Unfortunately, it often happens that a Windows user needs to rename or delete some files and folders, and the system suddenly starts for no reason to display error messages 0x80070490 "The item was not found" (for example, regarding certificates) , although the user is definitely sure that this information is. We will figure out what to do in this situation.
Situations when the error “Could not find this item. It is no longer in ... (file path). Check file location »
Yes, indeed, such an error with a subsequent warning can occur very often. The simplest situation is the too long file names inside the folders when the system writes that it is impossible to move, copy, or rename such a folder.
And it is precisely after this that the message of interest to us arises that we could not find this element. How to remove residues? After all, it is clear that when copying, moving or deleting, the system nevertheless initially made such an attempt. Another thing is that it was not successful, which led to the occurrence of problems.
It turns out that in fact the folder or files on the disk are present, the system no longer recognizes them in the initial version. In addition, the message “Element not found” may appear in cases when any files or folders are blocked by system processes (currently in use), say, anti-virus software or the same “Explorer” (Explorer service).
Sometimes the situation may have a different character. For example, an attempt to delete, rename or move may not produce results when the system is logged in not under the administrator, but on behalf of another user with limited rights. There is probably no need to explain that a file with system attributes cannot be deleted, as well as documents created using administrator rights in the main account. So the message “Could not find this item” pops up. How to delete such files, we now understand.
In addition, it is also worth noting that such errors can occur after renaming, say, office documents. Programs, as a rule, remember the last few files, so when using the quick open of one of them, unpleasant situations can also arise when the application simply cannot find the file in the specified path.
The simplest way to fix the error
First of all, every user should know that even having administrator rights is not always the key to the successful removal, renaming or moving of locked files, since some files and folders of a system nature have long names. And only items with short names that are normally inaccessible to the user are subject to deletion.
On the other hand, you can use the simplest method, which is to add some entries to the registry. For example, the files FolderDescription-x86.reg (for 32-bit versions of Windows) and FolderDescription-x64.reg (for versions of Windows with 64-bit architecture) cope with such a problem. If such files are not available on the computer terminal (and this is usually the case), they can easily be downloaded from the Internet. Do not worry, nothing terrible will happen, but it will be possible to get rid of the error "Could not find this element." How to delete files after that? In a standard way. That's all.
Remains of “garbage” after uninstalling applications
In some cases, an error may occur with incomplete removal of programs. Indeed, it often happens that the “native” program uninstaller or the standard Windows InstallShield Wizard does not completely remove all components, prompting the user to delete some files manually. Very often this applies to the uninstall.exe uninstaller itself.
In this case, a message may also be displayed stating that the item was not found. How to remove the program correctly and completely so that there is no unnecessary garbage left in the system in the form of residual files or registry keys? Very simple: it is better to use uninstallers such as iObit Uninstaller, which remove absolutely all software components, as well as registry entries and keys that cannot be removed using the usual method (Forced Uninstall).
Yes, and rummaging through the registry in manual mode, too, do not want to. Moreover, this is undesirable.
Additional ways to delete undeletable files
Among the most common methods for deleting undeletable files and folders, one can note the use of the special Unlocker utility, as well as the direct removal of elements with system attributes using a short name. In principle, both methods are good. However, the average user will have to tinker with the names a bit.
Unlocker program
The Unlocker application is a universal option for solving many casual situations. In fact, the program is a means of unlocking access to any element of the system, after which it will be possible to carry out the necessary actions.
As a rule, the program itself is already included with Windows 7. If it is not on the computer, it can be easily found and downloaded from the Internet.
When you enter the same standard Windows Explorer, the corresponding “Unlock All” command will appear in the context menu . The application will stop all processes associated with a particular file, after which it can be deleted or renamed without any problems. You can, of course, complete the related processes in the "Task Manager", but doing this is highly discouraged, because one process can be responsible for the work of several programs and use many files (for example, dynamic .dll libraries). And the correct completion of the process in this case is not guaranteed.
Removing files and folders with system names
A somewhat more complicated method, but no less effective, is to use short file and folder names. Suppose, when operating with a system file, an error occurs due to the fact that this element could not be found. How to remove it using this method, we will try to figure it out.
First of all, to delete, you will need to use either the command line or the Run menu. Let's say we have a file called “111” located in the Program Files folder on drive “C”. The uninstall command will look like this: DEL \\. \ C: \ Program Files \ 111. For a folder with the name “111” located at the same address, the command takes the form RD \\. \ C: \ Program Files \ 111.
This method may not work when you need to know the short name of the file or folder. In this case, after starting the command line (cmd.exe), you must first use the execution line of the CD drive letter: \ path to the file or folder \ / d, and then to get the short name - the DIR / X / N command. After the required name becomes known, the folder or file can be deleted as described above.