Getting Rid of Files in $Recycle.Bin

[vx_johnl]

After checking and unchecking appropriately in Folder Options, I can see the $Recycle.Bin folder and the Recycle Bin folder beneath it. The latter looks empty, but Properties says it contains 183 files and 20 folders, and occupies 2.64GB. My question is... how do I get rid of these files?

These files were previously in the normal Recycle Bin with 1,010 others. When I clicked Empty Recycle Bin, I got messages (one by one) for several files that "The action can't be completed because the file is open in another program.". I clicked Skip, assuming the files would stay in the normal Recycle Bin, and eventually clicked "Do this for all current items.". I found everything had disappeared from sight, but I could see by the total amount of disk space in use in the partition that most of the space was still in use. As above, I can see them summarized in Properties for the normally hidden Recycle Bin folder within the normally hidden $Recycle.Bin folder.

Using both Windows Explorer and Twin Commander, I tried deleting the normally hidden Recycle Bin folder (assuming Windows would re-create it), and got the same messages about the files (which I cannot see except in the messages) being open in another program.

The concepts that files in the Recycle Bin are invisible is baffling. The concept that they are thought to be open by another program is even more so. I suppose some in-use flag may be set ON for each file, without the files actually being open.

I'm running Windows 7 Professional with administrator rights. I've restarted several times, hoping that the cause is transitory and that I'm clearing it, but that hasn't helped.

My question is... how do I get rid of these files?

Thank you.

 

[i7Baby]

Go to the Recyle bin icon on your desktop. Click on it and then delete all the files you want to. They eventually dissapppear as you write new files anyway. And new ones will go to Recycle Bin as you delete them from your PC.

 

[vx_johnl]

Thank you, I know how the Recycle Bin is supposed to work.

The trouble is that the files I'm trying to get rid of are not visible in the Recycle Bin. I can see them only indirectly, filename only, one at a time, when Windows tells me they are "open in another program" (whatever that really means), and refuses to delete them and the folder they are in.

Also, I'm not as sure as I would like to be that Windows would re-create the Recycle Bin folder if I were to delete it to get rid of the files.

 

[i7Baby]

If they are not visible, then how do you know they're there? How can you see them - in somewhere else other than the Recycle bin? Where?

maybe they are open. Can you give me an example of one? Maybe you are trying to delete files that are part of a program. You should use Uninstall to delete programs.

I don't really understand your last sentence.

 

[vx_johnl]

The problem is solved in that I got rid of the files in question, but I still don't really know what happened.

I have never used Safe Mode, and so I didn't think of it for a while. In Safe Mode, when I tried to delete C:\$Recycle Bin\Recycle Bin, Windows asked if I really wanted to delete Desktop.ini. Hoping that not doing so might still allow deletion of the other 180-something invisible files occupying 2.64GB, I clicked Skip, and the delete operation ended with the Recycle Bin not deleted. However, Properties revealed a desirable result: the Recycle Bin now held only 1 file occupying 4KB, and the total space available in the C: partition was up by ~2.6GB.

I still don't know why the files were not visible directly, when they were observable indirectly. I don't know what process still had files open in the recycle bin, even after restarts. Obviously I can live without answers to these questions, but it would be nice to know.

To address your questions, i7Baby, please read more carefully what I wrote previously. It's all there. You may not agree with everything I did or said, but I did write reasonably clearly.

Thank you.

 

[Alistair Hansen]

Try this:

Step 1: Open Run
Step 2: Type cmd & right click run as admin
Step 3: Type cd C:\Windows\System32
Step 4: Press enter
Step 5: Type rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin
Step 6: Press enter

 

[i7Baby]

You don't delete the folder. Just the files.