How do I delete "phantom files" in Windows 7?

[jezzaOZ]

@EinsteinsHund

It’s no big deal, but I like to keep my folders tidy and want to get rid of these files. Google didn’t help; I got a lot of hits for explanations to delete files that are still in use by some programs, but that’s not the problem in my case. So what can I do?

Log in as administrator and use command line. There may be a way to fire up an administrator cmd session directly or you can use the procedure at Enable Administrator

[EinsteinsHund]

@BigT

You probably just tried plain “rd Downloads.” Without the /s, directories won’t be removed unless they are empty.

And, yeah, run a chkdsk /f to check for and repair errors, just in case it’s not just in your Downloads folder.

Yeah, that’s probable, my DOS fu is a bit shaky after all these years.

[jz78817]

@jezzaOZ

Log in as administrator and use command line. There may be a way to fire up an administrator cmd session directly or you can use the procedure at Enable Administrator

there is: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc947813(v=ws.10).aspx

[BigT]

@EinsteinsHund

Yeah, that’s probable, my DOS fu is a bit shaky after all these years.

Well, back in the DOS days, you’d use a different command anyways: deltree. And, before that, you’d need to manually go through and delete all the files and folders before using rd.

[aceplace57]

FileASSASSIN from Malwarebytes will delete locked files. I’ve used it many times.

It used to be an option in Malwarebytes. Now its a separate dl.

[Musicat]

@BigT

Well, back in the DOS days, you’d use a different command anyways: deltree. And, before that, you’d need to manually go through and delete all the files and folders before using rd.

There was a handy utility, inspired by CP/M, written by Gary Berg, called sweep.com, ca. 1984, that would traverse the entire tree from a designated starting point, repeating a command for each. You could do SWEEP DEL . to delete all files below the execution level.

[LSLGuy]

@Musicat

There was a handy utility, inspired by CP/M, written by Gary Berg, called sweep.com, ca. 1984, that would traverse the entire tree from a designated starting point, repeating a command for each. You could do SWEEP DEL . to delete all files below the execution level.

As DOS went mainstream there were a metric boatload of similar utilities.

And the capability was incorporated into command.com / cmd.exe at some point as the >FOR command. I don’t remember when that happened though. Might have been as early as DOS 4, might not have happened until cmd.exe as released somewhere around Win 95 and NT.