[CastleHeart]

On an XP PC, when I try to empty the RECYCLE BIN I get an error message:

Cannot Delete dc2: Access is denied

(If you click OK, you get the window again. Click OK the second time and it goes away)

... and it fails to empty it.

I can go into the BIN and do a CTRL A and hit delete and all is fine. A search for dc2 shows 6 instances on the PC and they are all know entities in various locations.

Any thoughts ?

- Castleheart

[Rollin' Rog]

It could be a corrupt bin. There are a couple of methods to try to fix it.

One is to use cmd line deletion -- you may still get the error message, but it may fix the problem anyway.

Start > run cmd

At the prompt enter:

rd /s c:\recycler

accept the prompt.

This assumes you have an NTFS file system.

Reboot the computer afterwards and test.

If that doesn't fix it, I'd try running chkdsk on the drive.

[CastleHeart]

I'm FAT32 (but I'm on a diet)

When I run it I get :

C:\recycled\dc2.d-# - Access is denied
C:\recycled\dc3.f2f - Access is denied
and the problem persists.

- C

[Rollin' Rog]

Ok, for FAT32 make the command:

rd /s c:\recycled

If you tried that and the problem persists after a reboot -- I'd go with chkdsk

[CastleHeart]

Ok, for FAT32 make the command: rd /s c:\recycled


I was ahead of you on that one. The chkdsk says that there were errors but it didn't fix them cause I didn't use /f . But doing a chkdsk /f comes back that that volume is in use and gives the option of running on next start up.

I said FINE and it did - but in that run said it finds no errors. But the problem remains.

I am going to get my hammer... I'll be right back!

[Augie65]

Try this:
Delete any file (just to make sure there's something in the bin).

Then, with the Recycle Bin CLOSED ( do not open it), right click the Recycle Bin desktop icon, select:

Empty Recycle Bin, and when the Confirm File Delete dialog box comes up, click the OK button. (Still do not open)

Then reboot your system.

[CastleHeart]

More grief.

I've been busy and put this problem on the back burner. After all ... it's JUST a trash can.

Anyway... I tried to empty it yesterday and it gave the same old "Access Denied" - BUT -when I looked all the files were gone. Heh, says I ... that's a step in the right direction!

WRONG!

Turns out that there were no files displayed because it is no longer displaying files in the recycle bin.
SEARCH won't find a file in it (BUT it will list that searched-for filename's location with an IE Icon as My Computer with its address of file:///C:/desktop.filename - which apparently is it's restore location information)
- but DOS lists all them - albeit with new DC.something names - and properties shows the size and file/folder amounts contained in the bin.

So whata whata?

• I checked to see that it wasn't marked to deleted files directly.
• I am set to display hidden folders and contents of system files.
  Properties shows the Recycle Bin as a hidden file - checked as hidden but grayed out so you can't change it.
  (I don't know if that is normal or not - never really paid attention)
• It is listed as a read only so just for grins I tried to change that - and got the familiar old message that I couldn't access Dc2.d-# and Dc3.f2f.
  
• I did a Restore to no avail.

So I am currently left with an i n v i s i b l e recycle bin full of files and have yet to locate those two pesky dc.~ files listed above in order to delete/DESTROY them. Any thoughts?

I can erase *.* in the recycle bin in DOS, but have held off until I understand the problem more. I may erase some things and then see what happens back in windows using the RESTORE ALL in the RBin.

- Castleheart

[Rollin' Rog]

I was going to suggest using the Recovery Console to rd the directory, but when I tried it I only got the message "directory is not empty"

Strange I can do it from Windows command though.

[CastleHeart]

more twists:

The RECYCLE BIN Icon on the desktop shows blank window. But all of a sudden in playing around I got a RECYCLED window that showed those two pesky files Dc2.d-# and Dc3.f2f. in it (They are 0 byte files and refuse access to deleting.) along with other deleted test files.(they have consecutive numbers: Dc22.bmp, Dc23.bmp etc) WELL...I must be making progress!
Then I noticed that on the taskbar the RECYCLED button had a Folder icon next to it. Properties said it was C:\Recycled

This is indeed C:\RECYCLED because if you create and then delete a FOLDER in Windows and then watch through the COMMAND terminal you can see the deleted folder appear in C:\RECYCLED in the command window as it also appears in this normal RECYCLED folder window. If you then RD that Folder in the terminal window then it goes away in both.

