I have a file : Cī^_f_w0 in my C partition which I cannot delete . I keep getting a File system error 1026 , error message . The file has 0 kb and I suspect it is probably a trojan which I picked up . I have checked the MS website on 1026 error messages and followed the instructions on resetting the Recycle bin but no cigar . I have tried several erase programs but still no joy . Even trying in dos and in safe mode without success . My AV and Trojan Hunter are of no help . Now why would a 0 kb file bug me ? Because it's there !!
Can anyone help ? Thanks
is the file in a subfolder?
try moving everything else into a temporary folder...
then RENAME the subfolder containing the file...
reboot - then DELETE that subfolder...
now create a new folder by the same name and move the temporary folder contents back in...
ps - NTFS?
Ralph;
Is your system still on Win98SE? Good.
Can you rename the file? Are the attributes set correctly? System, Hidden and Read-Only should all be off, it doesn't matter about the Archive bit.
(edit to add
What happens when you run scandisk or chkdsk? If the file is zero bytes because it was closed incorrectly, then either disk checker should find a string of unclaimed sectors, and return them to the pool of availability. At that point, the file might become delete-able.
Use ProxRocks' suggestion. If that doesn't work for some reason, then go to the MSDOS prompt and use the rendir command (stands for REName DIRectory). If that still doesn't work, then stay at that command line, and use deltree.
Warning: this is a powerful command, and is 99% non-reversible without a helluva lot of effort and some high-power undelete tools.
If all this fails you, get back to us post-haste.
Oddysey
good point...
I was assuming NTFS...
Which I have seen would *not* allow you to rename a file by that type of 'messed up' name...
ProxRocks Wrote:good point...
I was assuming NTFS...
Which I have seen would *not* allow you to rename a file by that type of 'messed up' name...
Actually, when NTFS gets all snooty about things like this, you can often pull an old DOS trick: rename all the files at once. Just move all the desired files elsewhere, like you said before, then see what happens when you drop to the MSDOS prompt and rename the file like so:
c:\>ren *.* prox????.txt (Use an 8.3 target file name for the highest chance of success.) The question marks let the system choose successive names for all the files it finds.
Too bad this isn't NTFS, I'd just advise Ralph to log on as the Administrator, assume ownership of the file, and that would take care of everything.
Oddysey
I have tried to rename the file but the 1026 error message pops up . I am on Win 98se and the single file is on my C drive , not in any folder . Scandisk seems to run normally . Nod32 my AV program picks up the file but passes on it . I think I can't delete it because there seems to be a European character in the name .
Why don't you download a copy of
Knoppix and try to delete the file while booted up to it.
HILARITY ENSUES!!!
download an approximate 700 MB OS just to delete ONE zero MB file?
may I suggest "BareBones Puppy" at a mere 39 MB?
I looked at Knoppix but that is like killing a mosquito with a cannon ! I need to get anor\thor scotch !
Ralph;
No, the European character isn't the culprit, the file is allegedly in use by a 'system file' that loaded at startup. It's probably a marker file, used either to store temporary data (and thus never closed), or else it's a placeholder that identifies the existance of some certain (unknown to me) executable that is currently running in the background. Yes, that pretty much fits the definition of mal-ware, but it doesn't guarantee the file
is mal-ware.
Kye-U's suggestion looks pretty good, even if you have to re-boot to make it work. At least you aren't loading a bunch more stuff you don't need and won't use after this job is done. Give it a try, and report back to us.
Or, if you're adventurous, and you have the Norton Utilities, you could fire up Disk Editor, and delve into the Root Directory Sector(s). Edit that entry to show it's been deleted (the first character becomes 0xE5), save the changes, and exit the program. The file is now "gone" in that there is no directory entry for it. Run scandisk to remove any possible lost clusters, although I wouldn't expect any, and that should be that.
But the killbox proggie should be a lot easier.
Oddysey
No success with Killbox .
All background processes were shut down . I tried a couple of other small applications which were similiar but nothing has worked so far . I noticed that the file was dated 7/27/02 so I checked what I may have downloaded that date , using Find - Advanced and came up with a program which I thought I removed , " RegEditX " . I tried to remove that using the uninstaller but it did not work . Then went and just deleted the folder . Tried Killbox again but no success . I do not have Norton . Thanks guys
can you find the file name referenced in the registry anywhere?
if so, del the ref & reboot and you then should be able to del the file...
I tried that but to no avail . File not found
what happens if you create a "startup disk" and boot from that...
then DOS on over to the file and del it...