[comp.os.msdos.misc] undeletable file

csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) (03/05/91)

I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've tried it also with 
xt-pro but that didn't work either.

Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???

Many thanks in advance,

Christian

University of Keele, United Kingdom

csw76@seq1.kl.ac.uk

tlglenn@cs.arizona.edu (Ted L. Glenn) (03/05/91)

In article <919@keele.keele.ac.uk>, csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) writes:
> I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
> k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've tried it also with 
> xt-pro but that didn't work either.
> 
> Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???

     You could try:
1) del k*.mac
2) del k?hler.mac
3) del *.mac

This assumes that other files won't get clobbered (you could move them around
or something). There are probably other combinations to try with the wildcard
characters. It may be necessary to use some kind of utility (Norton's?).

Hope this helps.

-- 
        -Ted L. Glenn             "Don't worry, be happy!" <--Ack! Pffffhhht!
         tlglenn@cs.arizona.edu
         G19382105@ccit.arizona.edu    G19382105@ARIZRVAX.BITNET

hendrik@cca.vu.nl (Hendrik te Winkel) (03/05/91)

csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) writes:

>I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
>k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've tried it also with 
>xt-pro but that didn't work either.

>Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???

Christian, I think the Norton Commander does the job. Just go into
NC and move the bar on your file and press F8.
Or: Why not ask WP to get rid off it? With F5 get a list of your
directory and press D or something to delete it (or R to rename it)
Otherwise
del k?hler.mac
or
del *.mac
or del *.*
(Though I think you've tried that at least!)

Success, and post the result please!
Hendrik
-- 
Hendrik te Winkel hendrik@cca.vu.nl
	I don't want no one crying, or feeling sad,
	or standing in the rain without their hat.
	- Chi Coltrane.

n8541751@unicorn.cc.wwu.edu (Where there is darkness, light) (03/05/91)

csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) writes:

>I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
>k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots 
>on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've tried it also
>with xt-pro but that didn't work either.

>Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???

I deleted a file like this once with PC TOOLS.  I think I renamed it first, 
and then deleted it.

A friend of mine had another file that even PC TOOLS wouldn't erase or rename,
but we finally eliminated it by using BASIC language, believe
it or not.  It seems the KILL command, which is how you delete a file in 
BASIC, will accept wierd filenames that the DOS DELETE command will not.  It
must work differently than other methods of erasing files.  We just used
plain BASIC, not BASICA.

Kris.
-- 
Kriston M. Bruland          |    . .         . .      . . .      .       . .
n8541751@unicorn.cc.wwu.edu |    .   .     . .        .        . .       .   .
8541751@nessie.cc.wwu.edu   |    .             .         .     .   .     .

salmi@finsun.csc.fi (Timo Salmi) (03/05/91)

In article <919@keele.keele.ac.uk> csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) writes:
>I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
>k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've tried it also with 
>xt-pro but that didn't work either.
>
>Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???
:

Use Norton's diskdoctor or a similar utility.  Then remove.  Yours
is probably a case of an error in the fat (if not a simple case of a
read-only file)

...................................................................
Prof. Timo Salmi        
Moderating at garbo.uwasa.fi anonymous ftp archives 128.214.12.37
School of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, SF-65101, Finland
Internet: ts@chyde.uwasa.fi Funet: gado::salmi Bitnet: salmi@finfun

jdb@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Brian K. W. Hook) (03/05/91)

User the Alt-key and numeric keypad to get the neat ASCII 148.  Hold down
the Alt-key, type 148 on the keypad, let up.  Use it in the filename.  
Or just use a utility program.

Brian

tcs@mailer.jhuapl.edu (Carl Schelin) (03/05/91)

In article <919@keele.keele.ac.uk>, csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) says:
>
>I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
>k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots
>on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've 
>xt-pro but that didn't work either.
>
>Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???
>

You can:

del k?hler.mac
del k*.mac
del k<alt+148>hler.mac
del *.mac
del *.*

This assumes you don't have a non-printable character after the 'r'. If so,
you may have to do this:

del k?hler*.mac

Carl Schelin
tcs@mailer.jhuapl.edu

xcarey@cucstud.UUCP (Christian Carey) (03/05/91)

In article <919@keele.keele.ac.uk>, csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) writes:
> I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
> k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots
> on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've tried it also with 
> xt-pro but that didn't work either.
> 
> Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???

Try the following:

DEL K*HLER.MAC

(instead of *, hold down the Alt key and type 1 4 8 on the keypad; this will
generate the o with diaeresis.  Any character but 0 can be entered in this method.)

Have fun,

Crispy
-- 
"It is a question of cubic capacity; a man with so large a brain must have
something inside it."--Sherlock Holmes, _The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle_

Christian Carey (size 8 hat (USA))     uunet!cucstud!xcarey

fisher@sc2a.unige.ch (03/07/91)

In article <919@keele.keele.ac.uk>, csw76@seq1.keele.ac.uk (J.C. Kohler) writes:
> I have a file in a subdirectory which I can't delete. The file is called 
> k*hler.mac and was once generated by wp 4.2. The * stands for an o with dots on it, ascii 148. I can't delete this file under ms-dos. I've tried it also with 
> xt-pro but that didn't work either.
> 
> Does anybody has an idea how i can get rid of this file???

There has been several answers to this one, including:

del k?hler.mac (best)
del k*hler.mac (warning! this is equivalent to del k*.mac)
del k<148>hler.mac (probably wrong, DOS filenames are uppercase: use <153>)
using almost any file-managment program

If none of these worked, try:

chkdsk /f        (takes care of most file system errors)
attrib -r *.*    (remove read-only flag)
del k?hler.mac

Good luck,

Markus Fischer, Dpt of Anthropology, Geneva CH