Cant delete files on E: Can you help?

[Lost N PC World]

Hello,

I recently installed Nortons and had to remove McAfee. Everything came back clean. Not sure if I did something incorrectly but I now have an E drive that is filled with files that appear as the following. My original files are there and have no problems.
$√ôçü▌.╗░▒

`¢⌐àòà+.¥▄

There's 100s of them. I tried deleing but I get an erro that says: CANNOT DELETE FILE: CANNOT READ FROM THE SOURCE

I tried opening and it says: the file name, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect

The properties show 0 bytes but the drive shows like 3,000,000 kb for most of them.

I'm very unsavy when comes to internal computer problems. Please help if you can.

Thanks
Ben

 

[Vigilante]

What is your E: drive? Is it a hard drive or memory card? Is E: the primary partition or a sub-partition?

Sometimes this can just be errors. Right-click the drive in My Computer and go to the tools tab. Do a scandisk on it with the options checked.

If a scan doesn't find and fix the errors then you'll have to try some other techniques.

For one thing, are your "good" files in the same folder as the bad files? You could attempt to move all your good files out of E: and then format E:. If that is not an option, or you have programs installed to E:, etc..; maybe you could just move your good files out of that one folder, then delete the folder the bad files are in.

If the bad files are on the root of E:, can you rename them and then delete?

You said they show as 3,000,000kb?? That is like 3gigs, something aint right there.

If you can't delete the folder, or format the partition, or rename the files, then we'll try some more stuff.

good luck

 

[Lost N PC World]

Thanks for the reply.

My E drive is a Maxtor 100GB storage unit.

I tried goin to the drive and right clicking to find a scan option. If you meant scan for viruses I had already checked and nothing was there. I did go to tools but my only options there were Map Network Drive, Disconnect network Drive, Synchronize, and Folder Options.

My good files are still on E with the bad files. I guess they could be moved back to C, but I dont know if I can wipe E complete off then. I did try renaming but had the same error of not reading the source.

Appreciate you replying.

Ben

 

[Samstoned]

if you have a good partition manager try making a new partition on e shrink it down to a little more than whats on it
move your good files over and then delete the old volume then make a new one
then you can merge the 2 partions back together
of couse thats only if you have the room

 

[acidosmosis]

I didn't read the thread thoroughly but you should try running chkdsk and allowing a scan at startup.

Open a DOS prompt and type CHKDSK /f.

(To do this, goto Start, Run, type "CMD" and enter the command at the DOS prompt).

 

[Vigilante]

I already asked him to try a chkdsk, but he was in the wrong area. Not "that" tools menu.
But open My Computer, the right-click on the E: drive and choose properties. Then you should have a TAB called "Tools" and a button called "Check Now".

Same as typing chkdsk /f at the command prompt. Though you want to type 'chkdsk E: /f'

Good luck

 

[ru_ready]

hi

this migth be the easiest, as you said, why not back up the "good files" to c drive, then just right click my comp and then explore comp and then "format" the drive? this should erase the drive and the probs assoceiated with the files.

just a suggestion


cheers