Windows 7 - Can't delete folder in Windows 7

I'm trying to delete a folder in Windows 7 and get a perplexing error message: "Could not find this item: This is no longer located in G:\Graphics. Verify the item's location and try again.

I'm using Windows 7; this folder is on an external hard drive. I've emptied the folder (there were items in it); I've scanned that external hard drive for errors. Trying to rename the folder yields the same enigmatic error message. The folder is empty.

How can I delete this folder?

There may be a Windows 8.3 name in there that's causing the problem. Open up a command prompt, go to the G:\Graphics folder, and do a dir /x. Hopefully the file you are looking for is listed, then you can do a rd with the 8.3 filename.

Reboot and try it again.

What are the properties? how big, who owns it, etc

Ken J++

Here is something strange about this folder. I can move a file into it. Sort of. When I move a file into the folder I can't delete, another folder with exactly the same name is created. This second folder is empty and I can delete it.

Once I've deleted the folder that was created when I copied a file, there's that folder remaining with the file in it. If I try to delete the folder, I get that same error message -- can't find the folder.

I can delete the file that's in the folder, but still can't delete the folder.

I'm not able to switch to the G: drive in the command prompt. (Or at least I can't with the CHDIR command.)

Properties shows that the folder size is 0 bytes.

I still can't delete it.

See if you can delete the folder using KillBox:

Download KillBox

Unzip the folder to your desktop.
Start Killbox.exe
When it is open, enter G:\Graphics\whatevername into the field labeled "Full path of file to delete".
Select the Delete on reboot option.
Then press the button that looks like a red circle with a white X in it.
Your computer will reboot and check to see if the file is gone.

Let us know if this works

Killbox did not kill that folder, even after selecting the Delete on Reboot option.

The problem, I should mention, with this folder is that when my backup software hits this folder the entire backup process stops. So I definitely need to get rid of it.

To switch to the G drive, simply type g:

Use the following commands, after opening up a command prompt:

The 8.3 names will be listed in the column immediately before the long filename column. Use the rd command with the 8.3 name. For example:

OR IN the Command Prompt.

In DOS, the rd command will not work if there are files/folders contained within the directory. As there is a subdirectory inside GRAPHICS, the rd GRAPHICS command will fail. To remove a directory that contains other files/directories, the /S switch is required (use the /Q switch in order to not ask if it is ok to delete each folder).

If you receive an error, use the /S switch, which will remove all files and subdirectories, along with the parent directory, as I described in my reply to Uber Philf.