Unable to empty recycle bin

[InNeedOfHelp]

Well I've got a really annoying problem. I can't empty my recycle bin. I recently deleted a folder from my portable hard disc (the folder is called: Adema.PROPER-RELOADED). Now whenever I try to empty the recycle bin, the following error message pops up: "Cannot delete the folder Dg6.PROPER-RELOADED: the folder is not empty"

Note! I'm from a foreign country and had to translate that, so that probably isn't exactly what it would say in english, but at least it means the same.

Now what's really weird, is that when I unplug the hard disc, the folder disappears from the recycle bin, and suddenly comes back again once I plug the hard disc back in. And no, deleting the file from the hard disc, then trying to delete it from the recycle bin doesn't work either. Any ideas about what I'm supposed to do to fix this?

[db]

maybe you can
move all the useful
data off of it,

then format that
device.

it might be a sign
of corruption that
you can take care
of at this time.

[ju.c]

How to Repair WinXP's Recycle Bin:
(change paths accordingly)

1. Open the Run box and enter: cmd

2. In the command window, type:
attrib -s -h %SystemDrive%\RECYCLER
press ENTER, then type:
rd /s %SystemDrive%\RECYCLER
press ENTER.

3. Restart your computer.

4. If you still have problems then download Doug Knox's
Recycle Bin registry file:

4. Double-click it or right-click and merge it into the registry.

[InNeedOfHelp]

Well I can't delete any of the files from that folder. See, when I try to take the folder out of the recycle bin, the stuff inside the folder remains in the bin (along with the folder). All I get on my desktop is the empty folder, with the same foldername.

Well I tried both of those methods, and neither of them seemed to work :( Thank you both for suggestions though.

Any other ideas?

I just logged on as Administrator in Safe Mode, and then tried deleting the folder. It still won't do it though.

Actually, nevermind. For some reason, it's suddenly gone. For good. It's not giving me the error message anymore. Thanks for all the help guys, that's really all I can say. :D

[Ron Rosenfeld]

With a similar problem, I was able to delete otherwise "stuck" files from the
Recycle bin by logging on in SAFE mode as the ADMINISTRATOR. (This would not
work if I logged on as myself, even with administrator privileges; I had to log
in as ADMINISTRATOR).

[John John - MVP]

Connect the removable drive and then:

Try deleting the recycler folder(s), Windows will recreate it when you
reboot. From a command prompt issue the following command:

rd /s /q c:\recycler

You must be logged on as an administrator to properly run the command.
If you have more than one drive you will have to issue the command for
each drive, changing the c: with the appropriate drive letter. If you
have more than one user on the machine all recycle bins will be emptied.
Use the above command on NTFS drives, for FAT32 drives the folder name
is Recycled, use this:
rd /s /q c:\recycled
If it still fails run a chkdsk on your drive.

[James B. Holladay]

Boot into Safe Mode and try deleting it there.
This sounds like a ghost file to me. I experienced this several years ago.
Mine was on my desk top.

Here are some notes I saved from my problem:
Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems:

Several apps have been known to leave a "folder" in My Computer after
uninstalling. It is a NameSpace item. Go to REGEDIT.EXE and the CLSID of the
icon will be under the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\mycomp
uter\NameSpace\

Your strange item should be in this area and be obvious. Delete the item
when you are sure. It is a good idea to export the ...\NameSpace\ key to a
temp.reg file first, in case of errors

You might want to do post for ghost folders

[InNeedOfHelp]

I've tried all of the above, and it still won't work. Something weird's happened though. Last night, I deleted this old movie called MacGyver - Trail Till Doomsday from the portable hard disc. Now the Recycle Bin is apparently empty, but it still gives the "Cannot delete the folder Dg6.PROPER-RELOADED: the folder is not empty" when I try to empty the bin. The only difference now is that it says "Are you sure you want to delete MacGyver - Trail Till Doomsday" first, not Oblivion.

Please include all of the older postings, thanks.