Deleting corrupted filenames

**JohnGray** · 2004-09-13 12:47

Owing to the unhappiness of one of our SCSI controller cards on a Windows 2000 cluster server, a fairly small number of filenames have become corrupted, with a / replacing the . between filename and extension. I cannot see these files in Windows Explorer on W2K, but I can in a command prompt window, or when using File Manager linking from an NT4 box.

It's fairly early to get rid of "Long file name/txt" by going into a Command Prompt window and doing DEL LONGFI~1 or something similar.

However, I can't delete those files which have 8.3 names (albeit corrupted!), like exchng/ini. Trying
DEL EXCH*
DEL EXCH*.*
DEL EXCH??????
etc does not work. Neither does the usual bodge to remove files with "reserved file names" like COM1, LPT2, etc ( as in KB120716) work
DEL .D:<path>filename

I'm tried to use the Posix RM command, but only get "D:RM.EXE not found" (that's actually where it is!). Since I've never, eve, used Posix I'm a bit sytmied...

Any bright ideas, folks? Thanks!

John

***JoeP517*** · 2004-09-13 13:40

John,
If the files are in the same folder can you copy the 'good' files somewhere else then delete the folder?

Joe

**JohnGray** · 2004-09-13 13:44

Joe

Sadly no.

I have got rid of all files from one folder except the notorious exchng/ini, but the folder won't delete with RD /S because it says that that file is not found...

John

***JoeP517*** · 2004-09-13 13:57

John,

See cause 6 in You cannot delete a file or a folder on an NTFS file system volume. It appears to be slightly different than what you originally posted. Here's some freeware that claims to do what you want DELETE DOCTOR. Don't know anything about it so be careful.

Joe

**JohnGray** · 2004-09-13 14:29

Joe

Your first reference I found before, but I didn't go through ALL the steps. I will try DELETE DOCTOR tomorrow!

Thanks!

John

**JohnGray** · 2004-09-14 12:22

Joe

Sadly again, DeleteDoctor says "file cannot be deleted by this method" for both methods (DOS short name and UNC name) because it has an invalid file name (surprise!).

John

***JoeP517*** · 2004-09-14 17:02

John,

NUTS!!!!! Have you tried anything from Sysinternals?? Possibly SDELETE.

Joe

**StuartR** · 2004-09-14 19:59

If it's that badly broken maybe chkdsk will fix it for you. Have you tried?

StuartR

**JohnGray** · 2004-09-15 06:47

Joe/Stuart

I think SDelete is a file data wiper, not a "delete an illegal filename" utility. Still, anything's worth a try.

I think from the evidence of FOUND.000 in the root, with subdirectories DIR00nn.CHK (nn is 00 thru' 63) means that CHKDSK has happened already, but I don't fancy scheduling a boot-time CHKDSK on a 524 GB disk just to sort out (or rather, possibly sort out) less than 10 filenames...!

John

**galpa** · 2004-09-15 09:31

Has anyone tried setting the command prompt to H:WINNTsystem32CMD.EXE /F:ON ?
/F:ON Enable file and directory name completion characters

If completion is enabled with the /F:ON switch, the two control characters used are Ctrl-D for directory name completion and Ctrl-F for file name completion. To disable a particular completion character in the registry, use the value for space (0x20) as it is not a valid control character.

Then you simply give the path or go to the location and type del Ctxrl-f until the name appears......

**JohnGray** · 2004-09-15 10:53

I had to read through the Help for CMD about three times before I understood it, and I don't really have a clue as to WHEN you'd want to use this feature!

I don't want to "complete" anything, neither directory name nor filename; I'm trying to remove a file which now has an invalid name with a forward slash in it... All attempts to specify the filename come up with Rude Messages -- because it is not regarded as valid, therefore it cannot exist!

John

**galpa** · 2004-09-15 11:22

"I'm trying to remove a file which now has an invalid name with a forward slash in it..."
In the command prompt pressing Ctrl-F usually brings up each file name that exists in the directory . While i have not had the example you site, other invalid names appear because of the Ctrl-f. Your situation may be the exception. I would gone to the path, typed in del and a space. Then pressing Ctrl-F brought up each file name, including the untypeable ones, or the ones ending in a space. Pressing the enter key has deleted those file.

**Leif** · 2004-09-15 11:34

How about
DEL "exchng/ini"
?

**JohnGray** · 2004-09-15 11:39

That should have appeared on my initial list of things tried!

With that one you get "The system cannot find the path specified"...

John

**Leif** · 2004-09-15 11:47

Clutching at Swiss** Cheese straws here:
MSKB 140066: Unable to View Macintosh Client Created Directories which includes a link which doesn't seem to work anymore, but may give you some ideas...

**Bowlie wasn't anywhere near the pc in question, was he?

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