Can’t uninstall folder

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I downloaded ADT-bundle-windows-x86_64-20140702.zip and extracted it with 7-zip. I tried to find the file to run it but could not get it to work. I now have a folder that I can not delete. I now have a folder that looks like this:
38263-undelete-problem

This is the error that I get when I try to delete it:
38264-undelete-problem-fig-2

Can anyone tell me how to delete this folder?

Ivan

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You need to rename one / several of the top level folders to have nice short names, like “1” or “2”. Then the lower paths are not too long.

cheers, Paul

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You need to rename one / several of the top level folders to have nice short names, like “1” or “2”. Then the lower paths are not too long.

cheers, Paul

There were 80 folders all total with all of the sub folders. I renamed the first 9 and then I could delete them all.

Thank you

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There were 80 folders all total with all of the sub folders. I renamed the first 9 and then I could delete them all…

In Windows a “filename” includes the “path” to the file, e.g.: a file you have named “foo.foo” in your “Documents” folder is considered by Windows to have the “filename” of “C:User[username]Documentsfoo.foo. Technically “foo.foo” is considered by Windows to be the file’s “filetitle” (which does not include the path to the file), not the “filename” (which includes the path to the file).

There are necessary limits to how long a “filename” can be. For most purposes you can assume that any “filename” that is longer than 256 characters will cause problems.

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For most purposes you can assume that any “filename” that is longer than 256 characters will cause problems.

Even though Windows happily allows you to create longer ones.

cheers, Paul

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Old Guy,

Just start deleting from the bottom of the chain and work your way up. HTH :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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…Just start deleting from the bottom of the chain and work your way up…

I often run into this problem when working on restoring users’ files after a clean-install or new PC after having backed up the files from their old system. Most often the problem files are saved webpages, or music/video files. Often the upper-level folders cannot be renamed due to “file not found” errors, but if you “drill down” to the lowest-level folder you can delete the files in that folder then work back up through the folder “tree” deleting as you go.

This was more of a problem with XP (e.g.: “C:Documents and Settings[user]My DocumentsMy Music” etc.) and is no doubt why Vista and later use shorter folder names (e.g.: “C:Users[user]Music” etc.). Note also that with XP the default location of the special “My Music”, “My Pictures”, and “My Video” folders was inside “My Documents”, but with Vista and later the “Music”, “Pictures”, and “Videos” folders are directly under the user’s folder.

Don’t be misled by Vista and later displaying “My Documents”, “My Pictures”, etc., in Explorer windows. The actual folder names on disk do not include the “My “, they are simply “Documents”, “Pictures”, etc.

Screenshot of “Total Commander” showing actual file/folder names with contents of C: in left pane, and contents of C:UsersJohn in right pane:
38269-TC

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FWIW I see

SDK Manager.exe

in the top level of the extracted dir structure if you want to try again.

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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Perhaps a good suggestion for W10 would be to eliminate this restriction.

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A useful tool for removing stubborn folders and files. Some AV programs flag it as suspicious, but its safe to ignore the warning.

http://filehippo.com/download_unlocker

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If any such problem happens again, and FYI in general:
SUPERAntispyware Premium contains a function that can delete [almost] any folder and/or file.
Emco’s Move [or Delete] On Boot can delete [almost] any folder and/or file.
Acronis DiskDirector 11 & 12 may have a similar function — although the disk director is not in any sense of the word another file manager.

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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The solution to your problem was at your fingertips. The same tool (7-Zip) you used to extract your file is the one that will help you solve this issue. All you have to do is the following:
1-Launch 7-Zip software.
2-In the main window, navigate to the file or folder with a too long path that you want to delete.
3- Select it and hold the “Shift” key while clicking on “Delete” at the menu bar.

That should work like a charm.

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I would say ‘Welcome” to both Oldabbler and RolandJS. It’s always a pleasure to help others as oftentimes others have helped me. LOL.

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I have in the past had similar problems with too long path and file names when working on network shares, but I usually got around them by temporarily mapping a folder some way down the problematic path to a drive letter. Then working from this temporary drive rather than directly on the network share (which effectively reduced the length of the pathfilename) I could usually do the file operations that I needed to do.

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mo.eu, I like to add your solution to my bagOtricks, would you mind giving a few keystrokes/steps of just how you do what you posted. While I’m good at fine tuning, I’m not good at conceptualizing the keystrokes/steps of your post

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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mo.eu, I like to add your solution to my bagOtricks, would mind giving a few keystrokes/steps of just how you do what you posted. While I’m good at finetuning, I’m not good at conceptualizing the keystrokes/steps of your post

It is some time ago that I used this trick and I no longer have access to that system that was using Win XP, by the way. I am now on Win 7, so I cannot give you the exact sequence I used, but it is similar (same effect) to using the “Map network drive…” option on the Tools menu in Windows Explorer. In there you just select the (network) folder and the drive letter you want to associate, and you probably want to untick the “Reconnect at logon” option. In my version of Win 7 you can select the network folder as a folder on your own PC (i.e. in effect a local folder), so the trick probably still works in this case, but I have not tested it. I seem to remember that you could initiate the mapping operation from an option on the right-click menu in Win XP, but I may be mistaken – I cannot see it in my Win 7 version. In Win 7 the right-click menu only contains the mapping option when you right-click on an actual drive, which is no good in this particular case where you want to shorten the path length, and you therefore have to use the mapping option from the Tools menu.

Once you have the mapping set up, you just go to your new drive letter in Windows Explorer and do whatever is needed. When you are finished, you can right-click on the new drive and select Disconnect, or you can use the “Disconnect network drive…” on the Tools menu. Alternatively, depending on what you selected for “Reconnect at logon”, you can just leave it be, and it may disappear at next logon.

HTH

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In response to RolandJS, when you launch 7-Zip file manager, the first thing you see is a main window with the following 4 items from the root folder:
-Computer
-Documents
-Network
-\. : (This item is for low level access to disks and to work on it you need admin-level rights).

Now, double-clicking on either “computer” or “Documents” above you should be able to navigate to the offending file with a path too long. Just tick this file to select it. Then, holding down the “shift” key while clicking on “Delete” which is the red X at the title bar in 7-Zip, should definitely do the trick.
I don’t see any other simplest way to explain this.

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…I make a mighty good cup of espresso

JPG me a cup of that, will ya?

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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Roland,

Or if you want to go Old School you could use the DOS SUBST command. :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Roland, Or if you want to go Old School you could use the DOS SUBST command. :cheers:

Remember DOS ASSIGN?

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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I downloaded ADT-bundle-windows-x86_64-20140702.zip and extracted it with 7-zip. I tried to find the file to run it but could not get it to work. I now have a folder that I can not delete. I now have a folder that looks like this:
38263-undelete-problem

This is the error that I get when I try to delete it:
38264-undelete-problem-fig-2

Can anyone tell me how to delete this folder?

Ivan

Like others on here will tell you…I use Unlocker and http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/add-take-ownership-to-explorer-right-click-menu-in-vista/
Both free to use. After reinstalling my Windows.old folder wouldn’t delete no matter how many times I changed the security permissions on the folder. Unlocker takes quite awhile but it does its job well. Deleted all of it. Take ownership and it also takes awhile to do its job. And then delete the stubborn folder.

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Drew, jpg meant emailing or PM’g a picture of your wonderful cup of coffee

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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tedpacheco, I meant this section:
Once you have the mapping set up, you just go to your new drive letter in Windows Explorer and do whatever is needed. When you are finished, you can right-click on the new drive and select Disconnect, or you can use the “Disconnect network drive…” on the Tools menu. Alternatively, depending on what you selected for “Reconnect at logon”, you can just leave it be, and it may disappear at next logon.

I understood your 7-zip perfectly! It was the network mapping/unmapping I am not familiar with.

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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