Kathryn Bassett
kathryn at bassett.net
Mon Feb 27 22:49:51 CST 2012
Back in December, I posted the problem below. The problem still hasn't been resolved. I have a similar problem with a specific spreadsheet. Maybe if we can solve that one, I can try the solution with the folders. I had a spreadsheet that I no longer use. I have been trying to get rid of it, and its accompanying desktop shortcut for months. I've found a few things on the web, but mostly they have to do with virus or malware issues, neither of which are the case for me (I use Malwarebytes and Avast). I have even gone into safe mode to delete them (including emptying the recycle bin) and within a day, they are back. I've deleted other spreadsheets without this happening, so I can't figure out why this particular one is a problem. I didn't even have much of anything in it, just a few days of keeping track of time for a client. It's an Excel, in case that makes a difference (most of my spreadsheets are QuattroPro). On the Tech Support Guy Mailing List, someone recommended http://eraser.heidi.ie/ but that didn't work either. The file stayed gone for about 2 reboots, but it was back again this morning. I've just tried renaming it, without deleting it, to test if it comes back with the old name. Any more ideas? Kathryn > -----Original Message----- > From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:dba-tech- > bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Kathryn Bassett > Sent: Monday, December 19, 2011 5:20 PM > To: 'Discussion of Hardware and Software issues' > Subject: [dba-Tech] Getting rid of some folders > > I am pulling my hair out over this. I have folders such as this: > C:\Fr4\Noel > C:\Fr4\NoelLivingstone > C:\Fr4\oconner > > I can't seem to get rid of them. First, I was just deleting them. But I > eventually noticed that they'd come back. Tried a number of times > before starting to research it. The common issues seem to involve > dropbox or folders that are shared. I don't have dropbox, and the > folders aren't shared. One place that I found suggested "copy" the name > of the folder, delete it, then make a new folder, pasting the name in. > Then empty recycle bin and reboot, then delete the now empty folder. I > did that for about 1/2 dozen folders and it worked. Those are now gone > and haven't returned. So I started doing the rest of them (20 more). > But it's not working for those. > > I've even done these steps ONLY. IOW, boot up, do that routine, empty > the recycle bin, then reboot. Not running any other programs like email > etc. > > On the Tech Support Guy List Tech Support Guy List > (http://www.techguy.org) which is not very active, one person asked, > and I answered: > > > 1. What operating system? > > Vista - sorry, I thought I had put that down. > > > 2. Has this computer ever had Nortons on it? Nortons does weird > things > > with its "protected" recycle bin. Even after Nortons has been > > uninstalled, it can leave some of these strange remnants behind. > > Only long enough to get the computer home when I bought it (2007). > Uninstalled immediately (I hate Norton), then went through the registry > and deleted Norton references. So, in effect, no. > > > 4. Try right-click "delete on boot". This is included in several free > > utilities such as Gipo Utilities, which will add this useful line to > > your right-click menu. > > While looking to see if I had this option, I discovered something. The > entire Fr4 folder was read only. I've changed that, and will see if > that works. If not: > > > 3. What happens if you delete in Safe Mode? > > Hmm, haven't thought to try that. After I get this email off, I'll try > that if changing the read only option doesn't work (no idea how it got > that way). > > > 5. I assume that normal folders delete OK, and that this is > associated > > only with your "FR4 folders". Does FR4 mean anything---associated > with > > any particular program which might be protecting these folders? In > W7, > > for example, this type of behaviour can be associated with protected > > system folders/files. > > Yes and yes. FR4 is an old dos genealogy program (Family Roots version > 4). > I'm the only person in the world still providing support for it, > getting the data into a format that can be imported to a windows > genealogy program. No, it doesn't protect, and I've deleted client > subfolders before, which makes the current behavior all the more > puzzling. > > Where I'm at now: > > Safe mode and the read only part didn't do the trick, except > temporarily. I changed C:\Fr4 to C:\Fr4b. Then I made a new folder > C:\FR4 (the r being upper case) and dragged the things I need to keep > into it. A reboot (last > night) showed only the items I want in C:\FR4, and just the subfolders > I don't want in C:\Fr4b. I couldn't do any more reboot testing last > night, but I had deleted the subfolders from C:\Fr4b, leaving it empty. > > I only did one other thing before shutting down for the night, which > I'll explain in a minute. Then this morning, they are back again in > C:\FR4. The folder has to have that name, I can't use C:\FR4b, but even > if I could, that wouldn't solve the problem of C:\FR4 adding itself > back in. > > The one other thing is my nightly backup. I use SecondCopy to do "Exact > copy, source to destination, delete obsolete files from destination" > and these are the 3 "profiles" I use: > C:\Users\Kathryn\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook to > I:\Vistamydocs\OutlookMail > C:\Users\Kathryn\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook > to C:\Users\Kathryn\Documents\OutlookMail > C:\Users\Kathryn\Documents (& subdirectories) to I:\Vistamydocs > > As you see, nothing to do with C:\FR4. > > Anybody got any ideas why this is happening and how I get rid of the > subfolders I don't want? > > Kathryn > > _______________________________________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com