Delete all files with names that are more than 100 characters long?

Introduction

Inadvertently installing beta software can sometimes lead to unexpected consequences. One such issue is the generation of log files with names longer than 100 characters in each directory. This can take up a significant amount of storage space on your computer and make it difficult to manage your files. In this blog post, we will explore various methods to delete all files with names longer or equal to 100 characters at once while retaining those with names shorter than 100 characters.

Method 1: Using Command Prompt

One way to delete files with names longer than 100 characters is by using the Command Prompt utility in Windows. Here are the steps:

1. Open Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key + R and then typing in “cmd” in the Run dialog box.

2. Navigate to the directory where the files are located using the “cd” command.

3. Type in the following command: “dir /b | findstr /r “^[^ ]{100,}” > files.txt”. This command will create a text file called “files.txt” that contains the names of all files longer than 100 characters.

4. Open the “files.txt” file and verify that it contains the names of all files that you want to delete.

5. Type in the following command: “for /f “delims=” %i in (files.txt) do del “%i””. This command will delete all the files listed in the “files.txt” file.

Method 2: Using PowerShell

If you prefer using PowerShell over Command Prompt, you can use the following steps to delete files with names longer than 100 characters:

1. Open PowerShell by pressing the Windows key + X and then selecting “Windows PowerShell” from the menu.

2. Navigate to the directory where the files are located using the “cd” command.

3. Type in the following command: “Get-ChildItem | Where-Object {$_.Name.Length -ge 100} | Remove-Item”. This command will delete all files with names longer than or equal to 100 characters.

Method 3: Using a Third-Party Tool

If you are not comfortable using the Command Prompt or PowerShell, you can use a third-party tool like CCleaner to delete files with names longer than 100 characters. Here are the steps:

1. Download and install CCleaner on your computer.

2. Open CCleaner and select the “Tools” tab.

3. Click on the “Drive Wiper” option and select the drive where the files are located.

4. Click on the “Wipe Free Space” button and select the option “Entire Drive”.

5. Check the box that says “Wipe MFT Free Space” and click on the “Wipe” button.

This will delete all files with names longer than 100 characters and also wipe the free space on your drive.

Method 4: Using a Batch File

Another way to delete files with names longer than 100 characters is by creating a batch file. Here are the steps:

1. Open Notepad and type in the following command: “for /r %%x in (*) do (if %%~zx gtr 100 del “%%x”)”. This command will delete all files with names longer than 100 characters in the directory where the batch file is located.

2. Save the file with a .bat extension.

3. Double-click on the batch file to run it.

Method 5: Using a File Manager

If you prefer using a graphical interface, you can use a file manager like Total Commander to delete files with names longer than 100 characters. Here are the steps:

1. Download and install Total Commander on your computer.

2. Open Total Commander and navigate to the directory where the files are located.

3. Press the “Alt” key and select the “Search” option from the menu.

4. In the “Search” dialog box, select the “Advanced” tab.

5. Under the “Search for” section, select “Name” and enter “*.{100,}” in the “Containing text” field.

6. Click on the “Start search” button to find all files with names longer than 100 characters.

7. Select all the files that you want to delete and press the “Delete” key.

Conclusion

Deleting files with names longer than 100 characters can be a tedious and time-consuming task. However, with the methods discussed in this blog post, you can delete all such files at once while retaining those with names shorter than 100 characters. Whether you prefer using the Command Prompt, PowerShell, a third-party tool, a batch file, or a file manager, there is a method that will suit your needs. So, go ahead and free up some space on your computer!

Yes, it is possible to bulk delete all the files whose names are longer than 100 characters. Here are a few ways you can do this:

1. Use a command line tool like find and rm:

You can use the find command to search for all files with names that are more than 100 characters long, and then use the rm command to delete them. Here’s an example of how you can do this:

find . -type f -name "*[^a-zA-Z0-9]*" -size +100c -delete

import os
import glob

# Get a list of all the files in the current directory and its subdirectories
files = glob.glob("**/*", recursive=True)

# Iterate through the list of files
for file in files:
    # Check if the file name is longer than 100 characters
    if len(file) >= 100:
        # Delete the file
        os.remove(file)

In PowerShell, if this lists your files:

gci -file -recurse | ?{$_.name.length -gt 100} | select name | ft -Wrap

Then this will delete them:

gci -file -recurse | ?{$_.name.length -gt 100} | remove-item