XP: Weird Recycler (not Recycled) Folders.

[Dinosaur]

Windows XP Home Edition with Service pack 2

I am running Multiple OS’s on a system with 12 visible partitions spread over three hard disks. There are a couple hidden partitions.

All but one partition has a Folder named Recycler. These partitions have no Folder named Recycled, which is the standard I have always noticed until today. I do not know if these Folders appeared today or 6 months ago. Who pays any attention to those Recycled Folders?

The Recycle Bin on my Desktop indicates that it is empty.

Every Recycler Folder contains one subsidiary Folder with the following strange name.

• S-1-5-21-1417001333-1078145449-839522115-1004

Some have additional Folders with similar names. One Recycler Folder contains about 10 Folders with normal names & which contain files generated by Visual Basic 6.0 These latter files I do not want to lose.

Windows Explorer shows the strangely named subsidiary Folders as empty. A File Manager utility called Ztree shows that each contains two files: Dektop.ini & INFO2, which are normally shown by this utility as being in each ordinary Recycled Folder. These files seem to be some sort of control files for Recycle Bin processing. Windows Explorer is known to hide some data from the user. Microsoft does not consider any user intelligent enough to be allowed to know everything about his/her system.

My system seems to be running okay, but the above has me worried.

I intend to try moving the 10 normal folders and their files from the Recycler Folder to where they belong. I am in no hurry to do this before trying to learn more about what caused this anomaly and how to fix it.

Does anybody have any ideas about the above?

[Dinosaur]

Some searching answered one question. For NTFS file systems, Recycler is the name of the Recycle Bin Folder in each partition. For FAT Systems, the Folder Name is Recycled.

This does not answer the question about the folders with weird names contained in the Recycler Folders.

[ErnieK]

All partitons and drives have thier own Recycle bin (stick with this name for easiness). If you right click on the Recycle Bin on your desktop (Main OS drive normally C:\)and select properties you can set how to control it (all). Individually or as one. Alos the percentage of your HDD to allow. What you are seeing in your partions and secondary drives are the folder(s) that Windows creates to store the deleted items in for your drive and or partion(s)

If you open up the "Recycler" folder on a partion then the file inside it you can (or at least you should be able to) manually delte the contents. I can only assume that MS has slightly changed the name to help the user to differetiate between the main recycle bin and the bin contents on a partition.

To be able to "SEE" these folders you must be running with "Show Hidden Files and Folders" set to view. Unless you are really sure about what you are doing this is not to be reccomended.

[Dinosaur]

ErnieK: I understand the purpose and use of the Recycle Bin Folders. I unhide all that Windows allows me to see. While touching might result in trouble with computers & women, looking & seeing usually causes no harm. At least with computers looking does not seem dangerous, and occasionally seeing saves some grief.

I know the normal contents of empty Recycle Bin Folders. Windows Explorer shows them as empty, while my File Manager Utility (Ztree) shows two control files in each of them. If you have just deleted a file, Windows Explorer shows it in the Recycle Bin under its original name, while Ztree shows an alias.

BTW: One of the control files in Recycle Bin Folders is Desktop.ini Files with this name seem to be everywhere. My system has about 150 of them.

The Recycle Bin Folders on my system currently do not show what I expect. They show one or more subsidiary folders with very strange names. These subsidiary folders seem to contain what the Recycle Bin Folders normally contain. For one of my partitions, the Recycle Bin contains about 10 folders which I never deleted, while the Recycle Bin on my Desktop is shown as empty. The 10 folders contain several hundred files which I do not want to lose.

I will not know if I have a problem which needs fixing unless I discover why my Recycle Bin Folders appear to be different from what I believe to be normal.

BTW: On the subject of wanting to see everything possible on your system. On my Windows 98SE system, I modified MSDOS.SYS and on my XP System, I modified Boot.ini. The modifications allow me to see messages normally hidden by Windows Logo or Welcome Displays. On occasion, an important message occurs, prompting me to take some corrective action.

[ErnieK]

As with the allure and mystery of women, to discover the purpose of hidden files the temptation is overpowering.

Desktop.ini files are created in all desktop "views" the purpose and use of which is explain here
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...ing/custom.asp

If Ztree re-names them how do you know what is actually in your bin?
Have you tried dragging one of these items to the desktop to see what it is?

Do you have Norton (Symantec) security programs on your computer? If so these files could be from it. See this link for more details etc.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/rema...9999~start=100

To view the boot screen on Win98 all you had to do was press the ESCAPE key during boot to see the contents on the DOS boot screen.

This can also be done on XP as well. If I remember correctly you go to System Properties / Advanced / Startup and Recovery. Next you select EDIT for the SYSTEM STARTUP and add /SOS to the end of the line in the BOOT.ini.
This will give you the (my words) the old DOS boot screen with out the GUI thus enabling you to view all files as they are loaded and started.

[Dinosaur]

ErnieK: Thanx for the link to an article about Desktop.ini Files. It was interesting enough for me to copy it to a hard disk file.

I do not use Ztree to delete or move system files, although I occasionally find it handy when I want to edit a system file like Boot.ini It is interesting that you suggest keeping system files hidden, yet know about the /sos option

I do not use Norton Security software, although I do use Partition Magic, Boot Magic, & Drive Image (formerly PowerQuest applications), which are Symantec products. I think Symantec owns Norton now.

My file delete logic seems to be functional, although the Recycle Bin Folders are still peculiar. It looks like my real Recycle Bin Folders are folders subsidiary to the Folders named Recycler. Maybe they always functioned that way, but perhaps a concealing curtain has been removed.

[ErnieK]

In the case of hidden files, I, like you keep them showing. But when someone posts we are never certain exactly what knowledge they might or might not have so make comments accordingly.

I have these RECYCLER folders in my partitions and on my second drive as well, but inside them there is usually an image of the recycle bin and a long number (About 35 digits with dashes in between)

When I empty the RECYCLE BIN and then see items still inside them I just manually delte the items. This has not occured since I set a global setting for the RECYCLE bin.

If I set for individual drives and I delete some thing (for example) from my D: drive, I then have to manually delte the files on that drive.

[Paul Komski]

The S-1-5-21 numbers are SIDs and are used to identify the user that deleted the files shown in the Recycler (NTFS partitions) folders.

http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/nt...cepts/sid.html
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/229041/EN-US/

[ErnieK]

Thanks Paul
I wondered what the number indicated.