I'm having a real issue with a folder on my Windows 11 system. The folder is named '........' and when I try to delete it, File Explorer gets stuck in a loop, endlessly searching for files. It says it's discovering 1.7 TB of files, but my hard drive is only 500 GB! I can't even open the folder without it redirecting me back to where it is located. Has anyone experienced this, and how can I solve this problem?
3 Answers
What's the full path to this folder? Also, is it on your system drive? Sometimes knowing the exact path can help in figuring out the best way to delete it. If you’re not sure, providing that info can help others give you better advice.
You can tackle this by using the DOS short name for the folder. Open the command prompt in the directory where the folder is located and run `dir /x` to see the short names of the folders. Then you can use `ren "SHORTN~1" "New name"` to rename or delete the folder, replacing "SHORTN~1" with the actual short name you found. This method often bypasses problems with corrupted folder names!
It sounds like your folder might be corrupted. That can happen sometimes with file systems, and it can really mess things up. You could try using the command prompt to rename or delete the folder. Just keep in mind that dealing with corrupted files can sometimes lead to data loss, so make sure you have backups! Let me know if you need steps on how to do that.
Got rid of it, thanks a lot!