Windows 10: "The directory name is invalid" error popup

Discus and support "The directory name is invalid" error popup in Windows 10 Support to solve the problem; I am getting random error popup window "The directory name is invalid" with different drive letters. Anyone know how to fix this problem [img]... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Support' started by madmax2, Mar 11, 2021.

  1. madmax2 Win User

    "The directory name is invalid" error popup


    I am getting random error popup window
    "The directory name is invalid" with different drive letters.
    Anyone know how to fix this problem



    "The directory name is invalid" error popup [​IMG]



    "The directory name is invalid" error popup [​IMG]

    :)
     
    madmax2, Mar 11, 2021
    #1

  2. The directory name is invalid

    Hi David,

    Since you have rebuilt your computer, it may have made some changes or installed some updates that might be causing the error message "G: \The directory name is invalid". However, let's check if there is a device that you can remove in Safely Remove Hardware
    utility. Follow these steps to access the utility:

    • Press the Windows icon + R on your keyboard.
    • Copy and paste this 'RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll".
    • Remove any device that you'll see in the utility.
    • Restart your computer, then observe if the issue will occur again.

    We're looking forward to your feedback.
     
    Carlos Tin, Mar 11, 2021
    #2
  3. The Directory Name Is Invalid

    OK, here's my situation. I have a Western Digital (WD) My Passport Ultra external USB hard drive. I use this as a media drive on my WD TV Live Plus media player. For some unknown reason, the media player will sometimes corrupt files on the My Passport drive. The net effect is that a file is somehow changed into a directory.

    The problem is when I attempted to delete/remove the corrupted file/directory, I receive a 'The directory name is invalid.' error.

    I've tried the following:

    • Run chkdsk /f; no errors found.
    • Run WD Drive Utilities diagnostics; no errors found.
    • Checked dir /x looking for an 8.3 filename; no luck.
    • Taken ownership of the directory; no luck.
    • Tried a few file unlocker utilities; no luck (not reported as locked and delete fails).
    • Even tried an NTFS disk editor; no luck.
    I've spent the last three hours googling a solution. Nothing!

    Anyone else ever encountered something similar and found a solution?
     
    claytoncarney, Mar 11, 2021
    #3
  4. Bree Win User

    "The directory name is invalid" error popup

    Cannot Delete Empty Folder "Directory Name is Invalid"

    Did you actually succeed in renaming it, or did it fail with the 'invalid' error?

    Perhaps you can delete it by using its 8.3 name. Open a command prompt, then type cd Desktop to go into that directory. Now type dir /x to list the 8.3 names as well as the long names. Now try deleting it using its 8.3 short name.
     
Thema:

"The directory name is invalid" error popup

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