Windows 7 Unable to Delete a folder

[Blueraven]

Hello All,

I have an interesting problem. I have Admin privs. I have tried to delete a folder and it says that I need admin privys. I have check the permissions on this folder (btw it is empty). I won't let me change if from a read only. I have checked that it is not locked by a program. I don't know what else to do. Even from DOS, I can't delete it. Can someone help?

 

[reghakr]

Have you tried restarting your computer, then try to delete it?

Is the folder on the desktop........common problem

What files were in the folder before you removed them?

I'd also suggest you look over the similar threads at the bottom of the page.

 

[RAK]

Which folder are you trying to delete? Perhaps it is a system folder?, in which case, you cannot remove it.

 

[Blueraven]

I know it is not a system folder because I can change the name of it with no problem. I have tried rebooting and then trying to delete it but still no luck. Folder is not on the desktop. The sub folders are "amd" and "i386". The root folder I can change the name but not the sub folders. They are the ones that I can't delete to delete the root folder

 

[reghakr]

I've had the same problem with those exact files.

Where is the folder located.

If it's a driver,such as for a printer install, that folder has to stay

Even if it's just in a program directory, it must stay, such as a directory in which Java is installed.

 

[RAK]

Unzip the attached file and run the .reg. This will give you a right click option to take ownership of files/folders. You should be able to delete the folders then.

 

[fjgold]

If RAK's idea doesn't work

See post #26 in the following thread

Link Removed

In this post I describe how to use a Linux Live CD to access and delete stubborn folders like you describe.

If you are dual booting you could boot into the other OS and do the same thing.

Either way be very careful you aren't deleting something that Windows needs.
Worse case you could render Windows unbootable.

 

[Jolie]

I know it is not a system folder because I can change the name of it with no problem. I have tried rebooting and then trying to delete it but still no luck. Folder is not on the desktop. The sub folders are "amd" and "i386". The root folder I can change the name but not the sub folders. They are the ones that I can't delete to delete the root folder

I didn't have these folders until I clicked SOMEWHERE to SAVE SOMETHING, amd or windows update? Can't remember what or where I CLICKED and now I have 40 folders of reall long long names that I wish I could get rid of or stop saving. Any ideas on what or where I clicked? It might be what you need to click on too?

 

[Pauli]

It's probably records of updates, like you notice yourself. Names like ...P_S-1-5-21-3400200096-3810947296-1934613864-1000?

You could try CCleaner, Link Removed

Generally, it may be risky to delete something you don't know. Windows 7 is well protected, but you might by accident cause damage to your system by deleting something important. CCleaner is a safe option, run it with default settings.

How much space do these folders take?

EDIT: This post seems to have turned out weird...

 

[Jolie]

It's probably records of updates, like you notice yourself. Names like ...P_S-1-5-21-3400200096-3810947296-1934613864-1000?

You could try CCleaner, Link Removed

Generally, it may be risky to delete something you don't know. Windows 7 is well protected, but you might by accident cause damage to your system by deleting something important. CCleaner is a safe option, run it with default settings.

How much space do these folders take?

EDIT: This post seems to have turned out weird...

CCleaner or ATF doesn't delete them. They are around 11 MB's apiece and now I have about 70 of them. I didn't have them before until I thought it would be a good idea to see or know what I had updated. Bad idea. Can't remember where I checked to have a record of the updated stuff, either a windows update CHECK BOX place or a driver update CHECK BOX place or ANOTHER update CHECK BOX place.?. My System restore doesn't work. Would really like to get rid of the MB'S and visual Clutter Problems.

 

[badrobot]

I had this problem before. I boot up to safe mode and delete the folder from there. It worked for me. You can try.

 

[Jolie]

I had this problem before. I boot up to safe mode and delete the folder from there. It worked for me. You can try.

I tried that but will try it again.

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

@Jolie: Those real long weird file names that Titanic mentions are System Restore points that are indexed between the Registry and the System Shadow copy that Windows System Restore uses. That being said, if you DID successfully delete them, and you tried to do System Restore to undo your deletes, that's why your System Restore no longer works, since you deleted some if not all of your System Restore Points!

Unless you've got a really small hard drive (say less than 60GB) it doesn't make sense to delete those files, maybe after a year or two or if you exceed 10GB or something; which is like 100 Restore Points. Be careful not to delete any Restore Point folder within the last 90 days, since if you do delete all of them in the last 90 days you'll have nothing to Restore back to within that last 90 days, and if you keep older ones, you could lose all your work within the last 90 days (3 months).

