Member Avatar for sittas87

Hi
This might be a quick fix,can someone tell me how to delete a file that has a file with blocks (no letters or numbers) and no extension,it just says file.when I delete the file it says cannot read from source. can anyone help me this client is my BOSS.Grrrrr!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by gerbil

Dani AI

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This looks like the kind of stubborn NTFS entry that Explorer and simple unlockers sometimes cannot touch. reported a hidden file that refuses delete/rename even after a reboot and ’s unlock-tool attempt didn’t clear it. That pattern often means either an unprintable or reserved-character name, an alternate-data-stream, or filesystem metadata corruption rather than a process simply holding the file open.

First, check whether a process truly has the file open and whether the file has ADS. Use the Sysinternals tools Handle to find open handles and Streams to reveal alternate data streams. Run them elevated. Example runs:

handle "C:\path\to\weirdfile"
streams -s "C:\path\to\folder"

If those show nothing or they can’t remove the entry, repair NTFS metadata next. Running chkdsk will fix orphaned entries and cross-linked clusters; schedule it at reboot if required and back up first:

chkdsk C: /f /r

If chkdsk still leaves the entry, try deleting from an elevated Command Prompt using the 8.3 short name or the Win32 extended-path prefix (which can bypass some parsing issues). In the folder:

cd "C:\path\to\folder"
dir /x
del /f SHORTNA~1
del /f "\\?\C:\path\to\folder\weirdfilename"

See Microsoft’s notes on the extended path prefix here: Naming files, paths, and namespaces. If none of these remove it, make a full image of the drive and consider removing the file from another OS (bootable Linux with NTFS support) or consult a recovery specialist—especially since this is a production/boss machine.

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Member Avatar for sittas87

did scan for virus trojans with no suspicious found its displayed as a hidden file and the size is 300+mb but the properties shows filesize as 0.wtf

Member Avatar for gerbil

This tool usually does the trick cleanly and simply, sittas.
Unlocker 1.8.5
==This one is a general purpose deleter, Unlocker: http://filehippo.com/download_unlocker/
Dclick the exe to install it, unchecking the updater and assistant boxes. It runs from the rclick context menu, and that is cool.

Member Avatar for sittas87

thanks my man for the new tool very handy but guess what doesnt wanna do the trick. doesnt wanna move delete copy or rename it says that it will perform the tast at next reboot but still when I reboot its still there. Is it cos its my boss' machine.
----wheres that tread "your worst day ever" he is a pain in the ass.

any other suggestions...???

Member Avatar for gerbil

Can you force an extension onto it with Unlocker? eg .tex
If you run a dir cmd in the folder containing it what characters are used in the cmd window for its filename?

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