Cannot Remove Deeply Rooted Folder (132650)

The information in this article applies to:

This article was previously published under Q132650

SYMPTOMS

When you try to delete a folder, you may receive one of the following error message:

Cannot remove folder <folder name>: Access is denied. Make sure the disk is not full or write protected and that the file is not currently in use.

Cannot delete *.*. Cannot find the specified file. Make sure you specify the correct path and filename.

The directory structure for the folder you want to remove is longer than the maximum allowable length.

You may be able to delete the folder using one of the following methods:

Rename some of the parent folders that are closer to the root directory with shorter names, then try to delete the folder.
Run ScanDisk, then try to delete the folder.

You may also receive the following message when you rename a folder:

   This operation may affect some registered applications.

This message occurs for the same reason as the message you receive when you try to delete a folder. You can ignore this message and continue.

Modification Type:	Minor	Last Reviewed:	12/16/2004
Keywords:	kberrmsg kbprb kbui KB132650