Deleting a bad file

This doesn't work for the colon, as it is interpreted as a named data stream. This worked for my case. Thanks, this worked for me. The file ended in a period. Doesn't work. My filename contains a backslash. If the file name contains : as the OP has asked about, this method doesn't work. Use chkdsk or delete it from a live linux. Show 1 more comment. I guess you can try the 8.

Mark Henderson Mark Henderson When I wrote that answer, Microsoft had 8. MarkHenderson, My filename is How do I use 8. Pacerier see my previous comment. This method won't work on modern operating systems. Windows XP or older. Files with a colon in the name have blank 8. JohnB JohnB 2 2 gold badges 6 6 silver badges 12 12 bronze badges. Click here for larger image This will unmount your drive and will scan the complete drive for errors, eventually it will delete such files with illegal names.

I successfully deleted such files from my external hard disk. File I was trying to remove contained a question mark on windows 10, and only this method helped me. Scan the drive and it will ask you whether to repair, click repair and the file will be gone. Joe Internet Joe Internet 1, 8 8 silver badges 6 6 bronze badges. JoeInternet : sigghh Microsoft removed the all non windows subsystems with and up. Dentrasi Dentrasi 3, 22 22 silver badges 19 19 bronze badges.

This is because 7-zip use cygwin. Doesn't work for both my files. First file have filename with backslash and second file has filename with colon. No, it's because 7-zip uses the Windows API instead of the shell. It has the same limitations as the API: it thinks colons indicate streams. Ang Black Ang Black 11 2 2 bronze badges. This is fairly reasonable when in a bind though cannot be done to an online machine. Also, native dual boot isn't required, as we can boot a live distribution to do this such as the Fedora installer disk or Knoppix.

I have added it to the exact command I'm running to question. Michael Kohne Michael Kohne 2, 1 1 gold badge 15 15 silver badges 29 29 bronze badges.

You I tried wildcards. No luck — grom. How could I remove the corrupted files in Windows 10? Solution 1. Remove Corrupted Files Directly Solution 2. Remove Files by Windows Explorer Solution 3.

Click "Switch user" to change the user name and password. Choose the admin user account, type the password and press Enter. Restart your computer and go to the Welcome screen. Type in the admin user name and account on the screen. Input the admin user password and open the computer. Open the Control Panel by searching it in the search box beside the Start menu. Navigate the "User Accounts" and go to manage the administrator permissions.

Confirm the process by typing in the administrator password. Windows Explorer is now known as File Explorer. File Explorer is a native file management application on Windows-based computers. It helps users access the file systems and open the wanted files easily. Without it, the computer keeps running, but novice users will be confused.

The computer screen will go black, and many user interface items on the monitor, especially the Desktop, are not visible enough. Don't ask if it is okay to delete files.

Recoverit is a professional data recovery utility that can be used to recover deleted, lost, and inaccessible files. You're able to retrieve kinds of your files from all your devices. Besides, you can preview different sorts of data before clicking the "Recover" button to get it all back. Photo, video, audio, and document are available. Presence of malware or defect in the software used to manipulate or create the file.

Power loss or other power-related issues. Improper shutdown such as force shut down or due to power outages. Ejecting the hard drives and other storage media before properly disconnecting them. Bad programming especially if it results in a hard restart.

When data is corrupted, it behaves in a way so that there is a low probability of being modified. Deleing corrupted data with a harsh sum or checksum is mainly used for deleting errors. You can also try to correct it by using error-correcting codes. Back up the rest of the data to avoid further corruption, especially if the cause of corrupted files is a bug in the computer.

Learn how to back up data. Click Extract. Run the SpaceSniffer application. Unlike some other apps, all you'll need to do is double-click the file called SpaceSniffer.

If you want to be able to delete system files with SpaceSniffer, you'll need to run it as an administrator. Instead of double-clicking the file to open it, right-click it and select Run as administrator instead. Unless you know exactly what each file does, avoid deleting system files with this app.

Select your hard drive and click Start. SpaceSniffer will now scan your hard drive and display your files in a visual format. Browse your files with SpaceSniffer. Each type of file appears in a box—the larger the box, the more space that type of file is consuming. Folders are peach and brown boxes, and drives are orange boxes. You can double-click any drive or folder to see the files and folders inside. Files are blue boxes. Delete files you don't need. Remember, unless you know exactly what a file is and what it does, you shouldn't delete it.

Only use this app to delete files that you know are safe to delete. To delete a file, right-click it and select Delete. Empty your Recycle Bin after deleting files you don't need. When you've finished deleting files you don't need and have confirmed that you really don't need them, right-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin.

Pranjal Srivastava. Not Helpful 66 Helpful Click on what you are trying to delete -- there should be a little trashcan. Not Helpful 67 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. This doesn't need to be done every day, but perhaps once a month, or when your PC seems to be running slowly.

Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Be careful you do not delete any critical files or your own documents. If you follow the guide carefully you shouldn't, but it is always a good idea to check the 'Recycle Bin' before emptying it, just in case! You Might Also Like How to. How to. About This Article. Written by:. Nicole Levine, MFA. Co-authors: Updated: June 18, Categories: File Manipulation.

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