Temp filename too long to delete or move

Temp filename too long to delete or move

Issue:

When a customers is trying to delete the c:\stoneware\temp\ files in Windows, Windows is giving an error that some of the file names are too long to delete. The Customer can also see a similar issue when trying to make a backup of the c:\stoneware folder prior to an upgrade.  Windows gives an error that some of the file names, of files in the c:\stoneware\temp\ folder, are too long to move.


Solution:

Delete the c:\stoneware\temp\ folder via a Command Prompt instead of deleting the folders contents through the Windows GUI.
  1. Open a command prompt as administrator, by right-clicking on the Command Prompt shortcut and choosing Run as Administrator.
  2. Change Directory into the c:\stoneware\ folder.
  3. Use the following command to remove the temp folder: rmdir temp /q/s
  4. Use the following command to recreate the temp folder: mkdir temp

Another option is to use the 8.3 filenames to delete the folder.
  1. Type dir /x to display the short 8.3 folder/file names.
  2. Delete the folder using the 8.3 folder name.  It's possible you may have to drill down to delete the specific file name causing the issue.


We have also found a 3rd party utility named SuperDelete that can be used to delete the entire temp folder, getting around the 260 character limitation in folder/file names.