Suggestion / Bug: Filter . extension by default on Windows

Posts: 3 · BikeHelmet 22 Nov 2021, 12:08

Just a suggestion - it may be worthwhile to add *. as a default exclusion on Windows. While Linux, MacOS, and even earlier versions of Windows like WinXP were capable of handling these files, new Windows stumbles on them. Windows expects either a .extension or a blank filename, but never a file ending in a period. FreeFileSync happily created one or two of these when syncing from an old WinXP drive, but Windows was unable to comprehend what they are, so I now have some 0 byte files sitting around that are undeletable using any tool.

The solution is to reformat E drive, so instead I will just leave the undeletable files in their now undeletable folder and never touch that folder structure again. I'll immediately update all my FreeFileSync plans to exclude *. though!...

Just wanted to let the devs know so that they can set up the default configuration to be safer.

(Win10 Pro v21H1)

Posts: 3639 · xCSxXenon 22 Nov 2021, 15:54

Well that's interesting! I wonder how Windows was even able to copy it over in the first place

Posts: 3639 · xCSxXenon 22 Nov 2021, 15:57

Try this in an admin cmd window:
del "\\?\E:\Stuff\People\_Clients\xxxxxx\Dump from Dying WinXP Vista PC\C Drive\xxxxxx\My Documents."

Posts: 3639 · xCSxXenon 22 Nov 2021, 15:57

Of course replace the xxxxxx with your redacted info

Posts: 3 · BikeHelmet 22 Nov 2021, 22:03

Heh... nobody claimed that Windows lets you do things that are smart or safe! They are 0 bytes, so I'd think it wasn't able to copy them over properly. It stumbled as soon as it made the filesystem entry that makes them show up as 0 byte files.

I didn't get to try that command, as I finally found a solution this morning. I had been trying to rename or delete it in cmd, powershell, explorer, notepad, notepad++, libreoffice, etc. - I finally stumbled across a program able to add to its file extension... 7-Zip. I don't know what it does differently, but an admin 7-zip file manager window was able to rename the files to .x, and then they immediately deleted as normal in Explorer. Yay, work-around discovered!

They're still very unsafe and annoying files, though! Win10 does not like them! (Probably Win7 onward, possibly Vista too.)

Posts: 71 · Giangi 23 Nov 2021, 13:01

earlier versions of Windows like WinXP were capable of handling these files, new Windows stumbles on them. Windows expects either a .extension or a blank filename, but never a file ending in a period. BikeHelmet, 22 Nov 2021, 12:08

Uhm... I just tried on an old virtual WinXP and I simply wasn't able to create a file ending with a dot!
I guess the original files have been created with a "3rd party" application or another OS...

Posts: 948 · therube 23 Nov 2021, 16:41

A file name ending with a dot (or even spaces) is perfectly legal.
That Windows itself may not deal with them nicely is a different matter entirely.
7-zip is a very useful tool.
(I just discovered that 7-zip can "see" .flv (media) files, extracting the audio & video portions.
I suppose that is "known" - but I never knew it.)

Windows Illegal Character Help

Posts: 7058 · Zenju 25 Nov 2021, 11:13

Try this in an admin cmd window:
del "\\?\E:\Stuff\People\_Clients\xxxxxx\Dump from Dying WinXP Vista PC\C Drive\xxxxxx\My Documents." xCSxXenon, 22 Nov 2021, 15:57

Either this, or just use FreeFileSync (and delete manually)...

Posts: 3 · BikeHelmet 25 Nov 2021, 12:29

Uhm... I just tried on an old virtual WinXP and I simply wasn't able to create a file ending with a dot!
I guess the original files have been created with a "3rd party" application or another OS... Giangi, 23 Nov 2021, 13:01

That seems quite likely. The old drive had lots of radio software on it - much of that old software seems a little cobbled together, or at least it did when I dabbled with it. (AirMail, etc.) While recovering data I noted dozens of programs that I did not recognize - I would guess that the code in one of them lacks many sanity checks.

Ex:
http://siriuscyber.net/airmail/