Cant delete files that “do not exist” but appear in my download directory

Question

There are three videos that I've downloaded. I moved them to a different folder where I put all my videos, however a copy of the files still show up in my download directory. I tried (in Explorer and CMD) to delete them, move them, rename them, open them but Windows says "Could not find this item." so the file no longer exist in that directoy but it still appears there. How can I remove these from my download folder? I have also tried to replace the file with another by saving over it but instead they sit next to each other side by side and I can delete either one but after that, the other can't be deleted. They also take up no space.

info: I am using Windows 7 and the files were downloaded via Firefox onto an NTFS file system.

Answer 1

I have seen Explorer showing files for a while after they were deleted, so my first guess would be that it was in fact deleted but left behind as a “ghost”.

If however the file is still present after rebooting, then it is not that. Instead, it could have been in use by a program, Explorer, or an anti-virus program. I would suggest trying Unlocker to release/delete it, but again, you said the file was recreated, so it would not be that.

Finally, I am left with only one option: a filename conflict. They are rare (they are not supposed to happen), but certain circumstances (like race-conditions) can lead to them occurring. In this case, the best way to deal with them is the same as when dealing with files with invalid filenames (like those with illegal characters in them or spaces in the DOS days). There are two ways to handle this situation now, both from the command-prompt, so open a command-prompt to the folder containing the files:

• Use > dir /x  to view the 8.3 format filenames and use that to delete the files in question

or

• Use wildcards like > del *problem*file* 

Answer 2

Is'nt related to the Windows 7 explorer auto-refresh bug? May be.

Try this fix by Nick on NGPixel web site:

1) Open My Computer and click Organize > Folder and Search Options

2) Under the View tab, uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (recommended) option.

3) On your desktop, you should now see 1 or more Desktop.ini files. Delete all of them (no, it won’t break your system, they are auto-generated).

4) Reboot your computer. Problem solved!

source: http://www.ngpixel.com/2011/05/29/windows-7-fix-the-explorer-not-auto-refreshing-bug/

Hope this help. Let us know. :)

Answer 3

Try deleting the specific folder which contains the specific file into the recycle bin. Then go to the recycle bin and restore the file you just deleted. i hope that works for you.

Answer 4

I had a similar problem, and what worked for me was creating a file with the same name, then deleting the new file.

Answer 5

I dont know firefox, but if you want to see more about what is going on, here is a start.

Open up an IE (Internet explorer), on the upper right hand side see that GEAR icon LEFT click on it, and select "View Downloads" now RIGHT Click on the item you want to get much more info about.

Aparentaly they can be links, un-downloaded links, history and , , I dont know, but it is a start.

Also just using CTRL-J will bring this up when your in IE.