My recycle bin is empty. I do a malware scan, and am told it is checking files in the directory C"/$recycle.bin these files list as they are being scanned, and there are a lot of them. I go to the command prompt, and do a DIR in the root directory. C:/$recycle.bin
does not show up in the DIR. However, i CD into the $recycle.bin directory and do another DIR. there are no files there. I do DEL *.*, and still no files are found. Where are the files that my malware program scans, and how do I access them? How do i delete
these files forever?
Try these steps to empty the contents of the recycle bin by deleting the files and the recycle bin folder:
a. Click Start,and then type cmd in the Start Search box.
b. Right-click cmd in the Programs list, and then click
Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or clickContinue.
c. At the command prompt, the following line, and then press ENTER:
rd /s c:\$recycle.bin
d. When prompted to confirm the deletion, type Y , and press Enter to confirm.
Note:The message "The directory is not empty" may display in the command window. Ignore this message as it is related to the creation of a new directory. The files are removed.
e. Close the command prompt window and restart the computer.
Method 2:
It could be possible that the recycle bin is corrupted. Follow these steps to fix it.
The steps below automatically creates a new clean Recycle Bin that will work properly again.
Note: This will permanently delete all files in the Recycle Bin for all user accounts on the computer.
a. Go to start and type “cmd” without the quotes.
b. Right-click on cmd and select “Run as administrator”. This opens elevated command prompt.
c. In the elevated command prompt, type “rd /s /q C:\$Recycle.bin” without the quotes and press Enter.
NOTE: For the other hard drive letters, substitute C: for the other hard drive letter instead. For example: rd /s /q E:\$Recycle.bin
d. Close command prompt window.
e. Right click on an empty area of the desktop and click on Refresh.
f. The Recycle Bin should be empty now. If not, then repeat these steps for any other hard drive letter that you have.
Test the behavior of Recycle bin to verify if the issue is fixed.
Method 3:
Scan your computer using Microsoft Safety Scannerby clicking on Download Nowto check if there is any infected virus:
