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Cannot remove directory

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9 replies

by laj

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I have a W2K Server that is being used as a FTP Server. Under "ftproot" I have a directory tree that somehow got placed there with a bunch of directory levels with no names / blank names and multiple directory with funky characters and spaces, etc for names.

What I want to know is how I can delete / remove this weird directory tree off my server. I cannot delete through Explorer - it gives an erorr message. I cannot seem to delete through DOS commands either - do not know how to specify a blank directory name to remove this.

Any hints, ideas...?

9 replies

by gigelul

If you can restart the server, in HDD properties under tools, use with all options enabled.

by joseph moore

Did you try logging in as Administrator and taking Ownership of the folders? An admin can own anything, including folders/files that the admin account has no rights to.
YOu could then modify the rights so that Administrator has Full Control rights.
You then should be able to delete the folders.
YOu could set this on the first folder in the tree (under your FTPROOT folder), and make sure the policy inheritance is set so that all objects under this folder inherit the new permissions.

by laj

This has already been tried... no good. Thanks for the response.

by nikki96

Did you try this?

Copy all the good folders that are in ftproot to a temp spot. Then remove the whole ftproot folder itself. Then re-create it and move the other folders back. Explorer can see ftproot, right?

See if that works...
Nikki

by laj

Yup, I have already recreated a new FTP site - under a different folder structure and recreated the FTP Home Directories under the new structure. Still unable to delete the other main "ftproot" or "inetpub" folder from Explorer.

by data ninja

Answer 3 is a good suggestion, but you must FIRST be certain to stop the ftp service before you will be allowed to move/remove folders in the ftproot or any related files/subfiles. It is probably the ftp service that has locked the directories you are trying to access.

by laj

I tried stopping the service as well... still can't delete.

I am going to take a different way out of this problem, since this was a server that wasn't totally into production yet... seems like my only potential solution is to remove this partition and recreate the partition and recreate the FTP Server folders new... that's what I will do later tonight.

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