But what stinks is - I don't know exactly how I called up this RECYCLED Folder or how to do it again. I have done it twice from the desktop but in all my jumping around I don't know how I got it - and if I close it, it's gone away into the ether!


While I had this FOLDER ICON RECYCLED window open, I went to my computer and opened c:\recycled and got a second RECYCLED taskbar button - this one with the typical Trashcan icon Then I hit the RECYCLE bin Icon on the desktop and got a third window - it too with a Trashcan icon.

So now I had three windows claiming to be the same thing.

• RECYCLED Folder Icon - Displaying the deleted files - properties show it's location C: and list the proper file number and such. DETAILS : Folder
• RECYCLED Trashcan Icon - Blank - properties give the tradition Recycle Bin screen window about setting sizes. DETAILS : Folder attributes Hidden
• RECYCLE Bin Trashcan Icon - Blank - properties give the tradition Recycle Bin screen window about setting sizes. DETAILS : system Folder

Now more strange:

In the RECYCLED Folder Icon window - (the only one to actually display deleted files) -if I delete a file, I get a message "Do you want to send it to the recycle bin?" Well that seems to indicate that it is not REALLY the recycle bin.
BUT answer YES... the file disappears and then a new file with a DC# Filename appears in the folder -one consecutive higher number in name. So files ARE being deleted from that FOLDER called RECYCLED and then being moved to itself as though it IS the Recycle Bin!!!

A vicious (re)cycle! All the while the RECYCLE BIN trashcan icon window is blank - though telling it to empty gets the access denied response as though it is looking at the location of the two damn files !!!.

Frustrating !!! Sorry if this has been so long winded.

There is some disjoint between the DESKTOP RECYCLE BIN - and C:\RECYCLED

I will press on....

-C

[Bengaul]

Have you checked the permissions on the files you are trying to delete? Also, have you tried deleting the files in safe mode?

[wacor]

ok, I know this sounds silly given i dont have anywhere near the wealth of knowledge of you all. But sometimes the hardest things have the simplest solutions. Would it be worth trying a system restore or last known good configuration??

I assume not since it has not been brought up but had to ask.

[Rollin' Rog]

In the off chance that this is a registry issue, you might try running the "recycle bin repair" patch here. Download it to the desktop (it must have .reg icon) then run it and confirm the merge to the registry.

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts/recycbin-2.reg

[CastleHeart]

BenG - i have created simple test files and they are still lost. It's more a problem of not seeing them. I mean I still have the problem of those two corrupt files to deal with - but for now I just want use of the BIN again - although there may be a relationship there. And so far all attempts to access and delete them or change their attributes are denied. And that foils attempts to delete and recreate a new Recycle Bin which would no doubt cure the problem

Wac - I did a restore. Considering a BALLPEEN restore soon !

Rog - will try your link in a bit. I found that if the RECYCLE BIN has a corrupt desktop.ini file it screws if up - AND - if the file is deleted, guess what? You get a RECYCLED FOLDER instead of the BIN. So that is how I got the folder twice. And that folder lets me see all the contents. Better than a blank screen but no restore feature is there. I will replace the desktop.ini and info files again to see if that does something. I know that it all worked last week even with those two corrupt files inside it.

Still working on it .....

- C

UPDATE: BA$TARD files !!!!!!

Well I got half way there.
I went into C: and dragged that S.O.B RECYCLED to the desktop. I trashed its DESKTOP.ini file to change it to a folder and looked at the contents and sure enough those two files were there and denied me access.

Windows then created another RECYCLED in C: and it is the recipient of deleted files and they NOW SHOW in the recycle bin when accessed.

That has me back were I was. Actually one step better. Emptying the recycle bin still gives me the CAN'T Delete: ACCESS Denied error - but it DOES go ahead and delete the files! That is good news.

An interesting bit of info. I can use RUN CMD to check C:\RECYCLED and sure enough it receives the deleted files and not my translocated old crapped folder file sitting on the desktop.
HOWEVER.... guess where those two corrupt files are? In the old folder on the desktop!!! So even though a new RECYCLED folder has been created and being used and emptied by the RECYCLE BIN - it still has one eye on those files sitting elsewhere in a folder in another location! Go figur!!!!

I WILL find a program that can eat them. But I thought I had found two that would work - UNLOCKER and MOVEonBOOT - but neither had the huevos required.
But I will ...