Solved Undeletable file - error: filename too large?

Briansdad1

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Windows 8.1, restarted many times - explorer will not delete. effort sometimes crashes w. explorer. Eracer will not delete at boot.

Background: A Cobian backup failed leaving a partial zip file of about 250 gig! (since then I have split the tasks!). I attempted to delete this zip file (using TeraCopy) and got most of it. However, it left behind, unable to delete, 170 small files in several folders totaling about 12 mb that all produce the same or very similar error message ( see attachment). I attempted to use Eraser to remove it at boot-time but that also failed.

How can I delete this zip file remnant?

Bill
2015-06-20 07_58_03-Destination Path Too Long.jpg
 

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    Briansdad1
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    Intel Pentium G2030 @ 3.00GHz Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
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    Avast 2015
Maybe boot to command prompt and try deleting there. You do have the path to the files?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
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    Acer V3 771G-6443
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    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
I had that problem too.

I just renamed the files.

Like ppp.exe or whatever.
Any letters seemed to work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
Have you tried deleting through 7Zip? You can also rename through it too.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update Pro in Hyper-V/Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Cliff's Black & Blue Wonder
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i High Performance ATX Power Supply 80+ Platinum
    Case
    hanteks Enthoo Pro TG
    Cooling
    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 3 Corsair blue LED fans
    Keyboard
    Trust GTX THURA
    Mouse
    Trust GTX 148
    Internet Speed
    25+/5+ (+usually faster)
    Browser
    Edge; Chrome; IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender of course & Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit as a
    Other Info
    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
    Sound system: SHARP HT-SBW460 Dolby Atmos Soundbar
    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR
I had that problem too.

I just renamed the files.

Like ppp.exe or whatever.
Any letters seemed to work.

That was the first thing I tried. Any attempt to rename crashes w. explorer!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Briansdad1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo VS130551CX
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G2030 @ 3.00GHz Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
    Motherboard
    LENOVO MAHOBAY (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Lenovo AIO PC (1920x1080@60Hz) TSB-TV (1920x1080@60Hz) Intel HD Graphics (Lenov
    Browser
    Firefox 38.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast 2015
Have you tried deleting through 7Zip? You can also rename through it too.

No because Cobian failed to zip the file. The config was set to 7Zip but it didn't happen. At 250+ gig, it was probably too big to zip?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Briansdad1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo VS130551CX
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G2030 @ 3.00GHz Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
    Motherboard
    LENOVO MAHOBAY (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Lenovo AIO PC (1920x1080@60Hz) TSB-TV (1920x1080@60Hz) Intel HD Graphics (Lenov
    Browser
    Firefox 38.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast 2015
Have you tried deleting through 7Zip? You can also rename through it too.

No because Cobian failed to zip the file. The config was set to 7Zip but it didn't happen. At 250+ gig, it was probably too big to zip?
I don't know. Hmmm.... do you have a Linux live disk, Ubuntu or Mint??? If yes boot into a live session and mount your windows c: partition and delete that way.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update Pro in Hyper-V/Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Cliff's Black & Blue Wonder
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i High Performance ATX Power Supply 80+ Platinum
    Case
    hanteks Enthoo Pro TG
    Cooling
    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 3 Corsair blue LED fans
    Keyboard
    Trust GTX THURA
    Mouse
    Trust GTX 148
    Internet Speed
    25+/5+ (+usually faster)
    Browser
    Edge; Chrome; IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender of course & Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit as a
    Other Info
    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
    Sound system: SHARP HT-SBW460 Dolby Atmos Soundbar
    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR
Command Prompt

Maybe boot to command prompt and try deleting there. You do have the path to the files?

MY ERROR - I SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT I AM TRYING TO DELETE THE FOLDER CONTAINING ALL THESE FILES WITH OVERLY LONG NAMES. *

I was able to rename this folder (the the current foldername is junk2delete)
At the command prompt

62893d1434823885t-undeletable-file-error-filename-too-large-2015-06-20-13_56_40-command-prompt.jpg


And yet it appears in w. explorer. F5 refresh of the folder and it is still there.

*BTW, results are the same whether I try to del this folder or the individual files. At 170+ of these long-named files (I DIDN'T NAME THEM!) buried in deeply nested folders, I'd like to just kill the folder.
 

