Remove stubborn folder, on external drive, using cmd window

I had a stubborn empty folder on an external HD that would not delete.
Windows alert "cannot delete <folder name> because there is a file open in the folder " (words to that effect)
Stubborn folder was empty (I checked for very hidden files and folders)

Unlocker (3rd party program) would not delete it. (As administrator)

Sometimes changing the folder name will resolve a stubborn folder's deletion, but I found a YouTube tutorial Remove stubborn files or folders from your Windows system which demonstrated using the CMD window. I just had to try it !

As administrator (cmd window) I could not change to the final parent folder of the sticky-folder to create the list of 8.39 files.
The parent folder has a space and brackets "()" in it.

I was trying to remove the Tools folder in an external HD F:\FolderA\FolderB\Folder (gnc)\Tools
When I tried to change-directory from ...
C:\Windows\system32 ... to ... F:\FolderA\FolderB\Folder (gnc)
... result remained as "C:\Windows\system32"
With the space in the "Folder (gnc)" ... I tried wrapping the F-drive path in quotes (x1, x2 x3)

But always resulted in the default "C:\Windows\system32>"

Code:

C:\Windows\system32>cd F:\FolderA\FolderB\Folder (gnc) 
C:\Windows\system32>cd "F:\FolderA\FolderB\Folder (gnc)"
C:\Windows\system32>cd ""F:\FolderA\FolderB\Folder (gnc)""
C:\Windows\system32>cd """F:\FolderA\FolderB\Folder (gnc)"""

Changing the sticky-folder's name resolved the deletion but I would like to understand why the cmd expression would not work

Where did I go wrong ?

Thank you :)

Here is the syntax of the CD command:

Code:

Displays the name of or changes the current directory.

CHDIR [/D] [drive:][path]
CHDIR [..]
CD [/D] [drive:][path]
CD [..]

  ..   Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory.

Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive.
Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory.

Use the /D switch to change current drive in addition to changing current
directory for a drive.

If Command Extensions are enabled CHDIR changes as follows:

The current directory string is converted to use the same case as
the on disk names.  So CD C:\TEMP would actually set the current
directory to C:\Temp if that is the case on disk.

CHDIR command does not treat spaces as delimiters, so it is possible to
CD into a subdirectory name that contains a space without surrounding
the name with quotes.  For example:

    cd \winnt\profiles\username\programs\start menu

is the same as:

    cd "\winnt\profiles\username\programs\start menu"

which is what you would have to type if extensions were disabled.

I believe you needed to add the argument /D in order for it to have worked. If there are spaces, you also need to enclose them with quotes.

So in your case, the command would have been:

Code:

CD /D "F:\FolderA\FolderB\Folder (gnc)\Tools"

Some suggestions that I can give if you ever find yourself in a similar situation again.

1. Check what application is causing the said folder to be locked in the first place. I personally use Process Explorer v16.02 to accomplish this.
2. Boot to a Windows PE/Linux environment and delete the file from there. < This one is a bit more tedious to do than the one above. But it's nice if you find no other way to do it.

Hope this helps.

Thanks oreo27 for such a prompt and detailed reply :)

I will keep you posted on how it works out (a day or two)
Would have been handy to still have the stubborn folder (in a way). In its place I am using a spare thumb-drive as the target drive instead of exposing the external data HD to a risk.

GrayGhost2 said:

Thanks oreo27 for such a prompt and detailed reply :)

I will keep you posted on how it works out (a day or two)
Would have been handy to still have the stubborn folder (in a way). In its place I am using a spare thumb-drive as the target drive instead of exposing the external data HD to a risk.

No worries :) It sure would have been for testing purposes. Let us know how it goes :)

Oh, and I almost forgot, to view any command's syntax from the command line, all one has to do is type "/?" at the end of said command. In your case, it would have been:

Code:

cd /?

Helps a lot when something in CMD doesn't work out. Cheers.

Hi Sundrance, thank you for your response :)

This is my first experience with the cmd window, so I would appreciate any coaching.

I tried ... C:\windows\system32>cd F:\Folder1 ... but the result is C:\windows\system32> ... again
It is becoming obvious I am trying to put the cart before the horse.

Looking to learn the basics of the cmd process I have done a duck-search:= "cmd.exe" ...
Found CMD.exe Windows process - What is it? ... it looks promising, but then I don't really know what I am looking at.

I would appreciate any pointers to where I can learn how to use the cmd window effectively and safely (and terminology)
I found a tip to the concealed "menu" and settings. Already learnt how to paste into cmd window.



What is the difference between ...
Defaults ... "Console Windows Properties"
Properties ... "C:\Windows\System32 - Properties" ... (as user and Administrator)

Would "Defaults" be the template-of-settings ?

Thank you :)

GrayGhost2 said:

Hi Sundrance, thank you for your response :)

This is my first experience with the cmd window, so I would appreciate any coaching.

I tried ... C:\windows\system32>cd F:\Folder1 ... but the result is C:\windows\system32> ... again
It is becoming obvious I am trying to put the cart before the horse.

Looking to learn the basics of the cmd process I have done a duck-search:= "cmd.exe" ...
Found CMD.exe Windows process - What is it? ... it looks promising, but then I don't really know what I am looking at.

I would appreciate any pointers to where I can learn how to use the cmd window effectively and safely (and terminology)
I found a tip to the concealed "menu" and settings. Already learnt how to paste into cmd window.



What is the difference between ...
Defaults ... "Console Windows Properties"
Properties ... "C:\Windows\System32 - Properties" ... (as user and Administrator)

Would "Defaults" be the template-of-settings ?

Thank you :)

What SundRance meant was this:

If you want to change directories quickly, you can simply type in the drive letter. In your case, type

Code:

f:

then hit enter. You can now browse the folders using the CD command directly. To use it, type

Code:

cd Folder1

then hit enter. You need to put quotes before and after the folder if they have spaces. I normally just put them around any directory even if there are no spaces for good practice.

Code:

cd "Folder1"

The shortcut would have been:

Code:

CD /D "F:\Folder1"

then hit enter.

I think that's a process overview for knowing what a certain exe does. You're better off reading something similar to this to get a basic idea of how to utilize this tool.

I'm not familiar with the settings of command prompt but I believe this has something to do with customization.