Deleted files don't show up in Recycle Bin

I have found the Recycle Bin in W98SE and ME is very easily corrupted, so what
caused the change in behavior this time, I don't recall.

When I delete files, at shutdown each day, my cleaner utility shows the combined
size of the files it cleans out of the Recycle bin, so I know the files are really
there.

But nothing shows.


Past advice in W98 ng gave this advice to solve the problem:
quote:
-----
Here is how to Deltree the Recycle Bin.
1. Use ME boot disk, start in A prompt
2. Enter "deltree C:\recycled"
3. Repeat for each partition you may have with a Bin,
for instance "Deltree D:\Recycled".
4. Shutoff, or EXIT to get back to Windows.
5. Create garbage.txt empty file.
6. Delete the file to recreate the Recycle Bin.
------
end quote

It does not work in ME, it works fine in W98SE.

Yes, I have checked "show all hidden files", etc. I have 75% free space on the
hard drive. Check shows no virus or spyware.

Advice?

TIA

MS

For a start I've never understood the need to boot to DOS to do this, as
I've always been able to do it from within Windows. In fact I wrote a batch
long ago that I use in both 98SE and ME (and to take into account a varying
no. of drives).

btw if you try this, the end is for working both with and without ANSI.COM.

snip

@echo off
cls
if "%bin_var%"=="1" goto loop
set bin_var=1
set bin_drv=c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z no_bin
call delbin %bin_drv%
goto end

:loop
set bin_drv=%1
if "%bin_drv%"=="no_bin" goto end
%comspec% /f /c dir /-p %bin_drv%:\recycled | find /i "Directory of "
if errorlevel==1 goto end

attrib -r -h -s %bin_drv%:\recycled
deltree /y %bin_drv%:\recycled
shift
goto loop

:end
set bin_drv=
set bin_var=
cls
exit
cls

snip

Shane

"ms" wrote in message
...
I have found the Recycle Bin in W98SE and ME is very easily corrupted, so
what caused the change in behavior this time, I don't recall.

When I delete files, at shutdown each day, my cleaner utility shows the
combined size of the files it cleans out of the Recycle bin, so I know the
files are really there.

But nothing shows.


Past advice in W98 ng gave this advice to solve the problem:
quote:
-----
Here is how to Deltree the Recycle Bin.
1. Use ME boot disk, start in A prompt
2. Enter "deltree C:\recycled"
3. Repeat for each partition you may have with a Bin,
for instance "Deltree D:\Recycled".
4. Shutoff, or EXIT to get back to Windows.
5. Create garbage.txt empty file.
6. Delete the file to recreate the Recycle Bin.
------
end quote

It does not work in ME, it works fine in W98SE.

Yes, I have checked "show all hidden files", etc. I have 75% free space
on the hard drive. Check shows no virus or spyware.

Advice?

TIA

MS

Oh yeah, it needs to be named DELBIN.BAT or it won't call itself!

Shane


"Shane" wrote in message
...
For a start I've never understood the need to boot to DOS to do this, as
I've always been able to do it from within Windows. In fact I wrote a
batch long ago that I use in both 98SE and ME (and to take into account a
varying no. of drives).

btw if you try this, the end is for working both with and without
ANSI.COM.

snip

@echo off
cls
if "%bin_var%"=="1" goto loop
set bin_var=1
set bin_drv=c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z no_bin
call delbin %bin_drv%
goto end

:loop
set bin_drv=%1
if "%bin_drv%"=="no_bin" goto end
%comspec% /f /c dir /-p %bin_drv%:\recycled | find /i "Directory of "
if errorlevel==1 goto end

attrib -r -h -s %bin_drv%:\recycled
deltree /y %bin_drv%:\recycled
shift
goto loop

:end
set bin_drv=
set bin_var=
cls
exit
cls

snip

Shane

"ms" wrote in message
...
I have found the Recycle Bin in W98SE and ME is very easily corrupted, so
what caused the change in behavior this time, I don't recall.

When I delete files, at shutdown each day, my cleaner utility shows the
combined size of the files it cleans out of the Recycle bin, so I know
the files are really there.

But nothing shows.


