Problem deleting file that contains | and > character.

my friend is having this problem (in the first place).

well, that was my initial assumption... However, if the file could appear, then there should be a way to make it dissapear. (right). And for real, it does appear.  This is causing backup to fail (for some obvious reason) since the program can't read the file).

I remember having the same (closely) problem in my multiboot machine.  the trick that I did is by booting to linux, mount the Fs, and delete it from there.   it worked.

However, this is a remote win2k server, running lotus notes.  Do you think if I do a remote smbfs mount from linux -- does this work (ask first, try later :).

I would still opt for making this file dissapear.

one more thing - I could move the folder around in the same fs (C Drive) but cannot mv it to another fs (D drive for example).

A few other option would be doing CHKDSK /F (and reboot), or exclude the directory from backup.  Or last one would be formatting C, and rebuild from good backup-set (very last thing to do :(

please help.

What I would suggest is try using a file shredder. We had the same problem once before with one of our servers - couldn't remove a file of a weird filename, but I can't remember what program we used - maybe try:

http://12ghosts.com/ghosts/shredder.htm

You COULD use diskprobe to bypass the OS and rename the file at the lowest level;  but that would not be for the faint ofheart.

I would reccomend running the CHKDSK that samri reccomended first, then trying the Diskprobe (resource kit tool) to edit the file name table;  do a character for character substitition; do not change the length of the name.  Then use standard tools to delete the file and run yet ANOTHER CHKDSK.  I would also check your event log for DISK errors;  files like that happen for a reason, and it would be to your benefit to find out that reason BEFORE your hard drive(s) die.

HTH

-Steven Yarnot
http://yarnosg.home.insightbb.com

thanks a lot.

I would try this out and let you know.

please give me some time.

cheers.

Just found this:

http://www.jsifaq.com/suba/tip0100/rh0167.htm


Maybe it will help

-Steven Yarnot
http://yarnosg.home.insightbb.com

also, to send the special symbols to the command line and not have them be interpreted as special, precede them with "^"  i.e.   to send  "T|his" to the command line, you would have to type "T^|his".....


HTH

-Steve

Guys,

I do not have much time to go thru the proposed solution.

Plese be patient.

cheers.

No problemo - The other bit of freeware that you might try failing everything else is something called Eraser - that seems to happily destroy things!

http://www.heidi.ie/eraser/download.asp

This problem is easily solved

I have done it many times

rename the file... no error occurs

then delete the file

Chris

Chris,

tried that too.  And it does not work.

ps. this question is pending for quite sometime, and the friend who had this is not interested anymore.

Ok

but just for interest sake if I recall the file has to be renamed in the shell so from windows explorer etc...

to do it programmatically you will need to rename it using the shell function not the std lib rename function

once renamed using the shell function, then deletion is trivial.

P.S. I havent actually done that programmatically just using explorer

hi ravenm,

now the proposed solution sounds more complicated that the actual problem.

>>to do it programmatically you will need to rename it using the shell function not the std lib rename function

how is that?

Initially I tried the rm.exe (unix ported rm cmd), which in most cases, would word where windows del cmd failed.

again, the file stars to appear after the machine crashed -- which i suspect the file is a result of some allocation error on the HD.  In most cases, doing a CHKDSK /F might work, but we will try to try other options first.

to access shell functions you need to include <shellapi.h> but they are a steep learning curve and not at all logical, what else can you expect from Microsoft.

whether rm would work or not would depend on which version of windows you are using

on older version possibly, on newer versions I doubt it because the underlying DOS has disappeared and windows controls all

If your friend is regularly having this problem I suggest a new hard drive, it sounds as though the error is on the hard drive causing the crashes.

Sorry it has been a long time since I experianced this and I am not 100% sure of what I did apart from replace my hard drive not long after

This question is still open and getting old. If any of the comment(s) above helped you please accept it as an answer or split the points who ever helped you in this question. Your attention in finalising this question is very much appreciated. Thanks in advance,

****** PLEASE DO NOT ACCEPT THIS AS AN ANSWER ********

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Pasha

Cleanup Volunteer

to be frank!  I never get the chance to test any of the proposed solution.  

I would be more than happy to close the Q (as it gets too old).

I would guess that comment from YarnoSG looks promising.
---
You COULD use diskprobe to bypass the OS and rename the file at the lowest level;  but that would not be for the faint ofheart.

I would reccomend running the CHKDSK that samri reccomended first, then trying the Diskprobe (resource kit tool) to edit the file name table;  do a character for character substitition; do not change the length of the name.  Then use standard tools to delete the file and run yet ANOTHER CHKDSK.  I would also check your event log for DISK errors;  files like that happen for a reason, and it would be to your benefit to find out that reason BEFORE your hard drive(s) die.
---

Unless anybody object.

thanks for the support.

I thought that YarnoSG gots the pts.

>> I would guess that comment from YarnoSG looks promising.