Attachments

  • 2015-06-20 13_56_40-Command Prompt.jpg
    2015-06-20 13_56_40-Command Prompt.jpg
    20.3 KB · Views: 41

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Briansdad1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo VS130551CX
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G2030 @ 3.00GHz Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
    Motherboard
    LENOVO MAHOBAY (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Lenovo AIO PC (1920x1080@60Hz) TSB-TV (1920x1080@60Hz) Intel HD Graphics (Lenov
    Browser
    Firefox 38.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast 2015
Boot into a Linux live system and delete it from there. Linux does not know such file name restrictions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
It won't delete if you only change the folder name, and with long name with a big size, it will cause Windows Explorer to crash, which makes me wonder how the name was created in the first place.

Boot the computer into safe mode and try to delete the file from there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40 ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5K PRO
    Memory
    2 GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY NVIDIA Geforce GT 630
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Try this:
rmdir /junk2delete
Should delete the whole directory.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion 500-223
    Memory
    8 gig
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAmsung SyncMaster 2033
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Mouse
    Logitech G500S
    Browser
    Firefox
It won't delete if you only change the folder name, and with long name with a big size, it will cause Windows Explorer to crash, which makes me wonder how the name was created in the first place.

It might come from a download (torrent, usenet, whatever) created on a Linux machine. I had this problem once too. My solution was to boot into a Linux system (I've got a dual boot setup ) and delete it from there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
It won't delete if you only change the folder name, and with long name with a big size, it will cause Windows Explorer to crash, which makes me wonder how the name was created in the first place.

It might come from a download (torrent, usenet, whatever) created on a Linux machine. I had this problem once too. My solution was to boot into a Linux system (I've got a dual boot setup ) and delete it from there.

[Off topic: Man, it's hard to find a way to make an attachment here]

rmdir failed, "the directory is not empty"

NEW WRINKLE:
THE OFFENDING DIRECTORY/FILES IS ON AN EXTERNAL DRIVE. I tried the freeware MoveOnBot and it reported "A folder from an external drive can not be deleted" Does that mean anything to anyone that could be helpful?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Briansdad1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo VS130551CX
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G2030 @ 3.00GHz Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
    Motherboard
    LENOVO MAHOBAY (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Lenovo AIO PC (1920x1080@60Hz) TSB-TV (1920x1080@60Hz) Intel HD Graphics (Lenov
    Browser
    Firefox 38.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast 2015
It won't delete if you only change the folder name, and with long name with a big size, it will cause Windows Explorer to crash, which makes me wonder how the name was created in the first place.

It might come from a download (torrent, usenet, whatever) created on a Linux machine. I had this problem once too. My solution was to boot into a Linux system (I've got a dual boot setup ) and delete it from there.

Looks like I have to download and create a Linux disk. Don't have time to do that right away but I will report back when I can get to it.
Bill
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Briansdad1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo VS130551CX
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G2030 @ 3.00GHz Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
    Motherboard
    LENOVO MAHOBAY (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Lenovo AIO PC (1920x1080@60Hz) TSB-TV (1920x1080@60Hz) Intel HD Graphics (Lenov
    Browser
    Firefox 38.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast 2015
Sorry, forgot the switch: rmdir /s /junk2delete
Removes the dir and all subdirs and files.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion 500-223
    Memory
    8 gig
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAmsung SyncMaster 2033
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Mouse
    Logitech G500S
    Browser
    Firefox
Sorry, forgot the switch: rmdir /s /junk2delete
Removes the dir and all subdirs and files.

YES! this worked - junk2delet folder is gone! Been a LONG time since I did much with command line. I forgot the /s too and didn't even think to /? the rmdir command. Thank you for your help!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Briansdad1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo VS130551CX
    CPU
    Intel Pentium G2030 @ 3.00GHz Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
    Motherboard
    LENOVO MAHOBAY (SOCKET 0)
    Memory
    4.00GB Single-Channel DDR3 @ 665MHz (9-9-9-24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Lenovo AIO PC (1920x1080@60Hz) TSB-TV (1920x1080@60Hz) Intel HD Graphics (Lenov
    Browser
    Firefox 38.0.5
    Antivirus
    Avast 2015
Coming from a Mac/Linux background I'm not that familiar with Windows cmdline switches; had to look it up.
Glad you got it sorted.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion 500-223
    Memory
    8 gig
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAmsung SyncMaster 2033
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Mouse
    Logitech G500S
    Browser
    Firefox
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