Deleting a folder when Windows wont let me... How to???
 

Downloading games goes onto my D drive - Except for ONE game by mistake... Dirt Rally 2.0 - It got installed onto my C drive by mistake...

Although I have uninstalled the game and restarted computer etc, you can tell its still taking up space by the amount of free space on C...

Anyway, it got installed into the folder program files \ WindowsApps which wouldn't let me in. So i got in using the following youtube video...



So, now I have access to it, and yes, there it is, the folder, taking up over 93GB of space.

https://i.imgur.com/WYpZfPN.png

But when I go to delete it and get this...

https://i.imgur.com/2Cdftgz.png

So how do I give myself the permission on my own fucking computer to delete a 93GB file that shoulnt be there, is nort relevant, and is taking up a lot of space on my 500GB boot drive?

Thanks - If possible youtube videos with answers please - Easier for me to follow that way :) Thanks :)

Open CMD as admin (this is important)
To do it: Click the Start icon -> type "CMD" -> RIGHTCLICK the icon and select "Run as administrator"
When the black DOS prompt opens, type "explorer" - press ENTER

Now can you browser to the folder and delete the files?

Dunno if this helps, but when I try and do the same thing (Change permmisions) on the folder I get this

https://i.imgur.com/WoewupQ.png

Account Unknown? And when I click on the system like I did before to change ownership...

https://i.imgur.com/AToc4MD.png

I get...

https://i.imgur.com/wb27I5j.png

Access control corrupt. Delete and make a new one.

ARGGHHHH ! Mac was so much simpler... :(

Going to it now to try - 2 Secs :)

Nope :( I did exactly as you said, opened explorer via cmd etc, and got the exact same result

https://i.imgur.com/7BOkKbk.png

Can you try and take ownership from the new explorer windows (the one running as admin)

OK, gonna try that - thanks - I'll report back :thumbsup

No, it makes no difference whatsoever. Same results exactly including the corrupt message I showed in post 3 above

How do you manage to fuck up your PC this often?

:1orglaugh

To be fair, I do think the game itself has a lot to answer for. Its been giving people problems a lot according to the internet. It insists on being installed on the C drive in order to run (Unlike all the other games from the XBOX PASS)

Anyway, even when it was on the C drive it still didn't work correctly and it obviously liked it on the C drive so fucking much, it decided to stay even when it had been uninstalled...

Anyway, Thanks Ferus for trying to help - I gotta pop out on an errand now, but I'll check in on this thread when I get back :thumbsup

Install Ubuntu.

:1orglaugh

I wish windows would just go away.

Can you rename the file?

Can you get into safe mode (do they even still have that?) and delete it that way?

Hell, even boot to a dos prompt and deleting it should work.

Well I did say I missed my mac for ease of use...

Thats on my list to try :)

that sounds like a good idea. run linux or ubuntu on a stick. from there you can delete it for sure.

You do realize that Ubuntu is just a flavor, right?

Well I tried windows restore to 2 different points - (I only have 2 points as its a new PC) One was to earlier before I changed any settings, and one was to a day ago., before I installed the game. Neither worked, both citing a system error in the WindowsApps folder...

So I reset ownership of the folder to 'SYSTEM' and tried them both again - Same error... Looking at safe mode now... Pain in the ass !

should be linux/ubuntu

but actually every linux based programm that starts from a stick should do what he wants.

Can you move the file to a folder that you have ownership of (maybe even D drive) and then delete the folder recursively?

I think there is something more fucked up in place that we might expect...

I tried your safe mode suggestion, and went to see the folder - But in safe mode, it reports that the folder is empty !

https://i.imgur.com/uYRQuQF.jpg

So I clicked on the folder in safe mode to see if there was anything inside...

https://i.imgur.com/a4b386N.jpg

As you can see, that 'empty folder' cannot be accessed by the system itself, let alone by me...

So I went back to normal non safe mode and there it still was, all 93 Gigs of it, and IO thought Id open it up and try deleting whats inside...

https://i.imgur.com/xtV8UKb.png

And I require permission from Administrators to do that. But I AM the Administrator ! Its a personal PC with no other user accounts on it whatsoever !

I think at this point I'm gonna give up, cause I can see myself getting more and more messed up if I continue... I've still got like 253 GB free space on 'C'... Prob best to just let it live there as long as its not bothering anyone... :(

in windows10 you do not work as administrator by default.

please try this:

press [Windows] + [E] to open the explorer

change the path to C:/Windows

RIGHT click on explorer.exe and choose "As administrator" and confirm with yes

now you are using the explorer as administrator and should have every right to delete.

He already did it above.

Should have, i the key phrase. This is the same as Ferus said in post 2, no? It doesn't work for me... However, if this is different, I can try it again?