Past advice in W98 ng gave this advice to solve the problem:
quote:
-----
Here is how to Deltree the Recycle Bin.
1. Use ME boot disk, start in A prompt
2. Enter "deltree C:\recycled"
3. Repeat for each partition you may have with a Bin,
for instance "Deltree D:\Recycled".
4. Shutoff, or EXIT to get back to Windows.
5. Create garbage.txt empty file.
6. Delete the file to recreate the Recycle Bin.
------
end quote

It does not work in ME, it works fine in W98SE.

Yes, I have checked "show all hidden files", etc. I have 75% free space
on the hard drive. Check shows no virus or spyware.

Advice?

TIA

MS

Shane wrote:
For a start I've never understood the need to boot to DOS to do this, as
I've always been able to do it from within Windows. In fact I wrote a batch
long ago that I use in both 98SE and ME (and to take into account a varying
no. of drives).

btw if you try this, the end is for working both with and without ANSI.COM.

snip

@echo off
cls
if "%bin_var%"=="1" goto loop
set bin_var=1
set bin_drv=c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z no_bin
call delbin %bin_drv%
goto end

:loop
set bin_drv=%1
if "%bin_drv%"=="no_bin" goto end
%comspec% /f /c dir /-p %bin_drv%:\recycled | find /i "Directory of "
if errorlevel==1 goto end

attrib -r -h -s %bin_drv%:\recycled
deltree /y %bin_drv%:\recycled
shift
goto loop

:end
set bin_drv=
set bin_var=
cls
exit
cls

snip

Shane

"ms" wrote in message
...

I have found the Recycle Bin in W98SE and ME is very easily corrupted, so
what caused the change in behavior this time, I don't recall.

When I delete files, at shutdown each day, my cleaner utility shows the
combined size of the files it cleans out of the Recycle bin, so I know the
files are really there.

But nothing shows.


Past advice in W98 ng gave this advice to solve the problem:
quote:
-----
Here is how to Deltree the Recycle Bin.
1. Use ME boot disk, start in A prompt
2. Enter "deltree C:\recycled"
3. Repeat for each partition you may have with a Bin,
for instance "Deltree D:\Recycled".
4. Shutoff, or EXIT to get back to Windows.
5. Create garbage.txt empty file.
6. Delete the file to recreate the Recycle Bin.
------
end quote

It does not work in ME, it works fine in W98SE.

Yes, I have checked "show all hidden files", etc. I have 75% free space
on the hard drive. Check shows no virus or spyware.

Advice?

TIA

MS


Thanks.

That goes in autoexec.bat ?

The contents of that batch file looks, ...... complex, if not scary.

Nothing simpler?

MS

That goes in autoexec.bat ?

No, copy/paste it into Notepad and save it as "DELBIN.BAT" (including
quotemarks). Put it in C:\Windows\Command. Then, to run it, all you do is
type DELBIN in Start/Run and hit Enter. But (see below) I'm attaching a .txt
version.


The contents of that batch file looks, ...... complex, if not scary.

Looks can be deceiving! It is a very simple batch - however, it is for
running regardless of how many partitions a user has and most of it is
concerned with achieving that. It tests each drive in turn for the existence
of a folder called RECYCLED and if it finds one, deletes it. If you have
more than one drive you may have still more (or fewer) in future. This batch
would still work.


Nothing simpler?

The alternative to a batch file is manually typing in the commands which
isn't really simpler - especially if this is a regular requirement.

I'm attaching this batch as a text file, with inline explanation. Save
Delbin.txt and rename it to Delbin.bat. Place it in C:\Windows\Command, in
Start/Run type "DELBIN" without the quotes and it'll run.

Shane

Shane wrote:
That goes in autoexec.bat ?


No, copy/paste it into Notepad and save it as "DELBIN.BAT" (including
quotemarks). Put it in C:\Windows\Command. Then, to run it, all you do is
type DELBIN in Start/Run and hit Enter. But (see below) I'm attaching a .txt
version.


The contents of that batch file looks, ...... complex, if not scary.


Looks can be deceiving! It is a very simple batch - however, it is for
running regardless of how many partitions a user has and most of it is
concerned with achieving that. It tests each drive in turn for the existence
of a folder called RECYCLED and if it finds one, deletes it. If you have
more than one drive you may have still more (or fewer) in future. This batch
would still work.


Nothing simpler?


The alternative to a batch file is manually typing in the commands which
isn't really simpler - especially if this is a regular requirement.

