Linux equivalent for "DELTREE"?

**user222** · 02-03-2005

Is there a Linux equivalent for the DOS "DELTREE"? As far as I know, "rmdir" cannot remove non-empty directories.

**Ethyriel** · 02-03-2005

rm -r
man rm for details

**techieMoe** · 02-03-2005

It still may balk at you, so you may need to force remove:

Code:

rm -Rf directoryname

As always, be *very* careful using this command, particularly as root.

**UgoDeschamps** · 02-03-2005

Originally Posted by techieMoe

It still may balk at you, so you may need to force remove:

Code:

rm -Rf

As always, be *very* careful using this command, particularly as root.

Idd even say more then *very* be : VERY carefull...

**Ethyriel** · 02-03-2005

Yeah, it's surprisingly easy to delete things like, say, /etc.

One late night I was searching for my perfect terminal, and upon uninstalling one I went to remove dot files and check /etc for confs:

[root@demerzel ethyriel]# rm -R .footermls /etc
rm: cannot remove '.footermls': No such file or directory

Now why the hell would it tell me that?

Wait for it, wait for it...

I think they heard my screams in Santa Fe.

Everyone's made stupid mistakes like this at some point or another. To avoid them, you might look up libtrash.

**user222** · 02-05-2005

Originally Posted by UgoDeschamps

Originally Posted by techieMoe

It still may balk at you, so you may need to force remove:

Code:

rm -Rf

As always, be *very* careful using this command, particularly as root.

Idd even say more then *very* be : VERY carefull...

Yeah, especially when "rm -r" does not even prompt.

**Ethyriel** · 02-05-2005

If what you want is a prompt try rm -ri, or you could make an alias to deltree or some such to do this automatically.

**loft306** · 02-05-2005

Originally Posted by UgoDeschamps

Idd even say more then *very* be : VERY carefull...

Yeah! when i use the

Code:

rm -Rf

command i type out what i want to remove first check it twice...then add the

Code:

rm -Rf

at the beginning of the line just so i cant go and royaly goof and rm the entire / directory if i happen to hit enter to soon

P.s> this in me just comes from when i was 12years old and formatted a hdd with my schools entire newley put on puter records.....took all the students 4 months to complete....needless to say i was in the doghouse! and suspended.....now if the puter teacher cound of just of hooked up the tape backup

**user222** · 02-05-2005

Originally Posted by Ethyriel

Yeah, it's surprisingly easy to delete things like, say, /etc.

One late night I was searching for my perfect terminal, and upon uninstalling one I went to remove dot files and check /etc for confs:

[root@demerzel ethyriel]# rm -R .footermls /etc
rm: cannot remove '.footermls': No such file or directory

Now why the hell would it tell me that?

Probably because it can't remove a file and a folder at the same time. You probably have to remove the file, then remove the folder.

**Ethyriel** · 02-05-2005

Originally Posted by user222

Probably because it can't remove a file and a folder at the same time. You probably have to remove the file, then remove the folder.

or because I forgot the semicolon

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Linux equivalent for "DELTREE"?

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