Windows 10: Deleting zone.identifier files

Recently did a backup of a bunch of files off of a failing HD using a recovery programs. That worked, but most of the image folders I have, all of the image files have their own Zone.identifier file attatched. If I try to delete it says this file is no longer located in this location. I have also used a bunch of zone identifier removing tools such as the one from nirsoft, streams from sys internals ADDs scanner which are supposed to remove files like this (Alternate data streams) but none of them find anything.

Anyone have any idea how I can get rid of these files?

:)

 

My files didn't show in Explorer

I copied my files from my external hdd to my PC. After copying finished, I can't find my files in Explorer. I changed the setting to show hidden files and tried use attrib /s /d -s -h command but I still can't find them. I checked my drive using Defraggler
and I see my files there, but almost all of my files changed into ~filename~.~extension~.zone.identifier. Most of my files are not downloaded from internet. I tried to recover using recovery apps but i can't open the recovered files.

Please help me, all my work is there

 

Deleting files

I did this ... twice ... within a few weeks apart. However, all the deleted files have come back again!!

 

For some reason chrome is saying the site thats on is malicious and blocked the file when I tried to download it. Either way copying the files to another hard drive automatically left the zone.identifer files behind.

 

The Softpedia download worked for me just now, so it will probably work for you. The MajorGeeks direct download links (2 of them) were broken, and both Norton and MS blocked me from accessing the author's website. It gets a 0/56 scan result at VirusTotal, which indicates that it's 99.99% safe.
HTH,
--Ed--

 

So, I'm having the same issue and am happy I found this thread. This program, however, is not working for me. It finds some zone.identifier files, but far from all (next to that, I can only delete them 1 by 1). Can anyone help me further *Smile?

PS. I recovered files from a hard drive, at that moment the zone.identifier files started showing up, its about 185 GB of data

 

I've tried to see if you can delete more than one stream at a time, it seems impossible...

But a shortcut to delete many of them one-by-one is to:
(Place your left index finger on the letter D, and keep your index finger here)
Right Click (on the stream) > Press D > Press the Enter (located near the mouse, with your right hand). That seems to be the quickest way for me.

 

Thanks for your response.

My main problem still remains, though, being that with this program I don't find the majority of zone.identifier files I want to get rid of.

 

You're sure that the files that that you think have Zone.Identifier files attached to them, have the Zone.Identifiers?

I guess you can contact the creator of the app and ask them specifically how does it find those files and why it cannot find the ones you're asking about. Sorry, I don't know too much about those files.

 

That's alright, no need to apologise. I happen to know for a fact that the zone.identifier files are there, because I can see them! I can, however, not delete them (from windows explorer). The files showed up when I was recovering data from my old hard drive.

 

Oh okay, I can see what you mean. If this has to do with separate files from the Zone.Identifiers included inside a file, then maybe I can try to help here (because Zone.Identifier files usually are combined inside a file, and you would use the app I suggested to separate the Zone.Identifier from the file to delete it). You don't mind taking a Screen Shot (Print Screen button > Paste into Microsoft Paint > Save the Image > Upload it here), for me to see what the file looks like in File Explorer (you said Windows Explorer; Microsoft has renamed Windows Explorer to File Explorer in Windows 10, just so you're aware of this little fact =)

 

Here is a screenshot of my Downloads folder. You can see that for a lot of audio files, there is a Zone.Identifier file. Don't mind the .mxm files.

 

Oh okay.

I guess I've never seen them separate from the file itself. You tried deleting the Zone.Identifier files, but they don't delete?

 

Also one possibility to consider: Whatever program that is creating the mxm files could also be the program that's extracting the zone.identifier files from the mp3s. Does that sound possible? You can check and see on that

 

Deleting the Zone.Identifier files separately does work! I have done this for my Downloads folder now, however, these Zone.Identifier files are all over the place throughout my drive; looking them up and deleting them per folder would be a drag. If it comes down to this, because there is no different solution, I will (have to) do this.