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File in $RECYCLE.BIN not showing in the Recycle bin

I have a disk that is full, I deleted file and emptied the recycle bin and it is still full.  Using windirstat, I can see there is 1.6G in $RECYCLE.BIN :

But when I go to the Recycle bin, it shows as Empty :

How could I retrieve the space associated with the file I deleted?

Hi Guillaume

My name is Andre Da Costa; an Independent Consultant, Windows Insider MVP and Windows & Devices for IT MVP. I'm here to help you with your problem.

Try these steps to fix it.

Click Start, type: CMD
Right click CMD
Click Run as administrator

Paste the following command and hit Enter:

rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin

Close the Command Prompt then restart your computer.

Right click the desktop
Click New
Text document
Delete it and you should have a new Recycle Bin on your desktop.
Best regards,
Andre Da Costa
Independent Advisor for Directly

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I don't think this is going to do anything.  There is nothing C:\$Recycle.bin.  

If I delete stuff in C: or T;, it shows in the recycle bin and I can empty it, but R:\disc\$RECYCLE.BIN still contains 1.6G after I empty it.

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Hi Guillame. I'm Greg, an installation specialist and 9 year Windows MVP here to help you.

Please post a screenshot of Disk Management, which I read like a doctor reads X-rays. Follow the steps here so I can see everything needed to advise you: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/foru...

If it's a separate disk then you can wipe it with Diskpart Clean All command:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/52129-disk...

You can also use wipe the free space created with CCleaner. See tutorial here:
https://www.ccleaner.com/docs/ccleaner/using-cc...

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. If you'll wait to rate whether my post helped you, I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

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I don't think it would hurt to try.

Check your hard disk for any errors:
Click Start
Type: CMD, from the results, right click Command prompt
Click 'Run as Administrator'
At the Command Prompt, type: chkdsk /r /f
Hit Enter
When you restart your system, your computer will be scanned for errors and attempts will be made to correct them.
Best regards,
Andre Da Costa
Independent Advisor for Directly

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Here the requested screenshot :

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I asked you not to rate my post until after I finished helping you if you wanted my help.

Disk1 is a 1tb data drive that has no drive letter and is therefore inaccessible. Right click in Disk Mgmt to add a drive letter.

Then remove the Active flag from the drive since it is only used to point to a bootable drive: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/197157-par...

As to the ghost files on R, does it actually affect the space available on the partition? If so move the files off and format the partition in Disk Mgmt again. You can also use CCleaner drive wiper on it to get it cleanest.
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What you post is false : "[...] has no drive letter and is therefore inaccessible" .  If you have read carefully, you would have notice that the drive is accessible, I provided a screenshot of the file on it. 

You are stating the obvious.  I did not need your help to know that I can go the store, buy another drive, copy the 930G over and format the first drive to get the space back.  If I intended to do this, I would not have posted.  The question I ask is it there is a way to retrieve the lost space without a reformat.

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A drive without a letter should not display in Explorer. We solve this problem every day here by having a letter added. If you are able to access the drive's files, what letter is showing for it in Explorer?

I specifically said you could use CCleaner's Drive Wiper to clean the empty space on the partition, so no one said you needed to format the drive.

Was it obvious to you that having the Active flag on the drive is wrong and could lead to boot problems? If so then why did I need to point it out? But you're welcome.
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I solved the issue, there is what I did :

I opened an explore windows in $RECYCLE.BIN

Deleted any file showed there (S-1-5-21-3585239589-2081378869-1654509911-1001 was hidden), they were in fact moved to S-1-5-21-3585239589-2081378869-1654509911-1001.

Opened the recycle bin from the desktop, I now see those files.

Empty the recycle bin.

Thanks to everyone who try to help.

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Last updated December 6, 2023 Views 1,054 Applies to: