Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcdchg!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin
Subject: Re: help removing a file
Summary: To fix, do this.
Message-ID: <1990Sep09.033810.713@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 9 Sep 90 03:38:10 GMT
References: <1990Sep5.180847.21767@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu> <1990Sep6.163646.17499@dg-rtp.dg.com> <1990Sep6.183808.20578@Matrix.COM>
Reply-To: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Wheeling, IL
Lines: 33

In article <1990Sep6.183808.20578@Matrix.COM> abc@matrx.UUCP (Alan Clegg) writes:
>In article <1990Sep6.163646.17499@dg-rtp.dg.com> eliot@dg-rtp.dg.com writes:
>>In article <1990Sep5.180847.21767@zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu>,
>>harmon@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Jim Harmon) writes:
>>|> Could someone someone help me with removing a file. ...
>>|> I even tried doing `rm -i *` and it matches
>>|> zhangNevai.tex but says there's No such file or directory.
>>
>>If 'rm -i *' fails, it is a bad one indeed.

"rm -i" will fail quite often.  There are a number of pathological cases
(see one below :-) that will blow rm's puny mind.

>Well, I managed to get a file with a '/' (slash) in it's name to appear under
>DG/UX.  No problem, right?  Can't remove the sucker, can't mv the sucker, 
>can't even remove '-rf' the directory it lives in...  

One solution to this problem that I've used is to do a "ls -li" on the
directory, get the INODE NUMBER, unmount the filesystem (VERY important!)
and then, as root, use "clri" to clear the inode.  Then run fsck and
remount.

If it's the root filesystem, clri the inode, sync several times, pray 
to whichever deity you wish to honor, and hit reset.

This ALWAYS works, regardless of the crap you've managed to get into the
filename.  It's a desparate move, but if rm -i won't work, you may have to
do this.

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
Public Access Data Line: [+1 708 808-7300], Voice: [+1 708 808-7200]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.   "Quality Solutions at a Fair Price"