So I'm poking around cleaning out the excess crap out of this thing when I run across a folder subed under one of the int. temp folders, not clearly named. Appears to be a programming lingo name. It will not go away. It shows 3 gigs. I tried deleting it, tried deleting the containing temp folder along with renaming it, even ran a restore back to a month and a half ago (it's a recent aquisition so that's a head scratcher) and it just says it's not there, file path invalid, sorry, can't delete it while trying to shred it or just plain delete it. Starting to piss me off a little. What the hell is it, and what does the label mean/say/instruct?
I remember a handly little program called "hack delete" (google is your best friend) a few years back to get rid of files that I couldnt get rid of normally. I don't know if it will work on anything newer than win2k, but it might be worth a try.
Oh crap.....oh Sweet Jesus....okay, don't panic...I've got a plan: Shave your head - then get plastic surgery. Then, burn off your fingerprints...wait...no, better yet cut off your fingertips! Don't answer the phone or the door. If you hail a cab, don't take the first one that stops. Let's just hope it's not too late. :IMHO!:
If this is an emergency--i.e. you're cleaning up a virus/trojan/etc. and you want to make sure to get rid of the folder--you can always delete the relevant user account. I had to resort to that recently to clean up dangerous crap on my parents' computer in a locked away TIF folder after everything else failed ($#%!%! Spymaxx!). It's an extreme measure, and care should be taken to back up things you want backed up, but if nothing else works and you really need that folder gone, that might work.
I dragged and droped the folder into the command line, and it said syntax error when I hit enter. I may not be doing it correctly. This damn thing is pretty hard to get to. Ok, a question. None of the boxes are checked in the properties, read only/hidden/archive. When I tried to check off on read only or archive, I get the invalid path box. When I try Change; Opens With, the "Always Use This Program" box is checked and cannot be unchecked. I sure don't want to lock something in across the board like that. Kinda stumped. Also, my HDD will get wonkey and seems to speed up sometimes lately and I'm not so sure there isn't something else happening like this folder excecuting commands in the background. After a couple of minutes it levels out if I don't shut it down first. I hate to seem paranoid but I'd prefer to know exactly what this thing is doing, and why the hell it's labeled as it is. I appreciate the help guys, I just want it gone.
It's been a while since I had to use DOS commands, but I believe what you're looking for is deltree "áƒÄ_££T_._±|" Note that you should use tab completion to get the name of the folder; don't try to type it yourself, as there may be non-printing characters in a name like that.
What does spybot s&d or ad-aware tell you? Try starting in safe mode (F8 during boot, not sure if this applies to ME) and deleting while in safe mode.
I've still got a copy and it is in the zip file attatched to this post. I can't gurantee that it will work, but its worth a try. If you get an error trying to run it, here is the file that you need to install.
Well, I guess all I can do is start over. I've tried everything I know and what was suggested and I still cannot make it gone. I'm contemplating just reinstalling and saving nothing, if I can get it to do that. Looks like I'm runnng off the server for a couple of days anyway. Stewey, thanks for that, it seemed to work Ok but when I went to temp int files it showed nothing in the way of folders, only contents of. Steve, Spybot and ad aware have come and gone from my system along with numerous other like programs though I appreciate the effort. They seemed to never do much for coming up with needed data for me anyway. O2C, everybody, thanks. I've looked through the reg files and came up empty handed there as well. Lotta shit in there, I suppose it's time to clean it out anyway, a lot of the shit was uninstalled long ago. I just hope I can keep the fucking Norton out of the works, that was pretty screwed up update wise, never would do it. Always got errors and it abandonded the task. All I get from anyplace I do manage to find it is "file path invalid" or something to the effect it's already gone, refresh your browser. Fuck it. I'll save what I can and reinstall or just try to get the XP to upgrade it. I think I need to put a new HDD in it anyway, this one has been singing to me when it loads up. I just can't help but think it's something shady, especially labeled as it is. It shouldn't be this much of an issue. Only other thing I can think it may be is a programming folder that got hiccuped out, but I'm thinking not. I wish I had taken programming classes instead of the repair classes, at least I'd know how to get in deeper than I'm getting. She's shut in now and I do not look forward to having to spend ten fucking hours plus dealing with this. Before I do this though, is there any way to get DOS to show all folders?
This is all completely over my head, but I wonder if someone tried to turn your computer into a zombie? That might explain why the thing is so hard to find and even harder to delete. Don't mean to go X-Files on you, because I'm honestly talking out of my ass on this one, but it seems to me if someone did that, that's how they might go about it. Anyone who knows anything about zombies is welcome to confirm that I'm full of shit!
See, that's exactly my chain of thought Mike. It wasn't there less than a month ago, and it's badass enough to override a system restore to before it was put here. Beats the hell outta me. I still seem to be able to get it deleted to the recycle bin, it just won't go from there. Must be a shredder or something that'll get to those files without having restoration as the only option. I have a Cutefile shredder but it won't do it. I also figure it's in my restore files so that'll be a bitch to find. I'm not 100% ready to take this task on, last time I did I lost a lot of data I thought I had backed up or had moved. I'm a bit wiser this time around but... Mommy, I'm scared. I'm going to try some more, after spending the last hour looking through what to move elsewhere for a save it's just astronomical what a mere 15G entails. Another thing is all of my music, as soon as I move it to the server, it'll be a bitch to move from folder to folder again. Damn record companies. It's MY shit. I'm going to try to find a DOS command for the recycle bin next. Perhaps I can get to it that way. [action=Caboose]turns to the other screen and pops his knuckles....[/action]
C:>cd/Windows/ then Dir/W or something like that not used Dos for a good 8 years That should get you in to the windows folder to show you all the files.
Well, I'm waist deep in it all having managed to pull up the directory and the sub folders a page at a time. Progress. I still haven't laid hands on the file yet but it's just a matter of time until I ID it. Then eliminating it without crashing the system will be fun. I think I figured out where it came from, my eBay address. It was sporting a yahoo/att logo well enough done to get me to click the link. I don't get any spamola there and running ATT dsl it was soooo shiney. It's offline for the moment until I find the offending item. Amazing how much crap one can accumulate in 8-10 years. What's also amazing is how much residual shit was left after deleting stuff like old programs. Google is raping me in there! More later...
google is a good player. I want to give them my first born child. (he's cluttering up the family room anyway) On the mystery file, have you tried editing it to view it's nefarious contents? I use HxD to look at stuff normally hidden from the commoner. link
Hmm, I think it only deletes individual files rather than folders and their contents. The designers intended it be for those annoying one-off files that just won't go away. I think in your situation, I would probably go for the full reinstall of my OS, a chore I do probably once a year to avoid clogging my PC with too much crap.
Well, it seems that when I delete the contents it shows no files in there when I know there are, I can pull them up in the folder view subed out. This is a well done job. When I clear the cache, it mysteriously refills with att stuff, similar to the shit on their site. I'm their bitch. Not for much longer though. Fuck it. Pulling the plug tonight and reinstalling. I'll transfer my mail accounts and that's that. All the shit I know I'll have to scramble to find again, updates for camera software, clipboard, a dozen other programs, ah man, hard lesson learned. Now to just move a few more things. Too bad my online storage place is pulling the plug. Oh, I've got a rant about the online storage outfit, I've used it for years. I forsee a new thread for that coming....
Oh, that's swell, I set up my main email account on here and the first one is always the Welcome To one of course, amazingly enough one more pops up. Yup, the one with the BS links on it. Learned my lesson, ain't clickin' that link. I don't know that I'd ever find in in XP, ME was hard enough, and there aren't as many options in XP it seems for digging deep. I did manage to get a good look at it on the other machine.... Oop, there goes the hard drive on it zinging away again, heh, not connected. Anyhoo, I suppose it's tagged into my address book. Only two of my accounts have come up with it, my eBay account and my primary, and the primary only did it when I moved it to this machine, it wasn't on the other one. Maybe it only hits one account, to keep it subtle. I deleted the message on the Dell, and then pulled it up with the notepad. Odd little note in there saying they had "covered every hack up to ie7" but I don't know for sure if it was from those guys. Fucking comics. Bugzilla? Ring a bell to anyone? Addy was some bot ala Yahoo. Pah. All on my laptop are clean so far. Nasty bugger. I guess I'm going to have to take a programming course. I hate not being able to ID half of this stuff.
I've been followig this saga from the beginning and I'm fascinated by it. Sad to say I'm having trouble coming up with a coherent story line. When you get finished cleaning up the mess could you help me out by in small words (and speaking slowly) explain what actually happened? That is: how did you get this? Who put it there? And what files were going into it that kept reappearing? How did you finally kill it? And what was ist actually doing? (Clogging up your hard drive and slowing performance or something else?) Was it spyware? Would Vista be vulnerable to the same thing? If you don't feel like reliving the experience I wouldn't blame you, but I am interested and it might help some other folks as well.
Mike, as soon as I establish the issue I will be more than happy to go through it, even if I find it means I've been a blooming idiot in this. My computer skills aren't that great, most of my learning has come from just getting in and investigating and trying to work through the problems when they arise. My only real issue is what the hell is this odd folder, I try to stay on top of what goes on in these boxes and am ever vigilant of any changes or oddities like a 3+ gig file in my temp folders labeled in what appears to be programming script with no create date, no access date, and a modified date of Sunday, July 25th, 2060, 2:03:56 AM on the properties that will not go away within the usual peramiters it takes to send it to Davy Jones' Locker. It's just a bit hokey to me, and there's been some odd behaviors it seems, or perhaps it's just paranoia though I don't frequent places that would be suspect. Not being able to remove it has been the clincher, and with the consistant bad file path pop up and it not going it has had me stumped. I just don't want to be duped into running some sleez, mailer or some such BS from my equipment. As far as where it came from, I am again questioning that. I sent the pages to att's spoof/phishing link and usually I get something back besides the usual generated responses from somone telling me if it's legit or a con. I haven't gotten anything from them for a week now and figure them busy but am not under the impression they will feel obligated to let me know one way or the other. The links that were suspect still are, but they may well be from att/yahoo and this is something aquired elsewhere, or perhaps like I said, something that was hiccuped out for some reason but I don't think that is the case thusfar. The emails dealt with security and ssl encryptions telling me to go to their links for a lesson on correcting the problem, but were labeled from Yahoo, not att/yahoo like all of the other mail I recieve from them. I am running the ports designated by them though I do get a prompt that the values of the servers don't match, would I like to continue y/n before it downloads almost every time. I have not questioned them about that but will pretty soon now, it does it on all of my equpment I have mail accounts on and since this I question their server certificates validation processes. I did find some info about 4:30 AM this morning that said the recycle bin may be corrupted, the messages are the same +/- but the steps to make a new bin I found thusfar are limited to 98, they lost the command prompt in ME that is needed at F8 bootup and I haven't followed up on that yet. If I can make a new bin and toss this one with the contents it seems that may do the trick but until I find that procedure for ME it's still a mystery. I have yet to find a way to look at the file's contents but suspect it will be just programming jargon I will be unable to decipher if I do manage to. With the exceptions of a direct properties check on the questionable folder the temp folder it resides in says zero bites, which is odd since it should display the total of both the temp folder and it's contents, it just says one folder/zero. So. I'll hammer on it some more tonight and tomorrow, I'm really trying to avoid a total reinstall but it may be the only way to be sure plus there's a lot of residual crap from uninstalls. SO much crap to replace that I use, but I did manage to get a lot of stuff migrated over last night. Being the putz I am I'm sure there's a quicker way but then I wouldn't get to see what makes it tick and learn. I'm just trying to find an answer and taking the actions within my limited knowledge that I can and trying to learn something along the way, as outdated as the information may be.
^^^Good luck with this. You may consider yourself a putz, but you're miles ahead of what I could do. I hope that some folks are getting some good out of your willingness to share the gory details.
