Cannot delete file with permissions listed as question marks

[mike_linux]

Hello, I have a bootTel.dat file which permissions are shown as a question mark. When I try to delete this file via $sudo rm -f bootTel.dat, I get the error:
rm: cannot remove 'bootTel.dat': Input/output error. Why does this happen and how can I achieve the deletion of this file? My OS is Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, THX.

 

[atanere]

This old thread is about a directory, not a file, but it may offer some insight to your trouble and possible ways to fix it, including restarting the smb service.

Google indicates that's a Windows file. Why don't you use Windows to delete it? That may be part of your trouble, especially with the old thread saying to restart smb (samba). Shutting down Windows with hibernation enabled is one of the main reasons Linux will refuse to mount or work on Windows files/partitions, but it may/may not be the reason for your problem.

https://www.msftnext.com/boottel-dat-file/

 

[mike_linux]

This old thread is about a directory, not a file, but it may offer some insight to your trouble and possible ways to fix it, including restarting the smb service.

Google indicates that's a Windows file. Why don't you use Windows to delete it? That may be part of your trouble, especially with the old thread saying to restart smb (samba). Shutting down Windows with hibernation enabled is one of the main reasons Linux will refuse to mount or work on Windows files/partitions, but it may/may not be the reason for your problem.

https://www.msftnext.com/boottel-dat-file/

The problem is that despite I enable hidden files in windows 11, the file gets not shown. It gets only shown in Ubuntu. I will check out your links and hope this will fix it. THX for now.

Edit: Based on the thread you mentioned I need to restart the samba server, but issuing $sudo systemctl restart smbd (and also tried $sudo service smb restart) returns Failed to restart smb.service: Unit smb.service not found.

 

[atanere]

Try this simple trick to be sure hibernation is not your problem:

Load Windows.
Choose Restart... not Shutdown.
Interrupt the restart to launch Ubuntu.
Now try to delete the file.

But this is really a Windows problem, not a Linux problem. You should use Windows for its own maintenance. You might find better help for this in a Windows forum.

 

[mike_linux]

Try this simple trick to be sure hibernation is not your problem:

Load Windows.
Choose Restart... not Shutdown.
Interrupt the restart to launch Ubuntu.
Now try to delete the file.

You mean in tty mode when Ubuntu boots up?

 

[atanere]

However Ubuntu boots up doesn't matter. You can run rm -f from any terminal if you know the path to the Windows file, or use a GUI to mount Windows and find/delete the file.

What matters is that Windows restarts, not shuts down. Shutting down enables hibernation... restarting does not.

If this fixes your trouble, you can permanently disable hibernation if you want.... but you may use it, especially if you're on a laptop.

 

[mike_linux]

No I am also unable to access my second drive called DATA2. So I am not able to delete the file.

 

[mike_linux]

I have issued $sudo apt-get install ntfs-3g and I am now able to access my DATA2 drive, but still cannot access my DATA1 drive. To be honest working in parallel with Linux and Windows, unfortunately is still in 2024 totally unstable.

 

[atanere]

If you're doing complex things, you may need complex solutions. If you're doing simple things, you're probably doing something wrong. You seemed to be having problems properly mounting your drives in another thread recently, and this may be an extension of that.

From my link above:

What is the bootTel.dat file?​

In fact, the bootTel.dat file has nothing to do with virus activity and is created by the built-in console utility autochk.exe, which is used to check the hard drive for file system errors. This utility is usually launched after the system partition with a “dirty bit”, meaning that the disk should be checked after rebooting or next turning on the computer.

It's an insignificant Windows file... why not just ignore it? Or ask Windows users why you can't unhide it and delete it from Windows. Maybe run a thorough chkdsk on your NTFS partitions as the link suggests.

To be honest working in parallel with Linux and Windows, unfortunately is still in 2024 totally unstable.

Well, I do it pretty regularly without much trouble, but not for a job. You have greater needs than I do. I hope you get it figured out, but I think it is Windows you need to fix. If Linux has some heavy-duty command that would force the deletion, you may damage your NTFS filesystem. That's what it's trying to protect you from. That's very stable, I think.

Hopefully someone else will jump in with better advice for you.

 

[mike_linux]

If you're doing complex things, you may need complex solutions. If you're doing simple things, you're probably doing something wrong. You seemed to be having problems properly mounting your drives in another thread recently, and this may be an extension of that.

That's right, I had posted a problem related to Windows in combination with Linux in another thread.

It's an insignificant Windows file... why not just ignore it? Or ask Windows users why you can't unhide it and delete it from Windows. Maybe run a thorough chkdsk on your NTFS partitions as the link suggests.

You can't, because if you want to open the file explorer this problem happens. In command line you can access the DATA1 partition properly. So maybe there is a problem with the file explorer and the permissions on that. Nevertheless, I will ask in an Windows forum to get some help how I can fix this.

If Linux has some heavy-duty command that would force the deletion, you may damage your NTFS filesystem. That's what it's trying to protect you from. That's very stable, I think.

Maybe you're right

THX for your help!

 

[atanere]

You can't, because if you want to open the file explorer this problem happens. In command line you can access the DATA1 partition properly. So maybe there is a problem with the file explorer and the permissions on that.

This is what sounds like a mounting problem to me... but maybe permissions is an issue. I am very unsure about permission on an NTFS drive when running from Linux. Is NTFS refusing you permission to delete based on its own NTFS file permissions? I dunno... I think Linux would laugh at that. Or is Linux refusing to damage your NTFS filesystem, as I guess?

Folks here will certainly try to help you decipher this if it's a mounting or permissions problem. I will keep scratching my head for awhile too. The error on your screenshot above clearly says you have a mounting error on DATA2.

But the Windows folks should help you to find out why you don't see this hidden file, when you have that ability enabled? And why autochk is creating this file in the first place? And how you can delete it from Windows? Because Windows file management tasks really should be done from Windows, not Linux.

 

[mike_linux]

Is NTFS refusing you permission to delete based on its own NTFS file permissions?

I believe this is only related to Windows. Maybe the file system protects Linux users to delete this file I am not sure but in Linux as you wrote the OS would laugh about it.

When I get a suitable answer from the windows forum I will come back and report about it.

But I would appreciate it, if someone had the same problem and has fixed it to tell us how.