Another thing no one has mentioned here, and it's probably trite to do so, but you should always BACKUP all of your Personal Data on the hard drive ( for example the C:\Users\Username\My Documents or C:\Users\Username\Libraries folders) depending on which version of Windows you're running. Playing around with Registry cleaners and editing programs are VERY HIGH RISK! That means if you make a mistake, you could crash your Windows MFT (Master File Table) and Hash Index Tables. That is often an unrecoverable problem, and requires a hard drive reformat and complete Windows re-load. If you haven't used any of these tools before, I say, "Always better Safe than Sorry", and BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA BEFORE YOU START MESSING WITH YOUR REGISTRY!

Good Luck!

BIGBEARJEDI

 

[Jolie]

@Jolie: Those real long weird file names that Titanic mentions are System Restore points that are indexed between the Registry and the System Shadow copy that Windows System Restore uses. That being said, if you DID successfully delete them, and you tried to do System Restore to undo your deletes, that's why your System Restore no longer works, since you deleted some if not all of your System Restore Points!

Unless you've got a really small hard drive (say less than 60GB) it doesn't make sense to delete those files, maybe after a year or two or if you exceed 10GB or something; which is like 100 Restore Points. Be careful not to delete any Restore Point folder within the last 90 days, since if you do delete all of them in the last 90 days you'll have nothing to Restore back to within that last 90 days, and if you keep older ones, you could lose all your work within the last 90 days (3 months).

Another thing no one has mentioned here, and it's probably trite to do so, but you should always BACKUP all of your Personal Data on the hard drive ( for example the C:\Users\Username\My Documents or C:\Users\Username\Libraries folders) depending on which version of Windows you're running. Playing around with Registry cleaners and editing programs are VERY HIGH RISK! That means if you make a mistake, you could crash your Windows MFT (Master File Table) and Hash Index Tables. That is often an unrecoverable problem, and requires a hard drive reformat and complete Windows re-load. If you haven't used any of these tools before, I say, "Always better Safe than Sorry", and BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA BEFORE YOU START MESSING WITH YOUR REGISTRY!

Good Luck!

BIGBEARJEDI

Thanks. But I didn't have them before. So wouldn't they be just EXTRA copies? Or SEEN copies".?

 

[Pauli]

Thanks BIGBEAR. Could people please send screenshots or something? We who want to help are oftentimes like walking in the darkness of night! We need information to be a torchlight!

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

As someone else suggested when I run into one of these I boot from my Ubuntu (linux) disk and delete them.

You can boot your computer from the disk even if Windows is totally blotto, and backup any files you need before a reinstall if you ever have to.

It will supply an internet connection, a browser and all the basic services.

It's easy to make a disk, and it's worth doing it just for the reassurance of knowing you can get into your computer if you need to.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

I've saved data from a lot of crashed computers with it.
Mine and other peoples, it seems to boot almost anything.

Mike

 

[sammytruck]

Hi

As someone else suggested when I run into one of these I boot from my Ubuntu (linux) disk and delete them.

You can boot your computer from the disk even if Windows is totally blotto, and backup any files you need before a reinstall if you ever have to.

It will supply and internet connection, a browser and all the basic services.

It's easy to make a disk, and it's worth doing it just for the reassurance of knowing you can get into your computer if you need to.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

I've saved data from a lot of crashed computers with it.
Mine and other peoples, it seems to boot almost anything.

Mike

But with these new motherboards.... I can't take a Live-Linux-CD and boot. This UEFI system was meant to kill Linux....!!!!

 

[MikeHawthorne]

Hi

I'm running Windows 8 Pro, with a UEFI Bios and my Ubuntu disk boots my computer fine.
As does my Paragon Backup bootable disk which runs a different version of Linux.

I used it to restore my disk image just a few weeks ago.

My computer is only a few months old and I haven't made any changes to the bios since I got it.
So both disks are working by default.

Mike

 

[badrobot]

But with these new motherboards.... I can't take a Live-Linux-CD and boot. This UEFI system was meant to kill Linux....!!!!

Maybe the CD wasn't burned properly and isn't bootable. Are you having problems setting up the boot order?. I don't have a problem with it either. Cheers!