I've got a ghost file and can't delete it.Not even 'rmdir /q /s' helps

Uialeth · 28 Aug 2017

I turned off Shadow Copy on Windows 10 and was left with an undeletable 'traking.log'
Short story:
Filesize: 20kb
When trying to delete: 'File cannot be found!'

Long Story:
I am 'Owner' of the File and Parent folder(System Volume Information).
I even tried to delete it with a cmd prompt ran by 'System/NT-Authority'
(Thats above Admin Level, because its literally the running OS's 'Context')
I got Acess denied as response...

All File removal-/Disk repair tools failed!

Funny thing about it:
I can create subfolders and files in System Volume Information without problems, which will then behave almost exactly the same.(Can't be deleted normaly, but rmdir works on them)

I can't just delete System Volume Information itself tho, since one of its contents 'cannot be found' and therefor blocks the parent folder from getting modified-.-

pepanee · 28 Aug 2017

Oh cool! I'm not the only one who was confused about this file.

I've encountered this before. I don't use System Restore on my 2 external drives, yet the System Volume Information folders are created anyways. I always deleted those folders, and they never re-appeared back in the XP days. Yet yes, tracking.log is un-deletable from these folders for some strange reason. I remember a while ago, I boot into Ubuntu to deleted these files, yet they re-appear when I start up with Windows. I don't know how to fix this. It would be nice not to see the System Volume Information in those drives, because it's useless there.

I've got a ghost file and can't delete it.Not even 'rmdir /q /s' helps-tracking-log.png

Uialeth · 28 Aug 2017

Hey, pepanee. I'm gonna try to delete it via Ubuntu, just to see what happens...

pepanee · 28 Aug 2017

Sure, please post back here after you see what happens. Hopefully this time Windows isn't so procrastinating about it being deleted and keeps it deleted. Last time I tried this was at least more than a year ago. Maybe things have changed.

werby · 28 Aug 2017

Hi,

"Task Scheduler/Microsoft/Windows->System Restore"
You may disable this task but I don't know if it helps you.

pepanee · 28 Aug 2017

Hi werby, thanks for the reply. I'm not the Original Poster, so I wouldn't know what the Original Poster's preference is.

Yet for my preference: I don't want to disable that Task because I use System Restore on my main drive (that has the operating system), just not my external drives. I'm not saying that the following is something that I require, but it would be nice: To remove those folders from the 2 external drives, since every single file and folder on those drives are created and customized by me, implying that there shouldn't be an operating system files or folders on there. Whereas System Volume Information is an operating system folder.

Eagle51 · 28 Aug 2017

You can delete the System Volume Information folder, but windows will just recreate it. Probably not a good idea to delete it on a System Drive, unless you have to :)

Open Command Prompt as Administrator
Attrib -s -h -r "X:\System Volume information" /S /D
rd /s /q "X:\System Volume information"

Note: X = Drive Letter

margrave55 · 29 Aug 2017

In general you don't mess with the contents of the System Volume Information folder. Leave it be.

And ... is a 20 kB "traking.log" file such a problem? If your drive is 1 TB, this file wastes 0.0000019% of the total storage. I don't really see a problem.

Uialeth · 29 Aug 2017

pepanee said:

Sure, please post back here after you see what happens. Hopefully this time Windows isn't so procrastinating about it being deleted and keeps it deleted.

Nope, it came back...

werby said:

Hi,
"Task Scheduler/Microsoft/Windows->System Restore"
You may disable this task but I don't know if it helps you.

...even though I already have this disabled. Weird.
---------------------------

Eagle51 said:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator
Attrib -s -h -r "X:\System Volume information" /S /D
rd /s /q "X:\System Volume information"

Did NOT work, tried it before.

margrave55 said:

In general you don't mess with the contents of the System Volume Information folder. Leave it be.
[...]
I don't really see a problem.

Two questions:

One: If you dont see the problem and dont have anything to participate, then why do you comment here?

Two: Who is in charge of my computer? Me? Or my OS? I think I have the right to do whatever I want with my system folders.

And if i tell my OS to get its hands of my Data drives, I expect it to follow my instructions.

pepanee · 29 Aug 2017

Uialeth said:

Nope, it came back...

Darn! I was hoping it would've stayed deleted. I would've went into Ubuntu and fixed this issue as well. It would be nice to figure out what program/service is creating those files. Also, seeing those on every single removable USB stick that I have is annoying. I miss the days when I used to see nothing in the root folder of a USB stick when it is empty. But now every single one has the System Volume Information folder, and tracking.log, on it.

... and just an extra note: Honestly, I completely understand how your response was to margrave55. Obviously you have the goal to remove that file from your computer. Yet that person 'suggests' not to do that. It completely goes against what you are initially aiming for. That is very annoying and completely unhelpful. I'm not attempting to sound like an ass about it, but it's completely true; I'm on your side about this. margrave55's suggestion is not helpful at all.