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Unable to "rm" a file named "() - ." due to "No such file or directory"

rated 0 times [ 1] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 2882 / 3 Years ago, fri, october 1, 2021, 5:15:21

A script I wrote named a file "() - ." according to Filezilla. Filezilla was unable to delete it from the server so I tried to "rm "() - ." from inside the containing folder and received "rm: cannot remove `() - .': No such file or directory". I then used "ls" which shows...

 () -  .                                               03_The_Kill_30_Seconds_to_Mars.mp3                 Crooked X (Crooked X) - 08 Nightmare.mp3

01 Attack - 30 Seconds to Mars.mp3                     03 Wave of Mutilation - Pixies.mp3                 Danzig (Danzig) - 01 Twist Of Cain.mp3

It lists the file in question though here it looks like it might contain a leading space and mabey two spaces between the "-" and the ".". So I tried to "rm" many combinations of spaces mixed between the other characters with no success.

I also tried renaming it but with the same error.

My fallback is to replace it with a 0KB file of the same name but, I'd rather delete it, (read- I'm OCD and it's irritating me that it shows up in "ls")

Thanks for any help.

Running: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Edition

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4 Years ago

answered 3 Years ago nnaisdio · Accepted Answer

From the terminal... First, let's test before trying. Create a similar file with this command:

touch ()

Then to remove that file:

rm ()

The symbol is used for special characters.

In your case, as long as the file is the only file that starts with (), you should use this command

rm -i ()*

The -i makes it interactive (asks your permission).