windows 7 - Why can't I delete files that "do not exist", but appear in my download directory?

I've downloaded three videos. I moved them to a different folder where I put all my videos, however a copy of the files still show up in my download directory. I tried (in Explorer and cmd.exe) to delete them, move them, rename them, or open them but Windows says Could not find this item. so the file no longer exist in that directory but it still appears there. How can I remove these from my download folder? I have also tried to replace the file with another by saving over it but instead they sit next to each other side by side and I can delete either one but after that, the other can't be deleted. They also take up no space.

I am using Windows 7 and the files were downloaded via Firefox onto an NTFS file system.

Answer

I have seen Explorer showing files for a while after they were deleted, so my first guess would be that it was in fact deleted but left behind as a “ghost”.

If however the file is still present after rebooting, then it is not that. Instead, it could have been in use by a program, Explorer, or an anti-virus program. I would suggest trying Unlocker to release/delete it, but again, you said the file was recreated, so it would not be that.

Finally, I am left with only one option: a filename conflict. They are rare (they are not supposed to happen), but certain circumstances (like race-conditions) can lead to them occurring. In this case, the best way to deal with them is the same as when dealing with files with invalid filenames (like those with illegal characters in them or spaces in the DOS days). There are two ways to handle this situation now, both from the command-prompt, so open a command-prompt to the folder containing the files:

• Use > dir /x  to view the 8.3 format filenames and use that to delete the files in question

or

• Use wildcards like > del *problem*file*