Can't delete file named ЃϵϳЅЂϿϽϯІχϯπρЂϻϵЉЃϵϳЅ

Question

I installed Windows 7 over the top of XP and it left me with a 'Windows.old' folder.

I tried to delete it, and it got rid of everything except 2 files named:

ЃϵϳЅЂϿϽϯІχϯπρϴϱЄϱЃϵϳЅ
ЃϵϳЅЂϿϽϯІχϯπρЂϻϵЉЃϵϳЅ

From what I see on Google this has happened to others before. Apparently nothing short of booting up with Linux will solve this??

Answer 1

It's unlikely you'll be able to remove it from Windows. I had few files of similar naming-style. Boot using a Linux live CD and you should be able to delete them.

Answer 2

Did you by any chance install any programs protected by SecuROM? I had a similar issue before and I managed to remove the file with the DelinvFile program. You can probably google for it, though it now seems that it's a commercial (paid) product.

EDIT: I just checked the webby. I think you can still download the software and give it a go. It seems like registration is for advanced features which you may not necessarily need, depending on the situation.

Answer 3

Have you tried the command line? Open up the DOS prompt then navigate to the folder and try this command

del /F *

And see if it takes care of it.

Answer 4

You could try the commandline. If the drive supports short filenames, you can use this to search and destroy. Of course, the drive could have other problems. You might want to run a chkdsk first.

X:\path\to\broken\files> dir /x

 Volume in drive X is somedrive
 Volume Serial Number is xxxx-xxxx

 Directory of X:\path\to\broken\files

11/29/2009  08:26 PM    <DIR>                       .
11/29/2009  08:26 PM    <DIR>                       ..
07/30/2007  09:30 PM             4,699 SOMFLN~1     broken-long-filename

                                       ^^^^^^^^
         short filename -----------------|||

X:\path\to\broken\files> del SOMFLN~1

Answer 5

At first I thought it could be a process that still had a handle on the files but since they are in oldWindows this is unlikely. Still, worth checking it out, you can get Process Explorer to search for handles, copy paste the file name (F2 over the file to access the name). If there is a process using the file kill it and try to remove then.

Otherwise resort to Linux boot CD, it might be your only chance.

Best of luck.

Be sure to come back and tell us how you did get rid of them.

Answer 6

Have you tried running chkdsk /R C:?

It's possible that these are just some corrupt files that didn't get copied completely, and Windows is still reading them as such.

Answer 7

Use the Ultimate Windows Tweaker to take ownership of the files. This should work.