How to delete CAT files.

Matthew Wai · 14 Apr 2020

I booted into Linux Mint but failed to delete them.
I booted into Windows PE but failed to delete them.
I used PowerRun to run the following but failed to delete them.

Code:

takeown /f "C:\Rubbish\Rubbish\Rubbish\servicing\Packages\Fonts-MinConsoleFonts-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.18362.1.cat" /a
Del "C:\Rubbish\Rubbish\Rubbish\servicing\Packages\Fonts-MinConsoleFonts-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.18362.1.cat"

How can I delete the CAT files?

FreeBooter · 14 Apr 2020

Why do you want to do that those are catalog file format.

What is CAT? What Opens a CAT? File Format List from WhatIs.com

CAT File Extension - What is a .cat file and how do I open it?

Matthew Wai · 14 Apr 2020

FreeBooter said:

Why do you want to do that those are catalog file format.

They are rubbish files created when I was playing with Windows ADK and Windows PE Addon, both of which have been removed, but the rubbish CAT files cannot be removed. I want to remove them rather than open them.

Try3 · 14 Apr 2020

Matthew,

You have not said what stops you deleting them in Windows or when you have booted into those other OS.

Perhaps the paths within the .Cats are too long?

One method I have used in the past to get rid of rogue files is to use the built-in utility RoboCopy to write emptiness into the folder.
1 Create a dummy folder of your own and do not put anything in it - this will act as the source folder,
2 In any command prompt run the command

Code:

RoboCopy "D:\Desktop\EmptyDummySourceFolder" "C:\Rubbish" /MIR

- Use the path to your own empty dummy folder in place of "D:\Desktop\EmptyDummySourceFolder",

You should be able to delete the now empty C:\Rubbish manually afterwards

Do note that this is a very safe procedure because only the folder "C:\Rubbish" is affected.

Whilst I don't think I have ever had to resort to booting up from a Windows installation disk etc to do this it will work that way as well - RoboCopy already exists in the temporary OS that booting from it establishes. You'd just have to be careful to check drive letters because the temporary OS established by an installation disk will use whatever drive letters it feels like for your drives.

Denis

Matthew Wai · 14 Apr 2020

Try3 said:

You have not said what stops you deleting them in Windows or when you have booted into those other OS.

I am now running Linux. See the screenshot below.

How to delete CAT files.-screenshot-2020-04-15-11-09-34.jpg

Matthew Wai · 14 Apr 2020

Try3 said:

You have not said what stops you deleting them in Windows

I clicked on the Start button-->Windows PowerShell (Admin) and ran the following:

Code:

Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Try the new cross-platform PowerShell https://aka.ms/pscore6

PS C:\Windows\system32> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.18362.30]
(c) 2019 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>Del "C:\Rubbish\Packages\Fonts-MinConsoleFonts-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.18362.1.cat"
Could Not Find C:\Rubbish\Packages\Fonts-MinConsoleFonts-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.18362.1.cat

C:\Windows\system32>Del "C:\Rubbish\Packages\HyperV-Guest-DynamicMemory-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.18362.1.cat"
Could Not Find C:\Rubbish\Packages\HyperV-Guest-DynamicMemory-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.18362.1.cat

C:\Windows\system32>Dir /a C:\Rubbish\Packages
 Volume in drive C is Windows 10
 Volume Serial Number is C4FC-80C6

 Directory of C:\Rubbish\Packages

15/04/2020  12:27 PM    <DIR>          .
15/04/2020  12:27 PM    <DIR>          ..
19/03/2019  11:55 AM             9,043 Fonts-MinConsoleFonts-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.18362.1.cat
19/03/2019  11:55 AM             9,813 HyperV-Guest-DynamicMemory-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.18362.1.cat
19/03/2019  11:55 AM             9,032 HyperV-Guest-KMCL-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.18362.1.cat
19/03/2019  11:48 AM             9,833 HyperV-Guest-KMCL-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.18362.1.cat

Matthew Wai · 15 Apr 2020

Try3 said:

Code:

RoboCopy "D:\Desktop\EmptyDummySourceFolder" "C:\Rubbish" /MIR

It worked. Thank you! I have deleted the empty "Rubbish".
I did not expect RoboCopy could be so powerful.

Try3 · 15 Apr 2020

Matthew,

Glad it's fixed.

I saw similar non-descript errors when Windows could not cope with the path length, or possibly special characters in the path, but I never worked out how Wndows could cope with creating the files in the first place.

Denis