Hello All

Just wondering if anyone knows how to delete folders that are more than 255 characters deeps.

I'm restoring a stuffed raid, as part of the restore it's gone a little nuts with some folders.

I have heaps of folders that are way longer than 255, and deleting them manually is a pain in the ass.

Just wondering if anyone know of a prog, that will truncate them.

Regards,
Scott

Scott Harris writes...

Just wondering if anyone know of a prog, that will truncate them.

For future reference here is the spill from the relevant MS KB article

Resolution 1: Use an auto-generated 8.3 name to access the file

To resolve this issue, you may want to use the auto-generated 8.3 name to access the file. This resolution may be the easiest resolution if the path is deep because the folder names are too long. If the 8.3 path is also too long or if 8.3 names have been disabled on the volume, go to Resolution 2.

For additional information about disabling 8.3 file names on NTFS volumes, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
121007 (support.microsoft.com/kb/121007) How to disable the 8.3 name creation on NTFS partitions

Resolution 2: Rename or move a deep folder
To resolve this issue, rename the folder so that the target files that are deeper than the MAX_PATH no longer exist. If you do this, start at the root folder (or any other convenient place), and then rename folders so that they have shorter names. If this step does not resolve this issue (for example, if a file is more than 128 folders deep), go to Resolution 3.


Btw what MS means by 8.3 names is say I had a folder abcdefaghijklm it would be abcdef~1, and if you had abcdefzzzzzzzzz that would be abcdef~2.

You can then use batch files to work with those files as you see fit.

If the partitions are FAT I would use a Linux live cd myself. If it is NTFS, stick to
windows.

Edit: Apologies for making that over complex, the solution below will work fine for deleting, I focused on working with the files. I just tested it by making a 500 char long file path using Linux and deleting it using Windows.

open the command prompt, then:

C:\> rmdir /s /q c:\your\directory\deletethis

thanks for your replies

but rmdir /s /q doesn't work, i've already tried that.

These directories are bloody huge, for exmaple

some are over 50 folders deeps and the folder names are 20 char longs.

they look like this.

7000.232___23232.4_0003.00001

any like i said 50 deep.

There must be a program out there that can find these directories and delete them or truncate them to a manageable size.

At least i hope there is :).

Scott

Scott Harris writes...

There must be a program out there that can find these directories and delete them or truncate them to a manageable size.

I've done a fair bit of looking and I can't seem to find one.

Something worth trying though is going to the top of a large group of folders nearest to the 255 limit you can get to and running the subst command.

e.g. subst X: "C:\really\long\path\that\is about 250 characters\"

then change to X: and run rmdir /s /q from there and keep moving down the tree as needed.

to remove the substituted drives use subst X: /d

try doing a dir /x

it will then give you the representation in 8.3 format which will allow you to remove/delete things

damn just noticed someone said this :-)

narkotix writes...

damn just noticed someone said this :-)

You called :P

it will then give you the representation in 8.3 format which will allow you to remove/delete things

The problem more seems to be with the rmdir (deltree replacement) command and the api calls it uses to delete the files, they must be limited in terms of directory depth or path length.

Hence you want to shorten one or more of those if possible.

Hello All

I found the easiest way to delete these dam directories was just keep renaming them.

So after a few hours and renames thousands of folders, i've deleted them all.

MY fingers are killing me and my brain feels like i've been playing bf2 48 hours straight.

The answer the my question is there is no easy way. Better off avoiding it from the start.

But it's done.
Thanks for your help.

Scott

LOL.... I was going to suggest something like FAR (from the makers of RAR)... a replacement to the good old DOS semi-GUI file managers.

Might have helped, but it's done now.... so it doesn't really matter :)

i tried the old dos Disk Commander. It didn't work.

I was almost able to save you some typing last night but Windows threw a BSOD after I had written the batch files but before I could post or save the damn things.

It wasn't a fully automated solution and it was kind of ugly but it probably would've worked.

the subst command might have helped.

If you had files in a subdirectory which was called e.g. This\is\a\very\long\file\name\whic­ h\will\eventually\reach\or\exceed\­ the\twohundredandfifty-five\charac­ ter\path\and\file\name\length\impo­ sed\by\the\command\shell\in\window­ s\but\if\the\sub-folders\and\files­ \are\all\in\different\branches\fro­ m\the\root\then\the\proposed\metho­ d\would\not\work\as\the\remaining\­ path\must\still\be\less\than\255ch­ aracters

(Ignore any spaces which Whirlpool automatically adds to long text)
then you could use e.g. subst m: This\is\a\very\long\file\name\whic­ h\will\eventually\reach\or\exceed\­ the\twohundredandfifty-five\charac­ ter\path\and\file\name\length\impo­ sed\by\the\command\shell\in\window­ s\but\if\the\sub-folders

and then
m:\and\files\are\all\in\different\­ branches\from\the\root\then\the\pr­ oposed\method\would\not\work\as\th­ e\remaining\path\must\still\be\les­ s\than\255characters

is less than the 255 limit.

i ended up finding that just continually moving the folders to the root of the drive was quickest.

For example, i would move the folder that was as deep as i could go, then deleted it. Then i would go to the moved folder, go in as deep as i could go then move it and then delete it.

Was quicker and easier of the brain than renaming all of them.

I wish i could has remember how to create a batch file to do the job, but i thought it would take me just as long to create the batch file as it would be to just fix the problem. :)

Scott

Scott Harris writes...

but i thought it would take me just as long to create the batch file as it would be to just fix the problem. :)

Fair Enough. It is sometimes in those situations you learn the most, but unfortuantley have the least time to learn it :P

For example, i would move the folder that was as deep as i could go, then deleted it. Then i would go to the moved folder, go in as deep as i could go then move it and then delete it.

Ended up being very similiar to my intention with the subst command, if a little more convulted.