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I have a $RECYCLE.BIN folder on my external hard disk that takes up space and contains files that should be deleted permanently. I know that I am allowed to delete this folder, but how do I do that?

  • I see the $RECYCLE.BIN folder and its files in Defraggler while it is defragmenting these useless (big) files.
  • However, the Windows recycle bin appears to be empty.
  • Doing a disk cleanup from the Properties-dialog of the disk shows the recycle bin as containing 0 bytes of data and doesn't remove those files.
  • I cannot see (and therefore not delete) this folder in Windows Explorer, not even when I can view hidden files.
  • I can't format the external hard disk as it contains lots of files I want to keep.
  • It is an NTFS-formatted external platter hard disk of a bit less than 1 TB.
Community
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Daniel A.A. Pelsmaeker
  • 1,572

5 Answers5

24

In Windows Explorer's Folder Options dialog, along with ensuring Show hidden files, folders, and drives is selected, you need to ensure the Hide protected operating system files option is not selected.

1

This should show you all the Recycle Bin folders/files marked with +H and +S attributes.

You can get rid of the entire $Recycle.Bin folder if you're an admin user or via a Linux LiveCD, but Windows will recreate it once you delete some more files on the same drive.

Karan
  • 57,289
19

The $RECYCLE.BIN directory can be deleted from Windows command line rmdir /q /s C:\$RECYCLE.BIN as described in the first answer to this similar question, although as a system virtual folder care should be taken. Also, it will get recreated upon deletion of files from the drive containing it.

Community
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gm2
  • 796
7

In Windows 7 to empty the Recycle Bin on your external hard-drive:

  1. Go to "Computer"
  2. Click on the hard-drive
  3. Right-click on the hard-drive
  4. Select "Properties"
  5. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup

It then shows the space you will save by deleting contents of the Recycle Bin. You can view the files or delete them.

The message on this tab reads, "The Recycle Bin contains files you have deleted from your computer. These files are not permanently removed until you empty the Recycle Bin."

random
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user269392
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1

When your external hard-drive is plugged in to your computer, you should be able to find the recycle bin on this external drive in windows explorer. Right click on it and emtpy recycle bin (as far as I remember, I have no windows right now).

Or the little more complicated, but always working, way: Download a very small linux live CD (e.g. http://gparted.org/download.php) and copy it on a USB pendrive (e.g. with Unetbootin). Reboot your machine with the linux live system on the pendrive. The system will start from this pendrive and you’ll be able to delete all files you want on your external hard-drive.

erik
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0

I got couple of advices and at the end i solve it. Here is how:

  • In Folder Option unmark the Hide Protected Files and Folder, as our mate above pointed out

  • Right click on Recycle Bin inside the external drive and go to options and mark the Don't move files to Recycle Bin, Remove files immediately when deleted

  • Save and you can now delete Recycle Bin folder.

Alen Šmit
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