Mystery folder

[XOR]

GOT IT!!
I'm able to create folders without a name like you have.
To create one
run > cmd
type in cd \
type in md " \ "

To delete one
run > cmd
type in cd \
rd " \ "

Note the space between " and \
If this doesn't work you check your registry

[bojovan]

Originally posted by XOR
GOT IT!!
I'm able to create folders without a name like you have.
To create one
run > cmd
type in cd \
type in md " \ "

To delete one
run > cmd
type in cd \
rd " \ "

Note the space between " and \
If this doesn't work you check your registry

Didn't work for me. What do I look for in my registry? er:?

[dougj]

Interesting... No answer yet, but I've got some more info that might hopefully trigger an idea in someone else.

Using XOR's method, I was able to create a folder that behaved the way bojovan describes. I was also able to delete it using the same method. The fact that it fails when bo tries to do rd " \ " leads me to believe there's either a different number of spaces before the \ or another, different reserved character being used on bo's system. Bo: try removing the folder with the using the rd " \ " command, adding one space at a time before the \. Let us know the results.

In the meantime, as a further test, I created a folder off the root called "test". Then in that folder, I ran md " \ " and got another copy of the "mytery" folder, complete with "cannot read from source file or disk" message when I try to rename or delete it.

Here's the interesting part: In the C:\test folder, I added a couple normal folders, called test1 and test2. A "dir" command showed the mystery folder and its 2 new companions. The I ran the "tree" command. What I should have gotten was this:

C:\.
|------
|------test1
|------test2


But instead, I got this:

C:\.
 |------
 |      |------
 |      |------test1
 |      |------test2
 |------test1
 |------test2

So it's no wonder Windows is confused. The mystery folder looks like its a subfolder of itself, sorta like a cross-linked file, but at the directory level. And sure enough, when I create one of the mystery folders out at the root, then do a tree, I end up with a nested listing like my test folder: I see all the top-level folders listed under the mystery folder, then again off the root.

I'm trying to find any other characters that would result in a "blank" directory name.

[dougj]

The number of spaces does matter. I just created 10 new no-name folders, all with different numbers of spaces before the \. From command prompt, with the dir command, they all look the same. But from Explorer, you can tell the relative length of the folder name, even though no charaters are displayed.

Bojovan, can you post another screen show (you're getting lots of practice with these!). Do the same shot you originally posted as "mystery.jpg", showing the Explorer view. But this time, single click the mystery folder first, so the name is highlighted in blue. This will give you a general idea of how many spaces are in the name. Then you should be able to go out to a cmd prompt and use XOR's method to remove the folder.

Keep us posted. I think the end is in sight!

[XOR]

Originally posted by bojovan
Didn't work for me. What do I look for in my registry? er:?

bojovan,
you should first try to get rid of it in a dosbox using rd " \ "
If you go to start > run > cmd it will set you to c:\documents and settings\bob. If the offending folder is in c:\ you should type cd\ or perhaps rd \" \ "

In my previous post I mentioned some registry keys which could be causing this.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\MyComputer\NameSpace.
Under that key could be some entries, for example:
{992CFFA0-F557-101A-88EC-00DD010CCC48} (Dial up Networking)
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} (Task Scheduler)
Look for any other keys like these CLSID keys that you're sure of you don't use
Export the key before you delete it, just in case.
(Select (highlight) the key (on the left pane) > file > export)

Originally posted by dougj
Bojovan, can you post another screen show (you're getting lots of practice with these!). Do the same shot you originally posted as "mystery.jpg", showing the Explorer view. But this time, single click the mystery folder first, so the name is highlighted in blue. This will give you a general idea of how many spaces are in the name..

It's probably easier to make a shortcut to that folder and copy/paste the target here.

[bojovan]

TAKE A GANDER AT THIS...I don't know exactly what I did to make it go away, but I do know that it was one of the last suggestions posted...THANK GOD IT'S GONE... I want to thank everyone for there persistence... It's going to bug me now for awhile what I did to make it go away, but only for a little while...THANKS AGAIN

[XOR]

pheew, finally!
Glad to hear you got rid of it, at last!

[dougj]

No fair! We have to know exactly what you did to make it go away! Now we'll have to hope it comes back, just so we can find out what fixed it.

But seriously, I'm glad it's taken care of! Thanks for your patience while we all hammered away. Just goes to show that, if we all work together, eventualy an answer will be found.

{high-fives to XOR!}

[P3-450]

well done there XOR

Glad to see it disapear

[mm_1974]

Originally posted by dougj
No fair! We have to know exactly what you did to make it go away! Now we'll have to hope it comes back, just so we can find out what fixed it.

But seriously, I'm glad it's taken care of! Thanks for your patience while we all hammered away. Just goes to show that, if we all work together, eventualy an answer will be found.

{high-fives to XOR!}

Well it's nice with these forums..I just solved my problem which was of the same type of problem of "bojovan", if not the same.

And the idea of "using the rd " \ " command, adding one space at a time before the " worked

In my case I had this folder "ATI" that actually was "ATI " with 1 space on the rightside of ATI. Hence I used :
rd \"ATI \ " and VOILA gone... notice 1 space after the 2nd \ since there was actually 1 space after ATI in the folder name

THX everyone

[denali]

HELP!!!

I TOO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND DOS TO KNOW HOW TO REMOVE IT. I HAVE A FOLDER ON MY DESKTOP AND IN IT THERE IS A FILE CALLED "NEW HIP HOP" ITS AN UNKNOWN FILE AND ITS 0KB. I KNOW THE LOCATION OF IT IS: "C:\Documents and Settings\Aaron\Desktop\Restless" HOW DO I REMOVE IT???