Cannot delete file. Says "Item Not Found Could not find this item Verify this item's location and try again."

Anonymous
2010-01-01T14:35:26+00:00

Cannot delete file.  Says "Item Not Found Could not find this item Verify this item's location and try again."

I had this file sent to me from my friend - it's a word document I had on their computer.  So I tried using Disk Cleanup to delete temporary files, temp internet files, and downloaded program files.  Doesn't work.

When I check properties, there is no security tab, so I can't transfer ownership that way.

I also don't want to experiment using the Command Prompt way of transferring ownership since the file's name is several sentences long.  I can't rename it either, of course.

Windows 7, a week in and I've already got a stupid glitch which has already wasted an hour of my time.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2011-01-25T20:37:12+00:00

What i did was create a notepad file that was blank and saved it at the same location as the file that wont go away.  once saved.  I right click the new file and rename it to the exact name as the problem file.  Be sure to change the file extension (ex: .doc)

ex problem file: word.doc

new file: word.doc

as long as they match eachother exactly you should see the problem file disappear and once thats gone you can delete the new file created.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-03-05T10:35:16+00:00

    install 7-zip file manager,

    rename the problem file from right click,

    close 7-zip,

    go to the file location,

    delete it.

    boom you got yourself an easy life :)

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-11-09T20:44:26+00:00

    Hi everyone,

    Ive been struggling with this problem for way longer than I care to admit, and while reading the posts here, I have figured out an alternative solution to delete these annoying files (or folders.. the solution works for both so it seems).

    Basically I selected the folders in question, right-click on them and created a .rar archive from the files (my winrar is set to automatically delete the original files after its done archiving). When the .rar file is created, winrar simply  deletes the problematic files without any problem, and you can just delete the newly created .rar file...

    Im actually surprised that this works, and dont ask why I didnt try this for many months before.. I hope this works universally on every Windows version. (I had the problem using both Win7 and 8.1).

    Cheers!

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-01-30T04:08:51+00:00

    Well I ended up finding a solution.. I noticed a lot of people in different threads were mentioning something about this program called "Unlocker." I am a skeptic when it comes to downloading random programs on my computer, so I held off on this program until I tried just about everything. So if you have the same problem I did and none of these suggestions worked for you then I suggest downloading Unlocker. It an amazing program, take my word for it. I am keeping it on my computer in case I encounter this problem again!

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-08-26T20:21:54+00:00

    I still haven't resolved this... I would appreciate hearing your solution Dave-O

    thanks

    SMP

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