V12 cannot delete files from recycle bins

[Vladislav]

After updating FFS to version 12.0, the program cannot delete files from the recycle bin of the user on whose behalf it is running. I created a task a long time ago that shows the contents of the recycle bins on all local drives of the terminal server in the left half of the window, the paths in the right half are empty. I manually select all the folders and files in all the bins of all users, leaving the root folders named the same as the users' SIDs, press Alt+Left to mark them for deletion, and sync. Currently, FFS either gives an error related the attributes of files in my own bins, or simply does not delete files without any messages.

[therube]

(Not that I know what the behavior was before, but...)

I'll confirm the current condition - kind of.
This is on a local disk, Win7.

What happened is that the "data items", $R*.* in recycle.bin speak, were deleted.
(Not sure what the Log should show, offhand, but nothing showed up in the Log.)

What was left were the very same "index items", the $I*.* in recycle.bin speak.
Those remained, & ended up highlighted, which I guess is OK, except odd that they were highlighted, because those were not actually selected, only the $R*.* items were.

If I then Alt+Left & try to "sync" (delete) those $I*.* entries, I get:

Cannot read the attributes of "".
ERROR_PATH_NOT_FOUND: The system cannot find the path specified. [GetFileAttributes]


I'm not quite sure just what I did to accomplish the above, but I did, heh.

LET ME GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN...

Time 2.

This time (& I dated all the files, 2-9-2023), went through (seemingly) the same scenario...

Selected the files, Alt+Left #1, sync dialog shows I'll delete 42 files from Left #2.

#3 is odd, cause it says "Source" folder not found.
But in fact it is the Target folder? Is it? Considering the actions that will happen are to the items on the Left? Anyhow.

#4 again references Source folder.
#5 shows all the files that were selected, remain.
#6, I tried some of the $I*.* files, & got the same results, that nothing got deleted (though not any "ERROR_PATH_NOT_FOUND" like my first attempt?)

Oh, & I did remove *recycle.bin* from the Exclude list.
.

FFS delete from Recyclebin.png (167.76 KiB) Viewed 493 times

[Zenju]

@therube: works as designed. FreeFileSync won't go through with a sync, if the source folder (on the right in this case) is not existing. Otherwise things like temporary network drops could result in data loss.

[therube]

OK, in that case, I created the Target end first, & it worked.
.

FFS delete from Recyclebin WORKS if done correctly.png (106.98 KiB) Viewed 472 times

[Vladislav]

Did I understand correctly that this is a new version 12 behavior algorithm? In previous versions for many years there were no problems with the above task.

If so, what is the correct way to create my task to empty the users' recycle bins (without deleting the bins themselves)? Just set a specially created empty folder in the right half of the window?

[therube]

I have no idea if there was a change, as I had never tried anything like what you described before.

Though on my end, by creating the empty directory on the right did allow the deletions to occur.

Is there a particular reason you are using FFS to do this rather then some other method?
NirCmd sounds right.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9238953/how-to-empty-recyclebin-through-command-prompt