# deleting a folder



## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

I have a folder on my desktop that I used to put songs in that I needed to learn. I no long need it so I deleted the contents and a couple of days later, I deleted the folder and emptied the recycle bin. The next day, it was back on my desktop. I deleted it again, defraged the my hard drive. The next day it was back on the desktop. I renamed the folder and deleted it again. About 3 days later it was back on my desktop. I have moved it to another folder and than deleted it but it always comes back to my desktop. What can I do to get rid of this folder?


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I wonder if you somehow protected the folder, right click on it and check properties. You may also have to be in administrator mode to delete it? 

I know some systems folders are simply not deletable under windows, and for those I boot computer from a linux live cd, mount the windows partition and delete with linux. Linux doesnt give a fig about windows protocol. It just sees generic files or directories (folders are called directories in linux).


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

Looked on properties and I don't see anywhere that the folder is protected. I don't have an administrator mode that I know of. It is my home computer.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Maybe it doesn't want to be deleted


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

frank b said:


> Looked on properties and I don't see anywhere that the folder is protected. I don't have an administrator mode that I know of. It is my home computer.


If you are XP or newer, you have an adminstrator mode. You maybe running as administrator all the time. Older versions think that was even default. Then they started forcing you to at least set up at least one user account though you could still run as administrator all time if you wanted.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Programs can create folders. I'd suspect that you have some sort of image management program that is looking for the folder.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

I moved the folder to my doc. folder two days ago and it has not come back to the desktop yet. I will wait a few more days and try to delete it again.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

If you have Windows7, go to the offending folder, right click, select properties, see if anything in there says anything about library locations. If it does, remove all entries, select OK. Then delete it.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

WhyNot said:


> If you have Windows7, go to the offending folder, right click, select properties, see if anything in there says anything about library locations. If it does, remove all entries, select OK. Then delete it.



Nothing like that in properties. I am using windows XP. I did move it to my doc folder and than moved it to an external hard drive. I will wait a couple of days than delete it from the external drive. Hope that works.


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

Ok, question - what kind of folder is it? It's entirely possible it's a system folder that recreates itself as needed.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

It is a folder I created to put song files in so I could go to that folder and play them.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

frank b said:


> It is a folder I created to put song files in so I could go to that folder and play them.


In creating that folder. 
Did you just right click on the desk top and choose "New Folder"?
That is the way I have done it and had no problem in deleting the thing.
Just trying to get an idea of how come you can't get rid of it that is all.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

arabian knight said:


> In creating that folder.
> Did you just right click on the desk top and choose "New Folder"?
> That is the way I have done it and had no problem in deleting the thing.
> Just trying to get an idea of how come you can't get rid of it that is all.



That's how I did it. Other folders I have created were no problem deleting - - just this one.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

Well somehow it's either turned into a system folder OR there is a program you used to listen/watch the files in it that is set to have that folder as it's default save to (or open from) location and when it doesn't find it, it makes it or restores it.

To me those are the only options that make sense with the info. given.

Or...oh yeah...unless you have gnomes, it could be the gnomes.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

WhyNot said:


> Well somehow it's either turned into a system folder *OR there is a program you used to listen/watch the files in it that is set to have that folder as it's default save to (or open from) location and when it doesn't find it, it makes it or restores it.*
> 
> To me those are the only options that make sense with the info. given.
> 
> Or...oh yeah...unless you have gnomes, it could be the gnomes.


There sure could be something to that. A DLL "link" so that when you opened the music player it "linked" to that folder. Something like that. So THAT Program is wanting it to stay.
Just reaching here, but there HAS to be something up with THAT Folder, so it doesn't want to get deleted. Or it is "Locked" or something so it can't be "thrown Away"


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

The last thing I can think of is that if it isn't a system folder or turned into one...and if it doesn't seem like any program(s) is/are set to use it as any sort of default folder then there might be a wacky entry in the windows prefetch folder thus recreating it every time the machine is booted. Or a residual entry from when it was or might have been used as a default location from a program. That's all I got.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Say, for example, the folder that recurs is C:\My Wonderful Music
Start/Search/All Files and Folders/A word or phrase in the file/ C:\My Wonderful Music
IIRC, it won't search the registry or WIN.INI or a few others, so to do those manually
Start/Run/MSconfig
Look through all the entries.
Unless you know what you are doing, stay out of the registry. The problem isn't severe, just a minor annoyance and curiosity.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

I had a computer with the same problem. Eventually it died and we replaced it, but the folder was still on the desk top still.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Reboot in safe mode and delete it from there. Then empty the trash from safe mode as well. Reboot and check if that worked.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

I will try that in safe mode and see if it works


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

I deleted it in safe mode and rebooted. It came back. Now what?


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Wow, that's one pesky folder....

When you right click and view properties, click the advanced button, what does it say there?


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Also, these songs.. Was this a download folder for Windows music player? As in you stored files in there that WMP used?


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

It says for fast searching, allow indexing service to index this folder. this line is checked off.

The songs were taken out of my music files in my doc. - Just copied to this folder on my desk top.

