Weird file I can't delete on my desktop - Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disk.

The problem is the trialing dot. Windows doesn't like that...

Try this:

attrib -s -h "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."
del "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."


If there is an error message please post it.

Maybe you need to kill the explorer.exe using the task manager to unlock the file.

How about renaming the file CA6FKTS5.txt then deleting it

Re: MrWorta

Here's the error back:
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>attrib -s -h "C:\Documents and Settings\
Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."
File not found - C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5.

So, no go on that one.

---

Re: Michael701
On Rename I get the error:
"Cannot rename file: Cannot read from the source file or disk."

I have previously tried the killing of explorer.exe
Then trying to delete via a command prompt. Using everything imaginable:
del "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."
del "\\.\C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."
del "\\?\C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."

The problem is that the same error returned:
Could Not Find ... etc.

Please open a command prompt, change to your Desktop directory and enter "attrib".
Is the file listed there?


If not - may it be on the "All Users" Desktop? - Have you checked that dir?

Have you tried rebooting in safe mode and deleting the file?

RE: MrWorta
The file is not there in the command window list of attrib or dir in any of the user dirs.

I checked all the users' desktop folders available on the box, administrator, all users, all users.WINNT, etc.

Using the windows search, when I look up: CA6FK*, it does find it in:
c:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop
 
  and in the list, it is greyed out.


It's like a ghost file, Windows thinks it there, but when it tries to do anything with it, poof, it doesn't exist. And DOS, or the command window can't see it at all...

RE: Michael701
Haven't tried the safe mode thing, but I have seen numerous posts to try this, and the response is everytime, "nope this didn't work".

I'm on the box from VNC, so I can't try right now, but I'll confirm in the morning.
I'm fairly sure that the safe mode solution is a no go, however.

i had an issue awhile ago where I couldn't delete any file on the entire drive. I had to safe mode reboot, then chkdsk c: /f before I was able to delete the file. Oh and I also got recent updates (err, bug fixes).

I'm pretty sure this problem is different, just basing that on similar posts I've read.

Mine is a singular file with an obvious illegal character in the filename, which got there god knows how.

I'm sure there is some slick way of removing it.

Oh, someone else recommended stopping the indexing service. Then trying to delete it. Problem is, my Indexing service was already off... so that was a non-starter.

Is the partition FAT32 or NTFS?

NTFS

Just for fun, try adding an extra .

del "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5.."

My thought is that it's seeing the . and thinking the file name is CA6FKTS5 with no extension.

Nah, same ol' Could Not Find error.
It doesn't exist in the dir list at all.
I even tried del ca*
Which just inadvertently deleted a few icons I had which started with ca... :)

Can you just do a normal reboot and reconnect with vnc? if not, then I'd say wait till tomorrow and try safe mode reboot, then Knoppix option.

Burn a knoppix boot iso tonight, then you'll have to make sure boot from cd is enabled on the machine

I don't think it is a coincidence that the name is the same format as a Temporary Internet folder name and file name.  See screenshot.  I would certainly delete the contents of the Temporary Internet Files to start with.

I am wondering if a recent Windows Update is causing strange behaviour.  Note from the following E-E question that the user opened a Word Doc attachment from an email and a temp file was shown on the Desktop while the attachment was open.  That temporary file would normally be created in the user's Temporary Internet Files folder, so it was olmost as though something was making his Desktop act like that folder:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Q_24667907.html

Have you tried alienvoice's suggestion of booting the system to a Linux Live CD?

That would be my preference.  You just mount the C Drive and try to delete the file from within the file browser supplied by whatever version of Linux you are using.  Every Linux Live CD I have used is able to mount NTFS volumes, and Linux usually doesn't have the same issues with illegal file names and other issues that you get with Windows.

Just in case you are not familiar with burning a bootable Linux Live CD, all you need to download is the *.ISO CD Image and load that into your usual CD Burning application using the method prescribed in that application for burning a bootable CD from an "image file".

Knoppix is the most regularly used for this type of thing (as suggested by alienvoice), but you can use others like Ubuntu, Damn Small Linux, PCLinuxOS, Linux Mint, and SuSE Linux just the same.

You will find *.ISO files here, or at least links to the pages with the links:
http://www.livecdlist.com/

You mentioned that the file (it could also be a folder) doesn't show in a Command Window DIR listing.  Did you try navigating to the desktop and then listing the contents with the /a switch?

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>
cd desktop
dir /on /a *.*

If it is listed, then COPY the file or folder name (inclusive of any trailing spaces and other characters), then paste back in after a DEL command.

Did you do a search in Regedit for instances of CA6FKTS5 ?

Oh right, you're on VNC right now.  I hadn't noticed.

Whoa, it does show with the /a attribute on the DIR!  I'm going to try and rmdir it instead of del...

Well, a new error msg now:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop>rmdir "\\?\c:\documents and
settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."
The directory name is invalid.


Hmmm...  Trying it straight up then -->
C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop>rmdir "c:\documents and settings\Administrator\Desktop\CA6FKTS5."
The system cannot find the file specified.


Ok, so no go, but I'm definitely closer.

When I do: dir /as
it shows, so windows takes it as a System file of some sort.

It also shows under
dir /aa
dir /ah

What is about evacuating all wanted file from the Desktop dir and
deleting the whole dir from upper level using "rmdir /s Desktop" .

Then recreate the dir and move the wanted files back...

If the Desktop dir is locked, try it from another admin account or remotely while logged off.

I found the final solution here, deep in the comments.
This url should anchor right to the solution for my issue:
http://blog.dotsmart.net/2008/06/12/solved-cannot-read-from-the-source-file-or-disk/#comment-176

Ah. mrworta beat me to it while I was creating and testing a script.

Although the desktop is inuse it won't be able to remove the folder. We could redirect the desktop so that we can remove the entire directory.

xcopy /s /h "%userprofile%\Desktop" "%UserProfile%\Desktop2\*.*"
pause
rd /s /q "%userprofile%\Desktop"
pause
xcopy /s /h "%userprofile%\Desktop2"  "%UserProfile%\Desktop\*.*"
pause
rd /s /q "%userprofile%\Desktop2"
                                              

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