Recommended Posts

I have 6 files that absolutely will not delete...

 

every file is 0KB, if you try to rename them it says could not find this item this is no longer located in {x} verify the items location and try again..

 

if you try to delete them in explorer you get the same message...

 

go to command prompt same message...

 

boot in windows pe and do it in that command line same message....

 

I've tried 3rd party tools no luck.

 

It's almost like the MFT table record was made but no actual file and now it's just confused?

 

Reformatting the drive of course fixes the problem... but the program that makes them keeps randomly making them (it's a file transfer utility) when doing a temp file for storage while the transfer is in progress..

 

Check disk doesn't help.....

 

any ideas?

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1383854-cant-delete-0-byte-file-windows-10/
Share on other sites

it's an annoying NTFS bug. I've run into it more than once myself since the XP days.

it's supposedly a rare bug though so if it's happening consistently like you say then I'd report it to the program owner of the file-transfer tool.

 

Usually the above suggestion from Eternal Tempest will solve it but I have had the rare occasion where I ended up having to format the drive to get rid of a glitched entry.

  On 17/06/2019 at 12:29, softwaretested said:
  • Make sure the apps associated with those files are not running. You might need to check Task Manager to look at the running processes there. 
  • Try deleting in Safe Mode. 
  • Close all Windows Explorer processes (via Task Manager). 
  • Or use an app. 
Expand  

I don't think you read this thread first :P

 

  On 17/06/2019 at 13:02, CrashGordon said:

I'd look into finding a file transfer utility that didn't cause this issue in the first place.

Expand  

it's system we can't ditch... it's a data feed from a company we deal with that sends EDI files.. this isn't just some FTP client, it's their requirement we use this specific system

  On 17/06/2019 at 13:09, Laser said:

Unlocker usually works on these types of files

 

https://unlocker.en.softonic.com/

Expand  

nope, doesn't work

 

I can't even get them to delete from a linux USB boot 

I'll add this, we did NOT have this issue until we went to server 2016 and windows 10... now it's all the time

  On 15/06/2019 at 03:21, bledd said:

Do this.

 

Open CMD in an elevated mode (right click, run as admin)

 

If the file is in..

 

C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\filename.wtf

 

del "\\?\C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\filename.wtf"

 

 

 

 

One of those stupid Windows filesystem bugs.

Expand  

doesn't work either

you can try malwarebytes fileassassin https://www.malwarebytes.com/fileassassin/

 

Usually a third party tool, utilizing a apple mac, or linux would be able to delete those files.  

 

can't you utilize robocopy to copy/transfer your files/folders, it is very fast and pretty easy to use.

  • 4 weeks later...
  On 11/07/2019 at 19:52, neufuse said:

yep returns no errors

Expand  

Have you checked the smart data with something like crystal disk info? Maybe the smart data will show a current pending sector .. maybe it's sitting on data right there?

Create a blank directory and use robocopy to overwrite whatever directory you're having issues with. 

 

  Quote

Create a blank folder somewhere, for example:



 

C:\Blank_Folder\

 

Now lets say all of the junk you want to delete is located here:

D:\Keep\Keep\DESTROY\****\***.... etc .etc ..etc...

 

You're going to use robocopy to Copy that blank folder over top of the DESTROY folder... with /E for subfolders and files... with the /MIR switch which will purge anything that is not in the source (there is nothing... its a blank source)

robocopy c:\Blank_Folder\ D:\Keep\Keep\DESTROY\ /E /MIR
Expand  

 

Make sure you don't get source and destination confused and back up any files you actually need.
 

  • 11 months later...

still having this issue...... if you try to do anything to these zero byte files it says they can't be found by ANY applications that try to delete them

 

it's almost like NTFS's MFT table has a link but the link points no where

the exact error message is 

 

Could not find this item

 

This is no longer located in {path}. Verify the item's location and try again.

  On 20/06/2020 at 13:24, neufuse said:

still having this issue...... if you try to do anything to these zero byte files it says they can't be found by ANY applications that try to delete them

 

it's almost like NTFS's MFT table has a link but the link points no where

the exact error message is 

 

Could not find this item

 

This is no longer located in {path}. Verify the item's location and try again.

