Windows 7: 0kb Desktop File Wont Delete and Can't be Moved

So a couple months ago I downloaded a .rfa file (Autodesk Revit) using Firefox. I had to abort the download midway, which subsequently left a 0kb file on my desktop. When I try to delete the file, explorer says it's "Preparing to Recycle" and "discovering items", but no matter how long I leave it, it can never find the file. When I try to rename the file, explorer becomes unresponsive and forces a restart of explorer. It wont let me move the file by dragging it to another folder either.

Malwarebytes' FileAssassin also becomes unresponsive when trying to delete the file. When I try to take ownership of it as suggested in other threads, nothing but an empty command prompt opens.

Can anyone please enlighten me as to how to delete this file on my desktop? It's incredibly annoying!

I would really appreciate the help!

Thanks!



P.S. I'm using Windows 7 Professional 64-bit and I have full administrative rights.

Hello libengan, welcome to Seven Forums!



Have you tried to delete the file from a command window, have a look at the tutorial at the link below to see if it'll help your issue; be sure to post back to let us know how it sorts out.

Folder - Delete from Command Prompt

Or maybe this will work better from safe mode.

Safe Mode

Give LockHunter a try. It's similar to Unlocker that works well on XP.

Also, what shows from Command Prompt?

Click on Start then Run, type cmd and press Enter
cd desktop
attrib filename.ext (of the file you are having problems with)

If the S, H or R (System, Hidden, Read Only) flags are set, reset them

attrib -s -h -r filename.ext

Now try deleting the file

del filename.ext

So I tried what Bare Foot Kid suggested, and it it couldn't find the file.

LockHunter worked great though, and got the file into the recycle bin. Until I tried to empty the recycle bin, and it wouldn't. Same thing happens as if I had tried to delete it: "Preparing to Empty" - "Discovering Items" and it never gets anywhere.

Now I can't get to the file with LockHunter. Is there a way to navigate the recycle bin rather than just on the desktop?

The file is out of sight now, but I still really want to make sure it's gone. Not to mention I have to empty my recycle bin manually or the file halts the whole process.

Thanks!

Sounds like A corrupt file. Maybe try finding free data recovery programs. They usually can delete unreadable files.

The Recycle Bin is \$Recycle.bin in the root of each drive/partition. To see it you need to expose hidden and system files via Folder Options:

Open Control Panel then Folder Options and click on the View tab.
Select "Show hidden files and folders"
Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types"
Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (recommended)" (click Yes when prompted)
Click Apply and OK

LockHunter should be able to see it once this is done. Perhaps you could move it to a flash drive or even a floppy drive if you have one, then format the drive?

Also, if you can get it out of the Recycle Bin, then use LockHunter again to delete it, but before doing so, go into Properties for the Recycle Bin and check Don't move files to the Recycle Bin.

Then when LockHunter deletes it the next time it will really go away????

Uncheck Don't move files to the Recycle Bin when done.

Okay, I was able to locate the recycle bin via ZTruker's directions, and oddly enough under C:\$Recycle.bin, there are three "Recycle Bin" folders (why are there three? Can I delete the two oldest?). If I use explorer to access them, all three are identical in contents containing my problem file. If I try and us LockHunter though, as soon as I try and open any one of these "Recycle Bin" folders, I get a message saying "Recycle Bin. You don't have permission to open this file. Contact the file owner or administrator to obtain permission." I also tried using safe mode to do this but got the same thing.

I am an administrator, but just to check, I unlocked the hidden administrator account and logged in, but with the administrator account, the problem file isn't there.

Is there a way to get to another user's recycle bin from the administrator account?

I can't think of any other way to get to this file now that it's in the recycle bin and wont move, rename, or delete.

Thanks!

Well wouldn't you know it, but I tried using LockHunter to delete one of the three identical "Recycle Bin" folders under C:\$Recycle.bin, and when I did, All three folders were still there, but the problem file is gone! Great! Now all I need to know is if I can delete two of the three "Recycle Bin" folders?

Thanks!

I am not sure you want to mess with the recycle bin. I have for example several subfolders inside my recycle bins on several drives that I can't access - they refer to other operating systems (I dual-boot). If you had some other operating system in your machine before - such as Vista or Windows 7 beta or RC1, than chances are you've got left-over stuff there. Deleting one of them might be bad for you - you can accidentally delete the Recycle Bin from the current operating system. That's not a catastrophe in itself - but do you really need mess with this stuff?

Try the FileAssassin tool in Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.