Step-by-step: Fixing a damaged Recycle Bin
A. If the Recycle BinÂ’s INFO file is damaged, your Recycle Bin will appear empty even when it isnÂ’t. You can often restore a file in this situation by searching for the file by name (click Start -> Find -> Files Or Folders, or Start -> Search in Windows XP) and then renaming it.
If you still canÂ’t recover your file, try deleting the INFO file. This will cause Windows to create a new INFO file the next time you restart your system. When you reboot, you may find the files in the Recycle Bin are now accessible. YouÂ’ll need to work from a DOS prompt to fix things up. Remember to press Enter after typing each of the DOS commands mentioned below:
Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt to open a DOS command window. (In Windows XP use Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.)
To make the Recycled folder the current folder type:
CD \RECYCLED
To unhide the INFO file type:
ATTRIB -H INF*
To delete the INFO file type:
DEL INFO*.
To close the DOS window type:
EXIT
B. Your Recycle Bin may also appear empty if any of the files within it are damaged. In this case, you probably wonÂ’t be able to recover the contents of the Recycle Bin, but you can make it function correctly again by doing the following:
Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt. (In Windows XP use Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.)
Type:
CD \RECYCLED
Type:
ATTRIB -H DESKTOP.INI
To copy the desktop.ini file to your root folder type:
COPY DESKTOP.INI \
To delete the entire contents of the Recycled folder type:
DEL *.*
To copy the desktop.ini file back to your Recycled folder type:
COPY \DESKTOP.INI
To delete the copy of desktop.ini in the root folder type:
DEL \DESKTOP.INI
To close the DOS window type:
EXIT
C. If the Desktop.ini file is damaged or missing, you can get the Recycle Bin back up and running correctly by creating a new Desktop.ini file within the Recycled folder:
Open the Recycled folder in Windows Explorer (if you canÂ’t locate it, open any folder in Windows Explorer, select Tools Menu -> Folder Options -> View Tab, enable the Show All Files option and click OK).
Right-click in a blank spot and select New -> Text Document to create a new text file. Name the file desktop.ini.
Double-click the file to open it and type the following two lines:
[.ShellClassInfo]
CLSID={645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Close and save the file, then reboot.
A. If the Recycle BinÂ’s INFO file is damaged, your Recycle Bin will appear empty even when it isnÂ’t. You can often restore a file in this situation by searching for the file by name (click Start -> Find -> Files Or Folders, or Start -> Search in Windows XP) and then renaming it.
If you still canÂ’t recover your file, try deleting the INFO file. This will cause Windows to create a new INFO file the next time you restart your system. When you reboot, you may find the files in the Recycle Bin are now accessible. YouÂ’ll need to work from a DOS prompt to fix things up. Remember to press Enter after typing each of the DOS commands mentioned below:
Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt to open a DOS command window. (In Windows XP use Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.)
To make the Recycled folder the current folder type:
CD \RECYCLED
To unhide the INFO file type:
ATTRIB -H INF*
To delete the INFO file type:
DEL INFO*.
To close the DOS window type:
EXIT
B. Your Recycle Bin may also appear empty if any of the files within it are damaged. In this case, you probably wonÂ’t be able to recover the contents of the Recycle Bin, but you can make it function correctly again by doing the following:
Click Start -> Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt. (In Windows XP use Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt.)
Type:
CD \RECYCLED
Type:
ATTRIB -H DESKTOP.INI
To copy the desktop.ini file to your root folder type:
COPY DESKTOP.INI \
To delete the entire contents of the Recycled folder type:
DEL *.*
To copy the desktop.ini file back to your Recycled folder type:
COPY \DESKTOP.INI
To delete the copy of desktop.ini in the root folder type:
DEL \DESKTOP.INI
To close the DOS window type:
EXIT
C. If the Desktop.ini file is damaged or missing, you can get the Recycle Bin back up and running correctly by creating a new Desktop.ini file within the Recycled folder:
Open the Recycled folder in Windows Explorer (if you canÂ’t locate it, open any folder in Windows Explorer, select Tools Menu -> Folder Options -> View Tab, enable the Show All Files option and click OK).
Right-click in a blank spot and select New -> Text Document to create a new text file. Name the file desktop.ini.
Double-click the file to open it and type the following two lines:
[.ShellClassInfo]
CLSID={645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Close and save the file, then reboot.