Expand  

Did you ever try Linux? 

  On 20/06/2020 at 13:31, adrynalyne said:

Did you ever try Linux? 

Expand  

same thing it's like the file isn't there but there is a record to it in the MTF table

  On 20/06/2020 at 13:38, LostCat said:

I had this happen before with a file (twice iirc) and somewhere around 3/4 or 4/5 of file unlock tools wouldn't get rid of it.  I wish I remembered what worked o.o

 

Try Lockhunter?

Expand  

same issue, says path doesn't exist, and lock hunter says nothing is locking the file

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • This is the reason Microsoft stepped away from Aero for a more subtler transparency. Apple I believe had the perfect balance of transparency and readability, but not with this redesign in its current form. As for people who believe Windows has an 8-bit interface, well, at least you can read stuff.
    • who ever thought this looked good needs to rethink their design credentials.....
    • There's a few here upset Kamala Harris never got the Presidency! lol....
    • Yeah, he identified a whole lot of wasteful spending of US taxpayer money. What's wrong with that? Nothing, unless you had your fingers in the pie of course.
    • How to reduce the annoying Liquid Glass effects on iOS 26 by Aditya Tiwari Apple announced Liquid Glass at WWDC 2025 in all of its glory. It's a new glass-inspired design language from the iPhone-maker making its way to most of its software platforms, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26. Apple markets Liquid Glass as a new translucent material that "behaves like glass in the real world. Its color is informed by surrounding content and intelligently adapts between light and dark environments." The Cupertino giant isn't wrong. The new glass-inspired design does bring a fresh coat of paint and some beautiful visuals to the iPhone and other Apple-made devices. However, as the dust from the mega arrival settles, people are starting to realize the current drawbacks of having too much glass on their device. There have been reports of users, including those at Neowin, experiencing readability issues, background separation issues, and trouble focusing on the content displayed on the screen due to its transparent nature. While these are small nuances on Apple's part that can be fixed without much hassle, it's degrading the initial experience of what the company calls its biggest visual upgrade since iOS 7. That said, there are some workarounds built into iOS 26 that will help you tone down the shortcomings. If you're running the iOS 25 Developer Beta 1 on your supported iPhone model, you can follow these steps to make things a little better: Go to the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Next, you'll find two toggle options: Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast. When you enable the Reduce Transparency toggle button, iOS 26 can "improve contrast by reducing transparency and blurs on some backgrounds to increase legibility." The other toggle, Increase Contrast, does what its name suggests. It can "increase color contrast between app foreground and background colors." Enabling each of these toggle buttons individually or simultaneously will have different effects on your iPhone's user interface. Control Center is being criticized for the extra transparency, making the UI look cluttered and difficult to focus. Here, the Reduce Transparency button adds a darker background to make the Control Center UI elements stand out. Liquid Glass transparency issues are also prevalent in the Notification Center and the navigation controls of various apps. In the image above, see how the text of the navigation buttons has become unreadable or hard to focus on with certain backgrounds. It's challenging to determine what can trigger such behavior, as one can have countless color combinations on their device. In the image below, this is how these buttons look when both Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast are enabled. It's still a hit or miss depending on what colors you are dealing with. Part of the blame also goes to the fact that iOS 26 is still an early beta, and the change doesn't render as intended every time. You can also notice the difference in the look and feel of the Control Center when reduced transparency is turned on. On a side note, you can add the Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast buttons in the Control Center for quicker access. That said, let's wait to see what changes Apple will implement as it continues to gather feedback through the beta program. Hopefully, the software will become more stable when the first public beta of iOS 26 arrives sometime in July. Interested users can try out the latest iPhone update through the developer beta program, noting that early builds might come with unexpected bugs and issues.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      greege earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      greege earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      LagFighterZ earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      ThatGuyOnline earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      5i3zi1 earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      547
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      230
    3. 3
      +FloatingFatMan
      166
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      119
    5. 5
      +Edouard
      91
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!