I guess last suggestion is to go to file, right click, properties, security, edit, and give your username full control.

If that doesn’t work. Format c:

Hang on - I tried what thommy said again, and I got a different result! I now have 2 folders - Both empty - When I try and delete the top one, nothing happens. When I try and delete the second I got an error code...

https://i.imgur.com/G3kykjM.png

So when I followed the error code, its suggesting that it HAS been uninstalled but windows doesn't realise it (Makes Sense) and that a disk scan should repair permissions... Off to try that now :)

Why are your date formats different and if it created that new folder, why a date from 6 months ago?

Screw windows. Nothing but a pain in the ass. I would at minimum dual boot that machine so you can use windows to play games.

Have you tried reinstalling the game, and then uninstalling it again?

Worth a crack

UK Date format - top one - 4/11/19 is yesterday. Bottom folder 5/11/19 is today while Im fucking around...

Re Duel Boot - IO kinda am, but with 2 seperate machines ! My iMac is for work - This PC just bought for games - Same room, different desk lol

Im almost afraid to do so tbh... Id have to install it on C and that would take up another 93GB of space. Its only a 500GB m.2 boot drive, so I don't wanna add another 93 gig of potential wasted space, if I cunt get rid of this one. I do have a solution though, and that's to reboot from my cloned image of the drive and do it that way, but that means losing all my game states etc, and having to take the side off the PC to plug the drive direct to the MB etc, and it all seems a lot like actual work tbh... :(

Maybe create a folder with the same name somewhere else and copy it to where the bad folder is, telling it to overwrite. This also works on a file by file basis if you can see the file names in the folder (no seeing the posted images on iPhone), just use a blank txt file with the name and extension of the big file you want to get rid of.

I’ve also sometimes been able to delete individual files in a folder even when the folder itself is undeleteable.

Tried the 'fake Folder' trick. Wouldn't let me put in the WindowsApps folder - Same thing about needing permission... Cant delete them separately either from inside the folder. I tried that earlier and the results are above in this thread

Thanks anyway though :)

There is something like windows powertoys that might help. I haven't used windows for a few years

there are still a few other options.

1. i can be that the programm is "in use" because there is still something in the startmenue.

in this case open explorer (as admin) then open the taskmanager and close all tasks except
explorer.

than try to delete it again.

2. the files are still in trash

empty trash

3. there is a problem with some registry entry.

the board tool on windows is not very efficient but you can try it.

press windows + R

type: scanreg /fix

restart and check if the folder is still there or if you can delete it (as admin)

I remember years ago the only way I could delete folders like this was through Nero Burning ROM for some reason..

but as I said, that was a long time ago..

I tried all that (except for the reg scan. No joy as yet, couldn't delete it - (However I now only have one folder today) but I couldn't delete it, or open it. It also now says in properties that its empty, but its lying to me as the used space on my m.2 has not gone down at all...

I tried to take ownership of it from the admin explorer window and found this little gem...

https://i.imgur.com/HcJaGSd.png

Some sort of winappID needs to be inplace? At this point I'm getting at the edge of what I can do, because windows is like a brand new OS to me, after 10 years on the mac, and the windows I knew so well before that is almost unrecognisable to the windows of today...

https://lockhunter.com/

This usually works for me.

Open Windows Command Prompt

type

RD = remove directory
/F = force deletion
/Q = force deletion of read only files
/S = all subdirectories and files

If your file path has spaces, then use quote marks at the beginning and end of the file path.

If RD doesn't work, then try using RMDIR instread of RD.

Thankyou. For <full folder path> how exactly would I format it? Bear in mind I have not been on a PC for over 10 years, so I forget exactly how things should 'look'...

Would it be

Is that EXACTLY what I would type / copy in place of <full folder path> ?
Specifically (Imagine me copy pasting this next bit...)

Thanks again. Once I'm 100% sure of EXACTLY what to type, I'll give it a go :thumbsup

Would this be a similar yet more effective way? He says to use the short filename, not the long one?

You're welcome, Yes, that looks fine. Either

or

should work. Copy the code above to your clipboard using "<CTRL> + C" and then right click Paste to Command Prompt.

There is an uninstaller app that solves this issue. I used it on a machine that had multiple similar issues...

I'll be buggered if I can remember what it is called.....

Invalid Switch 'F'

https://i.imgur.com/rsRPx78.png

Arggg! Still no joy :(

Tried it both ways... I guess its here to stay :(

Then try again without /F .

I did - See Above "Access Is Denied"

Same using your way without the F, both as admin in cmd window and normal, and the same both ways (admin and not admin) in the short name version and navigating to it...

Thanks for trying to help though :)