP client to connect and try to delete it.

 

[Warders23]

I tried deleting the file thru a ftp client, and even thru it, it gave me the same error.

However, when I tried to copy/paste it or just cut/paste it to my host, it ended up transferring my entire desktop (shortcuts and files). It appeared to be a dead shortcut to my desktop folder. I've never seen anything like this.

My HD is partitioned into 3 parts -- the first 2 are NTFS and the third is FAT32. This problematic file resides on the FAT32 one. What annoyance!!

 

[Warders23]

got into the recovery console, and basically got the same thing as in windows

the mysterious file is not a file nor directory, and it has no attributes. I cannot delete the file even through there.

Think reformatting this partition might be the only way to rid of it for good.

 

[mrbass]

Molex - 1_25mm (_049) Pitch Wire-to-Board - Header, SMT, Right Angle, 53261_files.htm

I can't delete this file in windows 2000 for the life of me. I used cmd del *.*
I use TAB autocomplete to put it in quotes...can't rename it. Who in their right mind named it that? Some idiot engineer of course.
I'm looking to reformatting the whole raid array I guess...wish if windows 2000 wouldn't accept it as a valid name how did it get save as such in the firstplace?