PURGE

PURGE

Purpose

Use at the workstation to permanently remove previously deleted files from the file system.

Syntax

PURGE [ filename | path] [/ option...] [/? | /VER]

Parameters

Parameter Use to
filename

Replace filename with the names of the files you want to purge. Wildcards are allowed.

path

Replace path with the complete path of the directory containing the files you want to purge.

/option

Replace option with any available option. See PURGE Options.

/?

View online help. All other parameters are ignored when /? is used.

/VER

View the version number of the utility and the list of files it uses to execute. All other parameters are ignored when /VER is used.

Using PURGE

You must have the Delete right to the specified directory.
WARNING: If you have the Delete right in the directory, and you don't specify deleted files to be removed, all deleted files are removed, even if you don't own them.
If you have the Delete right at the root, you can use PURGE to remove all deleted files in the entire volume.

PURGE Options

Option Use to
/A

Purge all files in the current directory and its subdirectories.

NOTE: If you don't use /A, PURGE removes only the files in the specified directory.

Examples

To purge all files in the current directory, type
PURGE *.*
To purge all .RPT files in the current directory and the subdirectories, type
PURGE *.RPT /A
To purge all files starting at the root of the volume (you must have delete rights to the entire volume), type
PURGE \*.* /A