Failed UUPdump install leaves huge undeletable folders in download folder

Hi folks
an abortive UUPDUMP left some strange folders in Download -- labelled bin, UUP, and some with various numbers like 5686 containing around 47,000 items and occupying a huge amount of space (>16GB). Deleting was impossible as "File in use or device busy". The original install was to vhdx file where I'd kept 68 GB for Windows - so 16 GB plus more on the other files is a large % of the space !!!!.

I only solved the problem by running another Windows system as a VM and then attaching the vhdx file I'd installed the base system on I could delete -- still needed admin permission though.



Not sure why a failed UUPDUMP install should be so hard to clean up and fix though.

(So all those VM haters --another good use for one -- clear junk off another system / install).

Cheers
jimbo

Likely you could boot to safe mode and delete them there as well

A Guy

Just curious if any of you have ever used
Delete.On.Reboot
I haven't used it in quite a while but it always worked for me.

glasskuter said:

Just curious if any of you have ever used
Delete.On.Reboot
I haven't used it in quite a while but it always worked for me.

Click to expand...

Thanks
It´s easier than the VM method . I've tested on another system and you don´t even need to re-boot

enter Explorer with admin rights= in the extras -- and it´s working properly




Cheers

and huge thanks !


jimbo

There are a bunch of things that occur in Windows that have "don't touch me" written all over them.
The files in the Prefetch folder, for example.

Usually, just taking "Ownership" will do the trick, but occasionally not!
I have one trick that never fails, but it involves things that most people don't even have, or have ever even heard of.
I call it my "Electric Crow Bar".

It's my DOS boot disk, with many of my old favorite Utilities on it. One I really like is "NTFS4DOS".
When run, it unlocks the NTFS formatted drive, so I can view the files, and rename or even delete them as I please, while I'm still in DOS.
Also on that disk is the password removal tool, and I shudder to mention it, the "Low Level Drive Formatter".
(Useful on the spinners, but not on the SSD's)

All that started out on a Floppy disk, years ago, but it's since migrated to a CD and now to a Flash Drive.
But even when running a High Tech OS like Windows 11, I still find DOS very useful.

Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage