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I meet a weird thing =)

There is a folder named with three dots, and that folder self-referencing itself, so I can go inside forever: enter image description here

and that shown from cmd with dir: enter image description here

I can't delete that folder or parents, I assume, because of that self-reference, how to cope with that?

Joep van Steen
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Nikita
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    Create a small virtual HDD and mount it within Windows. Cut and paste the root folder onto the mounted drive then format the drive – Ramhound Jul 15 '23 at 17:44
  • What is the top directory that hold the first ...? Can you create another folder and move the ... to that folder? – Brian Jul 15 '23 at 17:47
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    Those look like three dots, not commas. I assume these were created from a different file system and then copied to or mounted onto Windows NTFS. When I try create a folder name via UI in Windows 10, it states folder path is too long even right at root of an NTFS partition with the name .... It's probably affected by Windows API and/or NTFS character limitations but try suggested command line for deletion. See answer here for more detail and other command solutions: https://superuser.com/questions/1462176/two-files-will-not-delete-from-hdd/1462392#1462392 – Vomit IT - Chunky Mess Style Jul 15 '23 at 18:25

1 Answers1

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You may be able to force delete the folders by deleting the top folder containing the .... Use in ADMIN command prompt:

RMDIR /S /Q [Full Path To Top Folder Containing First ...]

This has worked for me in the past when I get a folder that won't delete through normal means. With that said, I haven't experienced this specific event.

Brian
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  • worked for me, when typed that command, the dir was not deleted, instead the error was shown The directory is not empty., however, also, the target directory became clean. After I has deleted that as normal directory. – Nikita Jul 18 '23 at 19:19
  • Thanks! It worked for me from cmd.exe but not from the PowerShell. – habakuk Jan 31 '24 at 13:30