Going to church be back in a couple of hrs. (this is not in advance, just my thoughts lol)


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

CTF monitor. Lordy I hate that thing. (That is the fast indexing thingie). IMO, it NEVER should have been allowed as part of the OS, but MS has a hard-on for it and uses it for all of the office products and most of their other bloatware. Uncheck it - you can't get rid of CTF monitor so easily.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

Ok, I unchecked it and than deleted it. We shall see.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

Well, it's back. And the fast searching in advanced is checked off again. I am at a loss as what to do. I have never had this problem getting rid of a folder before.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

OK, lets go in a slightly different direction.

Get to admin mode if you have one.

Open a "my Computer" (Explorer) window. 
Find and highlight the folder.
Select "tools" from the menu bar
Select "folder options"
Select "view" and scroll down to the bottom
UNCHECK "Remember each folder's view settings"
UNCHECK "Restore previous folder windows at logon"
Click on "apply" 
Click on "OK"
Highlight the folder and delete it.

If the file folder on the desktop is still there, right-click on it
Select properties.
Uncheck "read only" if it is green
Click on "Advanced"
uncheck "allow fast indexing"
click on "apply" "OK" "OK" "OK"
RIGHT-click on the icon on the desktop and select delete, and then "OK"

Lessee what that duzz.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

Don't know how to get to adm. mode so I went into properties of that folder, unchecked read only, went to advance and allow fast indexing was not checked. I clicked apply than ok.

I than deleted it, rebooted the computer and it has not come back to the desktop yet.


Well that didn't last long. It is back

I can delete this folder with a file in it and when it comes back, it is empty - go figure.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

OK, try booting into safe mode and then doing the above. Safe mode is a restart where you press the F8 key for the options, or, IIRC, the Ctrl or windows key. The screen display will look strange but it may eliminate loading a driver that is causing a problem.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

OK, went to safe mode, unchecked read only & fast indexing. I than deleted it in safe mode and rebooted. It is not on the desktop right now but I will bet within the hour or perhaps tomorrow morning it will be there.

This is crazy!


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Be thankful it isn't an old girlfriend...


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

Frank. Have you even looked at the options in the program you used to listen to the music to see if that folder is a default location for it? This has been suggested several times but I don't see where you've investigated that. If you need help finding the options, let us know what program it is.


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

I have not looked at the player options because that is not the only folder I use for music but I will look at that tonight. It is windows media player. I can get to options but where would I find the default location?

I went home for lunch and started up the computer. The folder was not on the desk top and I thought - got it! 

Wrong!!!!!!!!!

When I did not see the folder on the desktop, just for the hell of it, I went into my doc and copied a file to the desktop. When I closed my doc folder there was the folder back on the desktop.

What I will do next is move the folder to a memory stick, take the stick and see if it returns.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Something is Linking to that folder and that is why you can't delete. Be it the WMP or something.
But it IS linked to something important that windows is not letting you delete the thing.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

frank b said:


> I have not looked at the player options because that is not the only folder I use for music but I will look at that tonight.


It may not be the only one, but it may somehow have become a default setting. If not for WMP, for something.




frank b said:


> I can get to options but where would I find the default location?


I know you said you have WinXP but I don't know what ver. of win media player you have.

However, if you are in the options for it..somewhere in the top tabs, you should have settings for the following, you should see if you can find all locations that I describe just to double check

Under "Rip Music" - there is a default save to location for this, see if it's the folder that your computer keeps recreating...if it is...give it another default save location...

Under "Privacy" there is a History option. Uncheck Music, then press the button that says Clear History, then the button that says Clear Caches, then apply.

Under "Devices" - highlight each cd or dvd drive one at a time. For each one click the advanced button. There is a selection for "store files temporarily to this location"...see if the offending folder is listed in there, if it is, change it, click apply. You will need to do this for every drive device you have listed in there one at a time.

You may not have put any of these settings in here knowingly, but check them all if you can...just to have it cleared out of the way as to whether or not this is the issue.

If you cannot find the tabs that I'm talking about for your WMP, then have windows media player open so the window on top of all other windows is windows media player and press the F1 key, you will get the help files, in the search box type in "windows media player options". You should find detailed help in there about where to find everything.


Obviously something is being told to create it. IF you don't find it in the options for the media player...next I would suggest that we try to guide you into listing what is starting up in msconfig. Those are the programs that start when windows starts and it may give us a clue as to what is starting so that at least you can check those programs to see if they are the culprit.

Good luck!


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## frank b (Nov 5, 2003)

I have found the problem - praise the lord. I went into windows media player and under rip music. the destination folder is the one I have been trying to delete.

I want to thank everyone who has tried to help find the problem. I would never have gone to window media player. Somewhere down the line I must have changes the destination folder and did not remember and did not realize I could not delete the folder.

Again, Thanks to everyone.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

:thumb:


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

frank b said:


> I have found the problem - praise the lord. I went into windows media player and under rip music. the destination folder is the one I have been trying to delete.
> 
> I want to thank everyone who has tried to help find the problem. I would never have gone to window media player. Somewhere down the line I must have changes the destination folder and did not remember and did not realize I could not delete the folder.
> 
> Again, Thanks to everyone.


Well, ahem, erm, that was my next guess.

Yeah, that's it. Yeah.

:happy:


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Kung said:


> Well, ahem, erm, that was my next guess.
> 
> Yeah, that's it. Yeah.
> 
> :happy:


 Me too, I asked if it was a WMP folder....


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