Article 168744 of comp.os.vms:
Here is an update from my posting from yesterday.  The command line that I
included in my message was actually meant to be representative of the type
of command I was using.  At the bottom of this message is the actual command
procedure that has executed on a nightly basis since VMS 5.5-2, or possibly
older versions of VMS.  I did run this command procedure many times yesterday,
between 20 and 30 times before the "File not found" message appeared on the
screen.  

I have *not* been able to duplicate this problem today.  DELETE is working 
properly, and if I tweak the "-5-" days to "-4-" days, all files are deleted
in the first pass, today.

Because I was not watching as closely as I should have yesterday, some of the
files that I noticed that were older than 60 days are ignored because of the
exclude list.  I cannot be certain of the creation date of the files that I
had deleted yesterday.  The only thing I am certain of is that I had to 
re-execute this command procedure multiple times, and when executed, many more
files were deleted in every pass, when once should have been enough.

Here is some additional info for those that asked for it.
1: System, Alpha 4100, 1GB RAM, 12Gb RAID level 5 Array (DEC), OpenVMS 7.1
2: ANALYZE/NOREPAIR indicated 1 error each on 14 files on the volume in
   question.  The majority of these files are .EXE in a users directory.
3: We are running Executive Softwares DISKEEPER V7.1-3
4: The VMS Documentation indicates that the /CREATED qualifier is the default
   qualifier in the DELETE command.  I also do not have a symbol redefining
   DELETE.
5: The following is the logical definition of GC$REPORT
GC1_$ sho log gc$report

   "GC$REPORT" = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT.THURSDAY]" (LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE)
        = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT.WEDNESDAY]"
        = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT.TUESDAY]"
        = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT.MONDAY]"
        = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT.SUNDAY]"
        = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT.SATURDAY]"
        = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT.FRIDAY]"
        = "GC$DISK1:[REPORT]"

6: Here is the command procedure in question:

$! CLEANUP.COM
$!
$! Purpose: To delete files on a daily basis in the following directories:
$!		GC$ACLETTER:	Scope: Purge directory EXCLUDING .DAT FILES.
$!		GC$PSLETTER:	Scope: Purge directory EXCLUDING .DAT FILES.
$!		GC$SCRATCH:	Scope: All Files unless locked or open.
$!		GC$REPORT:	Scope: Files over 7 days old EXCLUDING
$!					- Cheque files: *.CHQ
$!
$!	    To backup SYSTEM Data files into GC$KEEP on a nightly basis.
$!
$!  WRITTEN BY: Randy Baker NOV-1989 (Georgian College of AA&T)
$!
$!
$ GOTO 'F$GETSYI("NODENAME")'
$ GC1:
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-1-" /exclude=(SCU038*.*)  GC$GARBAGE:*.*;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-5-" GC$GARBAGE:*.*;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM GC$DISK1:[OPERATOR.BACKUP]*.*;* /BEFORE="-61-"
$	PURGE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /EXCLUDE=*.DAT GC$ACLETTER:*.*
$	PURGE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /EXCLUDE=*.DAT GC$PSLETTER:*.*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-1-" GC$SCRATCH:*.*;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-5-" /EXCLUDE=(*.DIR,STX*.*,*.CHQ,*.CHD,*.DIS,*.PRT,*.PT,*.PTX) GC$REPORT:*.*;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-3-" /EXCLUDE=(*.DIR,STX*.*,*.CHQ,*.CHD,*.DIS,*.DAT,*.RPT,*.PRT,*.PT,*.PTX) GC$REPORT:*.*;*
$       DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-15-" GC$REPORT:*.POL;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-65-" GC$REPORT:*.CHD;*
$!
$! Files that can be safely deleted before the normal wait time.
$!
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM GC$SCRATCH:SCANTRON*.*;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM GC$REPORT:SCANTRON*.*;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /SINCE /BACKUP GC$REPORT:*.LET;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /SINCE /BACKUP GC$REPORT:LAV007*.*;*
$!
$! User Directories:
$	PURGE /LOG /NOCONFIRM USER_DISK:[*...]*.VSET
$	RENAME/NOLOG USER_DISK:[*...]*.VSET;* USER_DISK:[*...]*.VSET;1
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-3-" USER_DISK:[*...]WP*.PF1;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-3-" USER_DISK:[*...]WP*.GF1;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-3-" USER_DISK:[*...]WP*.BV1;*
$	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-3-" USER_DISK:[*...]WP*.TV1;*
$!	DELETE /LOG /NOCONFIRM /BEFORE="-7-" /EXCLUDE=(*.MAI,*.VSET) USER_DISK:[USER...]*.*;*
$!
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[000000]REPORT.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[REPORT]MONDAY.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[REPORT]TUESDAY.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[REPORT]WEDNESDAY.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[REPORT]THURSDAY.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[REPORT]FRIDAY.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[REPORT]SATURDAY.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[REPORT]SUNDAY.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[000000]GARBAGE.DIR
$	SET FILE/TRUNCATE GC$DISK1:[000000]SCRATCH.DIR
$ DONE:
$	EXIT

Thanks
Randy
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Randy Baker, Operations Specialist, Georgian College, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
 E-Mail: RBAKER@GC1.GEORCOLL.ON.CA, Telephone: (705) 728-1968 Ext: 1183 <><
 Home Page: http://www.georcoll.on.ca/staff/rbaker/
    Disclaimer: These are my opinions, not necessarily those of Georgian.