I'm attaching this batch as a text file, with inline explanation. Save
Delbin.txt and rename it to Delbin.bat. Place it in C:\Windows\Command, in
Start/Run type "DELBIN" without the quotes and it'll run.

Shane



Thanks, Shane. My server does not see attachments, so I don't see anything but
your message..

Please post the text of what you did, that will help.

TIA

MS

Thanks, Shane. My server does not see attachments, so I don't see anything
but your message..

I must sort out webspace here and just post these things on the net so
anyone can take a look (which I've previously done for photos - and, come to
think of it, edited .infs for the Windows Security Update cd).


Please post the text of what you did, that will help.


Yeah, OK. This is the same batch but with comments interspersed - which I
should have done originally anyway. So, again, copy the text and save it as
delbin.bat.

Incidentally, I got a Recycle Bin error yesterday booting Win 98SE (poss. as
a result of fiddling with this file for Win XP and it did something to a
shared drive's Recycle Bin?). Although I ran delbin.bat to fix it, I had to
restart in DOS and run from there for it to succeed. In Windows it ran but
did not correct the error. It has always worked from Windows, in Win ME,
though.

The error was - showing the bin as full, but empty when opened and, though
the selection to Empty Recycle Bin was available,*not* greyed out, it did
nothing. Creating in order to delete a test file and then selecting Empty
Recycle Bin produced an access denied error. As I say, restarting in MS-DOS
mode, then running delbin.bat, fixed it.

Anyway, here are the contents of the delbin.txt attachment:

snip

@echo off
cls

if "%bin_var%"=="1" goto loop

:: The first pass is required to create variables and set their values.
:: %bin_var%
:: stands for Recycle Bin Variable, %bin_drv% for Recycle Bin Drive.

set bin_var=1
set bin_drv=c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z no_bin

:: On the first pass %bin_var% does not equal 1, so instead of going to
:: "loop",
:: the command processor continues, creates and does set %bin_var% equal to
:: "1",
:: and creates and sets %bin_drv% as equal to a range of all possible fixed
:: drives.

call delbin %bin_drv%

:: Now Delbin.bat calls itself (so that the batch is briefly being processed
:: twice
:: simultaneously). On being 'called', the batch starts from the beginning
:: again,
:: only this time the variables exist and because %bin_var% is equal to "1"
:: the
:: processor jumps to the "loop" section. The calling is done such that the
:: command
:: processor has been instructed to begin processing the drive list.

goto end

:: The original run through the batch ends, leaving just the latter
:: instance,
:: which now has set variables. The first ran to initiate the routine and
:: set
:: the variables. The second uses the variables to complete the routine.

:loop
set bin_drv=%1

:: Setting the variable %bin_drv% as equal to %1 sets the value to the first
:: in the list, ie "c". %bin_drv%:\ is thus equivalent to c:\.

if "%bin_drv%"=="no_bin" goto end

:: If every drive letter has an associated RECYCLED folder, %bin_drv% will
:: eventually
:: reach "z", and finally "no_bin", at which point the batch will exit.

%comspec% /f /c dir /-p %bin_drv%:\recycled | find /i "Directory of "
if errorlevel==1 goto end

:: The command processor is now instructed to seek a folder called
:: "Recycled"
:: on the theoretical drive currently designated as %bin_drv%, using the DIR
:: command,
:: and then to search the result - using the FIND command - for the string
:: "Directory of ". If %bin_drv% does not represent a fixed drive, there
:: will not be
:: a folder "Recycled" on it and the Find result will not include the string
:: "Directory of ". An errorlevel of "1" will be returned and the batch will
:: exit.
:: Now all eventualities are taken into account from the drive being
:: unpartitioned, to
:: the drive having all available drive letters in use and a Recycle Bin on
:: every one!

attrib -r -h -s %bin_drv%:\recycled

:: This removes the attributes from the Recycle Bin folder that would
:: otherwise
:: interfere with the ability to delete it.

deltree /y %bin_drv%:\recycled

:: Deletes it (without user interaction).

shift

:: Shifting changes the value of the movable variable to the next in the
:: list,
:: thus %bin_drv% is now equal to "d".

goto loop

:: The command processor is then instructed to return to the label "loop", a
:: self-explanatory label, as it causes the batch to do just that. Next it
:: will
:: search for a folder called D:\Recycled. If a D:\Recycled exists then
:: %bin_drv%
:: will then equal "e" and DIR and FIND will test for E:\Recycled, and so
:: on,
:: looping through the list.

