I have a file name on my desk top that I cannot delete.  When I try to do so I get the error message "Cannot delete file - cannot read from the source file or disk".  Looking at the file properties it shows 0 bytes.  It seems that I have managed to delete the contents of the file without deleting the title.  I have tried SEARCHING for it with no success.  Help gratefully received.
You should be able to delete it in Safe Mode, now when you are in Safe Mode and after trying to delete it, you still get that message. Just restart your pc and you will see the folder was deleted after all.

Now if it still hasn't gone do this>>>

create a New Folder with the same name & upon creation it also changed the ghost icon into a folder.
I still couldn't move the "ghost" folder but I was able to move the new folder onto the "ghost" folder which swallowed it. Then opening the "ghost" showed the new folder inside. I was then able to delete the whole thingThank you for this reply.  I've done my best to follow it, but still no result.  I'm not familiar with the "ghost" thing, so maybe I'm missing a trick.  At present what ever I do I get the same problem - the SYSTEM refuses to comply because it seems unable to understand as it appears there is nothing on the disk for it to read.This could be malware related.

Click here to download HijackThis.

• Save HJTsetup.exe to your desktop.
• Double click on the HJTsetup.exe icon on your desktop.
• By default it will install to C:\Program Files\Hijack This.
• Continue to click Next in the setup dialogue boxes until you get to the Select Addition Tasks dialogue.
  
• Put a check by Create a desktop icon then click Next again.
  
• Continue to follow the rest of the prompts from there.
• At the final dialogue BOX click Finish and it will launch Hijack This.
  
• Click on the Do a system scan and save a logfile button. It will scan and the log should open in Notepad.
  
• Click on Edit > Select All then click on Edit > Copy to copy the entire contents of the log.
• Come BACK here to this thread and Paste the log in your next reply.
• DO NOT have Hijack This fix anything yet. Most of what it finds will be harmless or required by the system.
  

Last thing - is there a way for me to flag this topic as sorted?