Gary Kjos
garykjos at gmail.com
Tue Feb 28 09:28:19 CST 2012
Well it seems to me that it's not the deletion process itself that is the problem if you are able to delete the files/folders. SOMETHING ELSE is putting them back..... Do you have any other background protection software running? GK On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 10:49 PM, Kathryn Bassett <kathryn at bassett.net> wrote: > 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 > > _______________________________________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- Gary Kjos garykjos at gmail.com