:end

:: By now all drive-letter/Recycle Bin combinations have been processed and
:: the
:: batch is about to exit.

set bin_drv=
set bin_var=

:: The two variables are reset to nul, whereby they cease to exist and the
:: small
:: amount of memory they used is released.

cls
exit
cls

:: A peculiarity of the popular ansi driver PCMag's ANSI.COM is that without
:: preceeding the 'exit' command with 'cls' (clear screen) rather than vise
:: versa,
:: the command processor will not exit. This way will work whether or not
:: ANSI.COM
:: is in use.

snip

If any of the comments seem a little basic, bear in mind I'm trying to make
it intelligible to any who read it. Though in that I expect to fail vbg It
isn't helped by the way OE apparently wraps nonsensically. You may or may
not know that :: is the equivalent to rem and that lines in a batch
beginning with either rem or :: are not processed, so commands can be
temporarily disabled or lines added to be read as comments. I have just gone
through the text to insert further double semi-colons because OE screwed up
the formatting! If it's going to do that, I'm going to stop using it!

If the OE formatting pushes the comments beyond readability - or
usability! - e-mail me and I'll send the attachment to you.

I had begun answering your other question, as to why I prefer ME to 98SE,
but I've run out of time for now.


Shane

Shane wrote:
Thanks, Shane. My server does not see attachments, so I don't see anything
but your message..


I must sort out webspace here and just post these things on the net so
anyone can take a look (which I've previously done for photos - and, come to
think of it, edited .infs for the Windows Security Update cd).


Please post the text of what you did, that will help.



Yeah, OK. This is the same batch but with comments interspersed - which I
should have done originally anyway. So, again, copy the text and save it as
delbin.bat.

Incidentally, I got a Recycle Bin error yesterday booting Win 98SE (poss. as
a result of fiddling with this file for Win XP and it did something to a
shared drive's Recycle Bin?). Although I ran delbin.bat to fix it, I had to
restart in DOS and run from there for it to succeed. In Windows it ran but
did not correct the error. It has always worked from Windows, in Win ME,
though.

The error was - showing the bin as full, but empty when opened and, though
the selection to Empty Recycle Bin was available,*not* greyed out, it did
nothing. Creating in order to delete a test file and then selecting Empty
Recycle Bin produced an access denied error. As I say, restarting in MS-DOS
mode, then running delbin.bat, fixed it.

Anyway, here are the contents of the delbin.txt attachment:

snip

@echo off
cls

if "%bin_var%"=="1" goto loop

:: The first pass is required to create variables and set their values.
:: %bin_var%
:: stands for Recycle Bin Variable, %bin_drv% for Recycle Bin Drive.

set bin_var=1
set bin_drv=c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z no_bin

:: On the first pass %bin_var% does not equal 1, so instead of going to
:: "loop",
:: the command processor continues, creates and does set %bin_var% equal to
:: "1",
:: and creates and sets %bin_drv% as equal to a range of all possible fixed
:: drives.

call delbin %bin_drv%

:: Now Delbin.bat calls itself (so that the batch is briefly being processed
:: twice
:: simultaneously). On being 'called', the batch starts from the beginning
:: again,
:: only this time the variables exist and because %bin_var% is equal to "1"
:: the
:: processor jumps to the "loop" section. The calling is done such that the
:: command
:: processor has been instructed to begin processing the drive list.

goto end

:: The original run through the batch ends, leaving just the latter
:: instance,
:: which now has set variables. The first ran to initiate the routine and
:: set
:: the variables. The second uses the variables to complete the routine.

:loop
set bin_drv=%1

:: Setting the variable %bin_drv% as equal to %1 sets the value to the first
:: in the list, ie "c". %bin_drv%:\ is thus equivalent to c:\.

if "%bin_drv%"=="no_bin" goto end

:: If every drive letter has an associated RECYCLED folder, %bin_drv% will
:: eventually
:: reach "z", and finally "no_bin", at which point the batch will exit.

