Deleting Corrupt File

There's this .ePub file sitting on my external drive that I just can't delete. I've tried everything. It shows an error code -36 and is Zero KB. Does anybody know what this is?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Nov 30, 2023 11:41 AM

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VikingOSX

Level 10

128,730 points

Posted on Nov 30, 2023 12:15 PM

An .epub is not a folder but rather a single compressed zip file with its extension changed to .epub. Your current syntax is attempting to remove it as though it were a directory itself.

Try this:

sudo rm -f /Volumes/THE\ BOOMBOX/Corrupted\ File\ \[Do\ Not\ Touch\]/999.epub

sudo rm -f /Volumes/"The BOOMBOX/Corrupted File [Do Not Touch]"/999.epub

Assuming that path is correct. Just a suggestion… avoid naming folders with reserved characters (e.g. [, ]) that the UNIX shell interprets.

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VikingOSX

Level 10

128,730 points

Nov 30, 2023 12:15 PM in response to Himanya

An .epub is not a folder but rather a single compressed zip file with its extension changed to .epub. Your current syntax is attempting to remove it as though it were a directory itself.

Try this:

sudo rm -f /Volumes/THE\ BOOMBOX/Corrupted\ File\ \[Do\ Not\ Touch\]/999.epub

sudo rm -f /Volumes/"The BOOMBOX/Corrupted File [Do Not Touch]"/999.epub

Assuming that path is correct. Just a suggestion… avoid naming folders with reserved characters (e.g. [, ]) that the UNIX shell interprets.

MrHoffman

Level 10

160,037 points

Nov 30, 2023 12:08 PM in response to Himanya

Post the output of these:

ls -aleR@ that.epub
ls -aled@ that.epub

Don’t care about the filenames (if those are sensitive), just the ownerships and protections.

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Deleting Corrupt File