%comspec% /f /c dir /-p %bin_drv%:\recycled | find /i "Directory of "
if errorlevel==1 goto end

:: The command processor is now instructed to seek a folder called
:: "Recycled"
:: on the theoretical drive currently designated as %bin_drv%, using the DIR
:: command,
:: and then to search the result - using the FIND command - for the string
:: "Directory of ". If %bin_drv% does not represent a fixed drive, there
:: will not be
:: a folder "Recycled" on it and the Find result will not include the string
:: "Directory of ". An errorlevel of "1" will be returned and the batch will
:: exit.
:: Now all eventualities are taken into account from the drive being
:: unpartitioned, to
:: the drive having all available drive letters in use and a Recycle Bin on
:: every one!

attrib -r -h -s %bin_drv%:\recycled

:: This removes the attributes from the Recycle Bin folder that would
:: otherwise
:: interfere with the ability to delete it.

deltree /y %bin_drv%:\recycled

:: Deletes it (without user interaction).

shift

:: Shifting changes the value of the movable variable to the next in the
:: list,
:: thus %bin_drv% is now equal to "d".

goto loop

:: The command processor is then instructed to return to the label "loop", a
:: self-explanatory label, as it causes the batch to do just that. Next it
:: will
:: search for a folder called D:\Recycled. If a D:\Recycled exists then
:: %bin_drv%
:: will then equal "e" and DIR and FIND will test for E:\Recycled, and so
:: on,
:: looping through the list.

:end

:: By now all drive-letter/Recycle Bin combinations have been processed and
:: the
:: batch is about to exit.

set bin_drv=
set bin_var=

:: The two variables are reset to nul, whereby they cease to exist and the
:: small
:: amount of memory they used is released.

cls
exit
cls

:: A peculiarity of the popular ansi driver PCMag's ANSI.COM is that without
:: preceeding the 'exit' command with 'cls' (clear screen) rather than vise
:: versa,
:: the command processor will not exit. This way will work whether or not
:: ANSI.COM
:: is in use.

snip

If any of the comments seem a little basic, bear in mind I'm trying to make
it intelligible to any who read it. Though in that I expect to fail vbg It
isn't helped by the way OE apparently wraps nonsensically. You may or may
not know that :: is the equivalent to rem and that lines in a batch
beginning with either rem or :: are not processed, so commands can be
temporarily disabled or lines added to be read as comments. I have just gone
through the text to insert further double semi-colons because OE screwed up
the formatting! If it's going to do that, I'm going to stop using it!

If the OE formatting pushes the comments beyond readability - or
usability! - e-mail me and I'll send the attachment to you.

I had begun answering your other question, as to why I prefer ME to 98SE,
but I've run out of time for now.


Shane

Thanks, Shane. I'll give it a try. Basic details are fine with me, age and bad
sleep cause that.

MS

Shane - if you want, I'll put it up

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2006, Windows)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.crashfixpc.com/millsrpch.htm

http://tinyurl.com/6oztj

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's
"Shane" wrote in message
...
I must sort out webspace here and just post these things on the net so
anyone can take a look (which I've previously done for photos - and, come
to
think of it, edited .infs for the Windows Security Update cd).

Thanks, Shane. I'll give it a try. Basic details are fine with me,
age and bad sleep cause that.


No prob. btw I just tested in 98SE again and got the same error (a File
System Error). Running delbin from 'Restart in MS-DOS Mode', only appears to
half-work, in that when Windows restarts (which the Exit command automates)
the bin still requires emptying but now it can be, without the
aforementioned error. Curious.

I've had errors before, emptying Recycle Bin in 98SE - particularly via a
Startup batch or EmptyTempFolders run at Startup, though neither seem like
they would. I'm beginning to suspect that I haven't actually run delbin.bat
in 98SE before - because I've never had the need (but I thought I had run it
before for testing - now I suspect not).

Delbin.bat seems to work perfectly in 98SE from a DOS boot - as opposed to
'Restart in MS-DOS Mode', the implication that the error occurs if Windows
(the registry, I imagine) is loaded in memory. Perhaps, then, that explains
why users have unnecessarily stipulated that one should boot from the
Startup Disk to delete the Recycle Bin in Win ME - they're familiar with the
need to do so in earlier versions.

Since the point of all this was to del the bin in ME, I guess it doesn't
really matter that it won't work in Windows in 98SE - but I think I'd better
amend instructions in future to specify running from a pure DOS boot in 98
versions.

Shane